My Darling
In the winter of 2020 I took the first big step in my photography journey, as I nervously ventured to Tolarno Station with my dog Lucy. Tolarno is a huge sheep station on the Darling Barka river, near Menindee lakes. Tolarno is a large voice and advocate for the rivers health and as a young man and photographer it was a great opportunity and an experience I will never forget. I remember carrying around my old Nikon d800e with a 24-70mm lens and photographing everything In sight. I knew I wanted to tell stories through my lens and I am still trying to find my voice, even today
Growing up some of my most treasured memories are by the calming flow of the river and dry heat of the Outback. I have seen the river wearing many different faces through the years, from high to deathly low, a slimy green algae covering to a ominous chocolate brown.
The flux of drought and rain is a natural phenomenon that local Indigenous people and farmers have had to deal with for a millennia. When I saw the effects of a kaleidoscope of variable issues it was haunting and changed the way I saw the planet. It certainly made me realise just how fragile and finite our home really is.
I eagerly travelled back to this region in mid 2021 to visit my Mum who had taken up the challenge of teaching in the remote community of Wilcannia, very far from home.
A month before my arrival a low pressure system doused the dry landscape with rainfall and pushed a sudden influx of water rushing down from the Diamantina into the Darling. The arid scorched earth made it difficult to absorb the water quickly and caused devastating widespread floods through out regional NSW.
I was fortunate to have been able to photograph some unique images of ancient trees waist deep in flood water, I even kayaked around trees that were 50-100m away from the river bank. It seemed to me like the river was waking up, like a wild serpent reclaiming it’s bends and mighty currents. Breaking through man made blockages and drowning it’s greedy leeches. I was in awe by the strength and beauty of this raging beast.
The landscape and locals breathed a sigh of relief as vibrant tufts of green life covered the rugged vermilion expanse, my country was almost unrecognisable. With an increasingly warming climate we are seeing the effects in an already harsh and volatile atmosphere. While it is lush and green now, we cannot forget about the ongoing struggles that will inevitably return.
The river is in rapidly changing environment and I hope my photographs have shown just how incredibly beautiful and enduring it is.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this piece. I’d love to know what you think.
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