Julie Murphy

Award winning Australian children's writer, zoologist and former zookeeper 

Hi!   Welcome to my web page.  Feel free to look around. I hope you find something to interest or inspire you – or perhaps both.

 
About me

I have been interested in animals and stories for as long as I can remember. As a youngster, I loved reading Enid Blyton fantasy and mystery stories, and The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. I  conned friends on numerous occasions to help me put on plays for my unfortunate relatives. I studied Zoology at university and really loved it. However, after finishing a Masters thesis about how guide dog trainers assess the temperament of their dogs, I faced the sad reality that long-term jobs in zoology were few and far between. I took a side-step into the fascinating world of zookeeping, which kept me busy for ten years! 

On the home front, I was constantly saving up for the next backpacking trip overseas with my partner. We usually went AWOL every few years. We have been lucky to have visited parts of Africa, Asia, South America, Europe and, of course, Australia. We must be allergic to package tours - we always travel independently for as long as we can (sometimes 3 or 4 months). That gives us the best chance to meet the locals and get a real 'feel' for a place. Some of the places we visited have changed substantially over the ensuing years, which makes us feel extra fortunate for having had the opportunity to experience them when we did.

 Now we are older and have a 7-year-old daughter, our destinations and modes of travel have become somewhat more comfortable. In 2007 we spent 14 weeks towing a camper-trailer around outback Australia. It was a bit different from sharing the back of a truck with 23 South American farmers...but there were a few similarities at times!

  More than a decade ago, I changed from full-time to part-time zokeeping employment to devote more time to pursue my interest in writing. But a happy event intervened and, after a two-year hiatus dedicated exclusively to my growing family (which sounds so much more civilised than the reality of the domestic madness that comes with having a new baby), I now write from my home office while my daughter attends school. I also work casually as an Education Programs Officer at a local urban farm. I think I may have stumbled on the perfect combination of stimulation, creativity, nurturing and domesticitiy. They all combine into a wonderful feedback loop that helps to generate more writing ideas.

My early publications consisted of scientific papers and non-fiction articles. Along the way there was also an article for a zoo encyclopedia and an instructional manual that taught children how to breed stick insects! I am now happily immersed in the wonderful world of children’s literature., specialising in animal and nature-related topics. I have been lucky to have published non fiction books, articles, verse and other assorted bits and pieces for young readers. I was thrilled that my non fiction book "Great Barrier Reef Under Threat" (Macmillan Education, 2011) recently received a Commendation (Children's series) in the Royal Zoological Society's Whitley Awards . 

My plans for the future include continuing to write for children, and branching out into Trade fiction books for children – especially picture books.

Current works-in-progress include picture book manuscripts and a mid-grade novel. I write quarterly pieces for a column in Bug News, the e-magazine for the Children's literacy web site, Bug in a Book...I like to keep busy!

I live in Melbourne, Australia, with my husband and daughter.

Thanks for visiting. Feel free to have a look at my Recent News and Publications for sale via the links at the top left-hand side of this page. I hope you will drop by again some time!