The Australian bush fascinates that part of me which is a writer, just as much as it fascinates that part of me which is a photographer. But I don't reckon I have yet had the opportunity to take the quintessential Outback shot yet. You know what I mean - the one shot that outweighs all the others; the one shot that anyone, anywhere in the world can look it and instantly know it represents the great, wide heart of this country-continent.
Some of my favourite shots were taken in 1999 on the Eyre Peninsula in the South Australian bush and you can see them at J Is For Jindaroo Creek. But this country is so vast, the sights are so varied, the experiences are so different, that I'm still searching for That One Great Shot.
So in the meantime, I decided I'd give you two vastly differing views of the bush. The first image (above) gives you an idea of just how badly the drought of the past few years has hit the farmers in the Outback. And the second (below) presents an early-morning view of tranquil riverscape and lush green below a cloudy sky.
Both photographs mean a great deal to me, because each is distinct from the other. The Outback is capricious and just when you think you have got it figured out, it presents you with a facet you've never seen before. That, to me, is its eternal allure.