Surviving Shepherd's Pie (ATOM Study Guide)

Surviving Shepherd's Pie, written and directed by Diana Leach, was inspired by the book Outback Women by Melissa Mc Cord, which is a series of photographs and profiles of women in the Australian outback. After reading it, Diana Leach became intrigued by the lives of the women in the book, and the character traits that linked them together. With this in mind, she travelled across Australia and spent six weeks researching and interviewing rural women.
The film explores how the women's identities are forged by the Australian outback and how Australian rural women's characters have been shaped by geography.
The four women in the film are all competitive horsewomen who have been involved in the rodeo circuit throughout their lives. The film also explores the relationship between the rodeo and rural Australian culture.

Surviving Shepherd's Pie would have relevance for students in senior secondary or adult education courses studying History, Studies of Society and Environment, English, ESL, and Media Studies. It would be useful for students in urban areas as a text for understanding rural Australia. This study guide could also be used as a way of getting rural students to explore the same issues in an urban context.