Community & Business
9 July, 2025
Songs from the heart
MAREEBA has a new singer-songwriter on the scene, with Victoria Crosby releasing her debut single “North of the Range” last Friday.
Victoria is well known locally as one of the owners of the Hungry Pug Cafe, and her music draws heavily from her life growing up in Far North Queensland.
It may have taken a couple of decades to decide to record her music, but Victoria is sure this is the right time to share her songs with the world.
Victoria has always loved music, singing in clubs and hotels in Cairns years ago, before she went on to other things and then created the Hungry Pug with her husband, Simon, six years ago.
Her generous nature and love of storytelling prompted her to start doing free performances at two local aged homes – just to make people happy.
Her songs reflect her nature, blending traditional country with heartfelt storytelling, and capturing both the beauty and hardship of rural life.
“I’ve probably written 100 songs over the years, and this first album will be all about telling a story,” Victoria said.
“North of the Range is about the land I grew up on – the road trips, the red dust, the rivers, and the resilience you find when you’re raised where the bitumen ends.
“It’s deeply personal, but it’s also a song for anyone who’s ever felt shaped by the bush.”
Victoria grew up in Chillagoe and brings a rare authenticity to every song she writes and performs – whether it’s a ballad about a lost love, a yodel dedicated to her horse Duke, or a tribute to forgotten towns and the people who built them.
Victoria collaborated with producers in Nashville to create her album which will feature nine singles that will be released over the next six months. The second single to be released on 18 July will be “Red Dome Dust”, inspired by the historic Chillagoe gold mine where her father once worked.
One of her favourite songs on the album is “Flowers for Annie” – a ballad inspired by the real story of Annie Tracey, a young Irish woman whose life was tragically cut short in the now ghost town of Mungana in 1901.
Victoria first came across Annie’s story after visiting the ruins of Mungana alone last Christmas, during which she had an unsettling experience, as if a presence lingered there.
Her parents later told her the local history, and she learned about Richard Henderson, the man who killed Annie and then took his own life not far from where he shot her.
“Her story touched me in a way I can’t quite explain, and I’ve poured that emotion into every word of the song,” Victoria said.
In May, Victoria and others took flowers to Annie grave.
“We laid flowers at Annie’s resting place, paid our respects, and promised to share her name and her story with the world. Now, ‘Flowers for Annie’ will do that – and for every forgotten woman whose story deserves to be remembered,” she said.
That’s the way it is for Victoria – songs come from people she meets or experiences she has.
“I had a lady come the other day with a bunch of flowers for me. She told me her nan lived at the aged home and she had passed away,” she said.
“I said ‘why are you bringing me flowers?’, and she told me that her nan had such a good time when I went there to sing, so she wanted me to know how much it meant to her.
“I nearly started balling my eyes out. So, after she brought me those flowers, I just started thinking in my head, ‘she brought me flowers’ which will now be a song for next year’s album.”
Victoria is working with an Australian music distributor who will get her songs out to 1400 radio stations, with the first single available now on Spotify and iTunes.
