Book on Banyule Flats: The end is near

banyule-flats-sunrise-swamp-melbourne

It is almost time for the book to be finished that I’ve been doing on Banyule Flats for the last year and a bit. It was meant to have been completed last December, but I was given an extension to the end of April.

As the book is about the seasons I didn’t have many photos for the season of High Summer, which is why I was granted the extension.  This last week, while not technically high summer anymore, it is close to it and with the very warm weather we’ve been having, I thought it would do, I took my last photos for the book. So now all the photos are done. It is a relief to get to this stage.

I started photographing this area two years ago. I had no thoughts of grants or books at the time, but I was worried about the talk of a freeway going through the area. I thought if I get others engaged in the beauty of the area that I could help save it. When I started the swamp or wetland part of it was dry and now here we are two years later and it is dry again.

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Where this image was taken would normally be underwater and the only time you can take photos of the dead trees like this is when it is dry.  I knew that I wanted to get some long exposures of the trees and I’m really happy with this one and some others I got.

Now one of the things that made this area very special that morning was the sunrise. I knew a thunderstorm was predicted for the morning, so I started going outside at 5.30am to check the clouds. If there were too many clouds, there would be no sunrise, but as luck would have it I could see stars. Still, I waited at home and then just after 6.30 I could see colour appearing in the sky, so I quickly grabbed what I needed and headed down then. It is less than a five minute drive. What I got was so spectacular.

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It truly was the best sunrise I’ve taken down there. I never really got a good sunset, but I was very fortunate to get many wonderful dawns. This, the best. The colours were so rich and really goes towards being like the Aboriginal Flag.

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While I’m using the Wurundjeri seasons for the book, I don’t want to take their culture and use it for my own purposes. There has to be a line. I was thinking of using the flag on the cover, but with the above photo, or one very similar to it, I can have the colours, without the obvious flag. I would like the flag in the book somewhere though.

The aboriginal flag has great meaning, and I hope I’m correct when I say the black represents the Aboriginal people, the yellow is the sun and the red is the earth. It is very recognisable here in Australia.

I have the photo for the cover, but I’m keeping it under wraps under the book is published.  It is a great shot, well I think it is.

You won’t have to wait too much longer for the book, it is almost there.

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15 Comments

  1. Congratulations on nearing the end of this project…it seems like it has been on your slate for ever so long – I’m wondering just how you will be when it leaves your hands. Best of luck with finishing it up!

    1. Thank you Robert, and thank you for all your advice during it, it has been very much appreciated. It does, though most was getting images, glad that is all done now. I am sure another project will come along, lol, I’m thinking of another book? Thank you so much.

  2. Leanne that sunrise would have to be one of the best I have ever seen and I have seen a few but not always with the camera ready. Well done TFS

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