Up The Country: Miles FranklinStella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin was born in Talbingo in central New South Wales, in 1879. Her parents belonged to the "Squattocracy" Europeans who lived off the land because they were the only ones there, but had no land rights. Up The Country a tale about mid 19th century pioneer families in New South Wales based on tales handed down from her maternal grandmother. This is not only a story of the adventures of the Mazere, Poole and Brennan families;