Rivers, Lakes and Floodplains

‘There’s mystery within those wild
yet not forgotten places.

Life ever-watchful, curious, yet aware,
tense to every sound and movement
behind, overhead, underfoot,
seeing yet unseen.

Busy, lively, fussy, agile,
all lightly leaving marks
and when they’re gone
all that’s left behind
is air.’
Steve Parish

Mirror-smooth reflections of cloud sculptured blue skies: towering paperbark trees and lush green freshwater mangroves. Along the river and billabong banks sleek, long-necked, pure-white wading birds, this is a world that can invoke deep thought, giving birth to unique creative imaginings.

Water surfaces have a special kind of hypnotic effect, especially when wind-rippled, or when a leaf, flower, frog or feather floats past and we all know the transformative impact a waterfall or rushing river can bring to one’s state-of-mind. These wild and splendid ecosystems are intoxicating to anyone who enters with presence and with the roving, curious eye of a soul in search of inspiration.

The Haven

Arthur River is surrounded by dramatic coastal scenery and wet forests which is a great base for exploring the Tarkine wilderness area in Tasmania’s North West. The pristine upper reaches of the river are a haven for unique flora and fauna.

Morgan On The Murray

South Australia’s Morgan Conservation Park boasts a system of lagoons, swamps, creeks and River Murray anabranches bordered by river red gum woodlands on one side and a vertical cliff face that glows gold with the morning sun.

Lazy Days on The Darling River

A river red gum beside the Darling River Kinchega National Park, a protected national park that is located in the far west region of New South Wales.

Dawn On The Daintree II

Daintree River, one of Australia’s most accessible, and indeed most dramatic, tropical rainforest bordered river systems. Renown for its birds – a formation of magpie geese pass overhead – and spectacular scenery, the river is partly bordered by Daintree National Park.

Returning

Beneath a crystal clear blue wandering whistling ducks return from feeding grounds to wile away the day on a backwater billabong adjacent to, Kakadu National Park’s vast floodplains.

Ormiston Creek

Ormiston Creek, Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park, Northern

Pools For Reflection

The cooing of pigeons, the thumping of rock wallabies, rustling leaves, buzzing flies, the smell of decaying vegetation and the sense of wet sand between your toes, these are the ingredients that add a background theatre to this visual delight. This image is a blend of the juncture between an age-old water-worn gorge, that took nature eons to create, and the spirit of a human immersed in pools of reflection. Ormiston Gorge, Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park, Northern Territory

Boorong Country I

Lake Tyrrell in northwestern Victoria is the site of what is said to be the oldest known evidence of human habitation of Victoria and Tasmania. Lake Tyrrell has revealed humans were in the vicinity of the Lake 44000 years BCE, with evidence of large earthen ovens containing stone artefacts and a range of charred bones and shells. The area is part of the land of the Boorong clan of the Wergaia Language Group. The Boorong were famous astronomers, with their dreaming stories told in the skies reflected on Lake Tyrrell.

Easter Aligator River

Kakadu National Park (right) and Arnhemland (left) both bordered by the East Aligator River. As well as being a gateway to impenetrable wilderness this is a river that contains one of the highest densities of the large saltwater crocodile in Australia.

Kuku Yalanji Country

The headwaters of the Mossman River rise under Devil’s Thumb on the Mount Carbine Tableland in the Great Dividing Range. The river flows through a deeply incised valley in the Mount Lewis Forest Reserve in an easterly direction and then through the Mossman Gorge which is part of the Daintree National Park, a World Heritage Area. From a purely artistic perspective, I consider this gorge and its surrounds to be Australia’s finest. The land is jointly managed by the Park’s Service and the traditional local owners, the Kuku Yalanji people.

Monet’s Playground – River Red Gum Forest

Left: ‘Monet’s Playground’ – Sedges and water lilies, Kakadu National Park, World Heritage Area, Northern Territory.

Right: ‘River Red Gum Forest’ – The Barmah National Park is a River Red Gum forest, with a large flood plain and wetland area, with flooding of the Murray River occurring sporadically, both naturally and due to flow regulation of the river. Waterbirds are the primary fauna type found within the park are waterbirds. The area is rich breeding, nesting and foraging area for over 200 bird species.

Outback Billabong

A grand old mulga tree acts as the main base during waterhole operations for these emerald green budgerigars and pink and grey galahs. Each time a predatory bird flew past the birds dashed to the tree for safety. Western Queensland