My wife and I have returned from the most amazing journey through the heart of the Pilbara region in Western Australia. We were off grid for nine days and self sufficient thanks to our new camper trailer. We had two batteries, two solar panels that ran the fridge, lights and all our charging requirements. There is something special about free energy from the sun that makes camping much more enjoyable. We found so many out of the way places, mostly down rough gravel tracks and saw very few people during the time. Every night we had a campfire, something not possible in a lot of popular places. It was just the reset we needed after a busy 6 months in the gallery.
We caught up with fellow photographers Nick Rains and his wife Janelle who were in the area travelling with their camper trailer. This was the first time I had been in the Pilbara with a drone and it was amazing to see the colours of the landscape from the air. At ground level you get a sense of the red earth but it isn't until you get a higher vantage point that you realise there are so many other colours also. It took me by surprise so the drone batteries were getting a pretty good workout!
We found so many gorges, waterholes and rivers flowing with beautiful fresh water. And when I say fresh, I mean fresh, it was chilly but that is what you can expect in June. If you are thinking of a get-away and want to tread the path less chosen I can highly recommend heading to Marble Bar and exploring from there. It has some of the most interesting landscapes I have seen in the Pilbara.
Every evening as the sun went down we witnessed beautiful orange glows in the sky as if all of the landscape was reflecting into the atmosphere. It was pleasantly warm and perfect drinks and nibbles around the fire weather. Once it was dark the stars were spectacular, with very little to no light pollution. I saw two of the most amazing shooting stars I have seen on this trip. One lasting for a few seconds and leaving an orange trail in the sky. Ok the mozzies got a little friendly on occasions but nothing we couldn't handle.
Now we are home it has been all go trying to catch up with work and finishing up two new exhibitions, the first starting in just over a week up at the Linton and Kay galleries in Subiaco. I can't wait to see the work hanging in the space. But now we are dreaming about the next big trip to find more of our great state that is often hidden from view. Get out there and see it for yourself.