Late Spring rains in the Wheatbelt have a distinct smell. With it comes the threat of thunderstorms that can damage crops with heavy rain, hail and fires started by lightning. There is nothing you can do but watch and hope for the best.
“The heavens do not merely break; they exhale. Here, the landscape is caught in a silvered breath, where the earth reaches up to meet the descending shroud of the storm. It is a quiet erasure—a moment where the solid world surrenders its edges to the soft, rhythmic persistence of the rain. There is a profound stillness in this turbulence, a reminder that even the most fleeting of storms leaves a permanent mark upon the soul of the land.” -Anonymous
This image is dedicated to all those people who live and work in the rural areas of our state, and in particular, the many volunteers who risk their lives fighting fires. Every day people helping each other in a time of need. This is what our great country is built on. As one of the local fire fighting units was returning from putting out a fire started by lightning, they flashed their lights as they went past. As luck would have it, I had my shutter open.
Whilst on a road trip through the Great Southern region of Western Australia, I just had to pull over to admire the golden glow of a summer afternoon.
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Somewhere between Corrigin and Kondinin, Western Australia.
A majestic Salmon Gum stands alone in a paddock, surrounded by storm clouds. It welcomes the refreshing rain and is witness to the amazing beauty of the land it plants its roots in.
At the end of a long day chasing thunderstorms throughout the wheat-belt region, a group of storm chasers converged near this spot to watch an epic decaying storm right on sunset. I moved further down the road to see if I could frame this rainbow but by the time I found this tree, it was almost gone. I wonder how many rainbows and thunderstorms this tree has seen?
The setting sun illuminates a swarm of flying ants that have been stirred out of their nest by a summer storm. Taken east of Corrigin, Western Australia on 23rd January 2016.
The corrugated iron shed in this image is a very common sight on Australian country roads. When it rains, schoolchildren take cover in them as they wait for the school bus to arrive.
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As the sun peers over the tree-lined hills, it casts a warm light on the mist-covered paddocks. A new day is waking.
This old shed sits just off the road near Williams, Western Australia. Over its lifetime, it has seen many seasons come and go.
