2018
Australia; Australian Capital Territory, Australia; South Australia, Australia
The Ruins -
Australia day is one of the largest public holidays in the Australian summer calendar. The majority of the population spend the holiday camping or with family and friends. Recently there has been country wide protests about the renaming of the date to Invasion day, with the 26th of January marking the day when the first fleet of British ships arrived in Australia in 1788.
Mining Fields, Coober Pedy -
Coober Pedy from the Aboriginal Term "Kupa Pity" - White man in a hole, is a mining town in the desert of the Northern Territories. Once this expansive area of Australia was under the ocean. The sea minerals left behind have created a rich source of opal gems. In the summer temperatures soar to 50 degrees celsius, meaning the towns people must live in caves called dugouts underground to stay cool.
Nimbin -
Nightcap National Park near Nimbin contains many ancient sites of cultural significance, including ceremonial and sacred sites that are still used by local Aboriginal people today. The creeks, plants, animals and landscape of the park feature in the stories, teachings and practices of Aboriginal people that continue to be passed on today.
Kata Tjuta -
Ayres Rock, Yulara. Ayres rock sits in the middle of the Australian desert, nestled on top of the rock is a large water reservoir, a natural source of precious water in the outback. When the desert rains come, waterfalls flow down the rock, carving out channels to the watering holes below.
Desert Honey -
The Desert Honey flower grows wild in the bush. The men and women knew when the desert turned yellow it would be a good hunting season. They would wash the flowers in water to create a sugar drink that the men would drink before going hunting, allowing them to hunt for longer periods of time.
The Deadzone -
The Deadzone also know as The Dark Point is 1.5km stretch of white sand dunes in Mungo Brush. Once home to Aboriginal settlers, traces of them can still be find on the dunes, grey ashy sand from their fires, broken glass, shells and animal bones, signs they were once there imprinted on the sand.
Myall Lakes -
Myall Lakes National Park is part of the Country of the Worimi Aboriginal people, who used the area's natural resources, like freshwater lakes, the ocean and native flora and fauna to live a traditional fisher-hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Much evidence of their long connection with this Country can be seen today throughout the middens in the park. Today the area is a popular wild camping area for families.
I set off at five in the morning to beat the midday sun. Across the pastel coloured mountains a saw a figure coming towards me, the first person I'd seen for hours. I stopped the car as a man on a bicycle rode past me. We simply smiled at each other as he rode past me into the desert from where I'd come. It was a two hour drive to the next town.