Winton uses colloquialism in Ort's language to create more emphasis on the Australian setting with Ort saying Orright' and pronouncing grandmother Grammar'. Winton uses this to contribute to the Australian Outback setting. Winton creates a strong foundation of the Australian setting as he sprinkles the text with colloquialism and Australian icons.
Winton creates the main impressions through the narration of Ort. He establishes Ort as a very trustworthy character from his innocent, childlike persona. The way Ort talks so openly and sometimes with a misunderstanding about issues, makes us realise how genuine he is. When Ort talks about his mother's surname beings different when she was a maid' and his father being put in the OUT basket' after being born makes the us realise and establish the impression that Ort is a very innocent and truthful character. This makes us trust him and like him immediately.
From Ort's narration Winton establishes how Ort is connected to the environment. The environment is one factor that he can contently describe as it is one of the main things he can understand. This can be understood as Ort reveals how he listens to the night coming across the forest. When Ort talks about the environment and its features he describes them in great length compared to when he talks about people. Describing what he hears in the night with small sounds like the birds heading for somewhere' and the sound of the creek tinkering low. Ort's strong connection with his father reveals how Ort has become so connected to the bush, as Sam Flack has a passion for trees. The landscape is an important factor as it represents the non-urbanised area where the city hasn't taken over as it reflects their isolation from the rest of society. This is how we perceive that Ort's connection with nature is being threatened as his world is beginning to disintegrate as he begins to experience the factors of urban spread.