Susan Duncan on love, community and the pleasures of life in 'Sleepless in Stringybark Bay'

When five couples pool their resources to live in a house located where a turquoise lagoon meets the sea, the quirky little offshore community of Cook's Basin is shocked. How will ten people - one in a wheelchair and one with a hauntingly familiar face - survive where the only way in or out is by boat? When a member of the household is found floating face down in the bay, the police insist the death was accidental but the bizarre circumstances have locals scratching their heads. Former journalist turned café owner Kate Jackson is curious to discover why a group of retirees in their late seventies would choose such an isolated location. Then a throw-away line in an old magazine story leads to shocking revelations. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Susan Duncan about why everyone is so happy in the boat-only access hamlet of Cook's Basin, and how the continuity of life and character throughout her stories, explores the fragility of love and relationships and the healing power of kindness.