The early life of Nanette Ambrose is the stuff of spy novels.
Her work undercover for the United States government saw her help bring down international fraudsters and a sex-trafficking syndicate.
Her role in covert anti-fraud operations has seen her honoured with several awards.
She has also trained global airlines and border staff in detecting signs of human trafficking and false documents.
But these days, the Filipina is a far cry from her Manila roots and the venturesome, high-stakes career that shaped her early life.
Now living in the red-dirt land of outback Queensland, Nanette recalls her intrepid journey through the halls of US national security, and how her heart eventually led her to her "home" in the Australian bush.
Annulments and visa 'fixers'
From an early age, Ms Ambrose coveted a life of independence.
"I wanted to support myself, I did not want to get married, I wanted a different future," she said.
After graduating a Bachelor of Political Science and Bachelor of Law at the Manuel L. Quezon University in Manila, she landed a job as a researcher at a relative's law firm.
One year, she worked on several annulments — and a particularly happy client who worked at the US Embassy in Manila suggested Ms Ambrose apply for a job there.
It was not long before she was appointed as an anti-fraud investigator at the US State Department and then as a specialist at US Customs and Border Protection.
She was then promoted to the role of immigration and criminal investigator with the US Department of Homeland Security in Washington, DC.
She was part of several undercover operations tracking fraud activity, particularly visa fixers, between South-East Asia and the US.
Despite the thrill and gravity of the investigations she participated in, undercover work proved bittersweet.
"I remember one investigation where me and another agent posed as husband and wife in the Philippines targeting a subject," she said.
"When we were about to pay her, we were in a coffee shop with undercover Interpol agents all around us.
"I handed her the money, excused myself to go to the bathroom, and then never saw her again.
"She was arrested and jailed."
Sometimes, those jobs were hard, Ms Ambrose said.
"There were emotional connections involved, we had been to her home, she had served us cups of tea," she said.
"But I would remind myself that it couldn't be personal, this was my job."
Guam prostitution syndicate
A sex-trafficking case in Guam marked a turning point in Ms Ambrose's career.
"It was operated by a US citizen who was Filipina out of the bar she ran," she said.
"My involvement in the case actually started as an open one.
"I was interviewing the subject as part of our investigation and afterward, they offered me money in the hope of using me to arrange visas for a group of females they were trying to bring into Guam.
"I played along and it meant we were able to record the train of money they sent us.
"She was eventually arrested and jailed."
After that case, Ms Ambrose found herself looking for a way out of the industry.
"Working on one investigation like that after another, I felt like my world was getting smaller," she said.
"There were places that I could no longer go because it was too dangerous for me."
'Investigation skills' lead to love
One day, Ms Ambrose was scrolling through Facebook when she recognised the profile picture of an old flame, Anthony Ambrose.
"I hadn't seen him since we went our separate ways during college," she said.
"Suddenly, my investigation skills sprung into action."
It turned out he worked in the outback Queensland mining city of Mount Isa.
The two re-connected in 2010 and were married just a couple of years later.
By 2014, Ms Ambrose found herself on a one-way trip to Mount Isa.
She fell in love with the outback soon after touching down.
"When I came out here, it felt like I was coming home," she said.
Securing a job as an operational officer in the paediatric and ICU wards at Mount Isa Hospital, Ms Ambrose said she relished the more relaxed lifestyle.
"I remember my first time camping in such an open, outback country, the stars were so bright — I was worried they were going to fall right out of the sky," she said.
"It is so multicultural out here and I can cook Filipino food and I love being a member of the local Filipino organisation."
"In Manila, I grew up on a river so my husband and I love to watch the sunset over the lake out here as we eat an early dinner."
Although she looks back fondly on her days of sting operations and high security clearances, Ms Ambrose is steadfast in building a different life for herself in the Australian bush.
"I'm very happy to call this my home."
