John Somerset was born in Melbourne, Australia and spent his childhood on the Surf Coast of Victoria. This was the time of the birth of modern-day surfing, with the introduction of the Okanui surf board. His early experiences on the Surf Coast of Victoria culminated in a poorly-funded trip to the North Shore of Hawaii, long before it became the surfing mecca of today. He was educated at Geelong Grammar, which had just begun its Mt Timbertop campus in which boys of fifteen spent one school year in the Victorian Alps. This, plus an agricultural science course at Melbourne University imparted a lifetime love of the bush. And a fascination with gold. In between a working life in advertising and marketing, John has travelled Australia’s outback by 4WD; including Lasseter Country. He lives and writes at Anglesea, Victoria with his wife and one-eyed kelpie.