Set in a remote area of Western Australia, The Fringe Dwellers is the story of two part-Aboriginal sisters, Noonah and Trilby, who live in a family camp on the fringe of white society. Noonah accepts her position—but Trilby refuses to.

First published in 1961, The Fringe Dwellers is a landmark novel in Australian literature. It was made into an internationally acclaimed film in 1986 by Bruce Beresford.