Robert grew up in a small town in rural Victoria – Eildon Weir, as it was known when he lived there. The town nestled under the weir, and he spent a fair bit of time as a child contemplating the thrilling prospect of the wall’s collapse. He imagined the opportunities the flood would provide for the rescue of old people and small children. The newspaper headlines would read: “Eildon Boy Saves Hundreds.”

Robert Hillman’s memoir, The Boy in the Green Suit (Scribe Publications), won the Australian National Biography Award for 2004. His collaboration with Najaf Mazari resulted in the bestselling and critically acclaimed, The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif (Wild Dingo Press) Robert is also the author of Gurrumul: His Life and Music (HarperCollins Australia) , and Robert collaborated with Stan ‘Yarra’ Yarramunua a highly successful Melbourne artist, musician, businessman and charity worker, to write A Man Called Yarra (Black Inc Books).

He published the novels Joyful, The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted and The Bride of Almond Tree – all with Text Publishing.

Robert sadly passed away in 2024 – he is missed, and fondly remembered.