Patrice Newell was born in Adelaide. After careers in modelling, journalism and television, she bought a farm in Gundy, New South Wales with her partner Phillip Adams, where she produces biodynamic olive oil and beef.  Her books include Ten Thousand Acres: A Love Story, a heartfelt call for sustainable land use; The Olive Grove, her bestselling account of leaving the city for life on the land; and The River, a critically acclaimed examination of water-management issues facing rural communities.