Ben Dixon and The Long Paddock

Cattleman and journalist Ben Dixon has gone west, leaving behind his cattle property Dixon Hill at Monaldo, in Queensland, Australia,and his difficult wife,Milly. She's been convinced she's pregnant, even though Ben and her doctor tell her, that, at 49. there's little chance of that and it's just her time of life. On learning that Ben's correct she turns on him savagely and Ben wearily sets out for his beloved Western Queensland to call on people he wrote about years before in an award- winning newspaper series, and to distribute some of his and Milly's considerable wealth among landholders doing it tough. He's well-received wherever he goes and finds plenty of people needing help. But word gets out and people start to pursue him for a hand-out. Ben tires of eluding them and joins a drover,Oscar Brown, and his wife Belle, to go on a cattle drive down the Long Paddock, a Government stock route which is used to walk cattle and sheep to railpoints and to other properties.He had promised Milly a 25th anniversary reavowal in a Melbourne church with pealing bells and men in morning suits but had told her to call it off, as he departed. But on the peaceful cattle drive he realises that Milly's problems were not of her making and he begins to think of her more and more, and decides he'll try to make it to the reavowal ceremony after all, if it's still on. Milly meanwhile is broken-hearted at his departure and realises that she'd behaved pretty badly. She hasn't called off the ceremony and with 15-year-old daughter Mim sets out to find Ben and persuade him to the reavowal. They track him through one friend of Ben's after another and find that he's worshipped in the West. They have a couple of threatening moments but protect themselves with gun and knife, developing a reputation as they pass through, getting closer to Ben. They catch up with Ben on his cattle drive and Ben and Milly are re-united. Milly joins the drive but getting to the ceremony presents many problems....