[2] He studied at the University of Melbourne, gaining his Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Education (BEd) and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and from there went to London, where he gained his Master of Arts (MA) degree from the University of London.
[4][5] Hill is quoted as saying the piece was inspired by the following: "Desert Canticles arises out of a marriage, a decade of travelling, and some years writing the literary biography of T.G.H.
I was writing my own poems out of love and the landscape, while trying to fathom Strehlow's great achievement in Songs of Central Australia.
So the notion of translation as a metaphor for relationship – with place, with others, and with songs of different cultures (Hebraic, Buddhist, and Aboriginal) became a natural one upon which to thread a radio work.
"[4]Hill is married to Rose Bygrave, a member of the band Goanna, and lives in Queenscliffe, Victoria.