It sounds idyllic. A lifestyle living on the Northern beaches with its magnificent views, golden sands, surf culture, with a beautiful national park adjacent. But it was the early ’70s and it was anything but idyllic for many. Trudie Adams was your typical 18 year old. She was smart, loyal and ‘the glue’ that held her girlfriends together. She wanted adventure and was excitedly looking forward to going to Bali the following week. But before then, Trudie and her girlfriends had planned to go to the surf club dance.

By midnight Trudie had had enough and when boyfriend Steve asked her to dance she refused. She abruptly left and waited along Barrenjoey Road sticking her thumb out, looking for a hitch home, as she only lived a short distance away. Looking out the window of the club, Steve saw Trudie get into a cream panel van, or was it a green combi? He decided he too would hitch and meet Trudie at her house. But Trudie Adams never made it home. The search for this young woman was the largest in police history.

Barrenjoey Road is a well-written, researched tale spanning more than 40 years. It’s brutal, confronting and exposes the police corruption and drug scene at that time. It’s also a sad insight to what it was like for young men and women in the ’70s who had been sexually assaulted. They were disbelieved, with little to no follow-up. It was a different time, when everything was typed on telex machines and sent through as a wireless message. Hard to believe today.

Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Gerrie Fawcett