Absolutely brilliant! Don’t miss it — the story of Australia’s WWI army nurses told with exhilarating style.

Follow Sister Florence Whiting on her four year odyssey — from departure on the troopship Kyarra, to tours of duty in the Dardanelles, on Lemnos, in Egypt, France and the Western Front.

Based on the letters and diaries of Australian army nurses, Through These Lines offers an intimate and unique theatrical experience, performed by a talented ensemble cast with authentic costumes and props for an immersive experience of the tumult of war.

Performances are sited on the ruins of the makeshift hospital within the Gaol that housed interned German nationals during WWI, a stunning location above the Pacific Ocean in Arakoon National Park.

Book online or at the Trial Bay Ticket Office.

Gates open 6pm. The performance will take place inside a large covered marquee. Seating and blankets provided, but you might also want to bring your own. No kiosk facilities on-site so please BYO drinks and snacks.

I visited Trial Bay Gaol in stunning Arakoon National Park several years ago.

As I looked for venues in the area I recalled a snippet of that visit, a memory of seeing pictures of a theatre within the jail. I discovered that during WWI German men who were deemed ‘a threat’ to Australia were interned there for several years. Boredom and frustration led to the formation of an orchestra, choir and theatre group.

The men performed but one thing was missing — women — and so they donned dresses and wigs to perform weekly plays to their ‘captive’ audience.

It feels like a perfect fit to bring a play about an Australian nurse and the bonds that were formed with men to a place where the female presence was missed.

We will be performing on the ruins of the makeshift hospital within the Gaol, another clear and vital link back to the history I am trying to bring to life.

— Cheryl Ward