National Museum of Australia

Families that play together, David (Goolwa)

Photo of a family of surfers at the beach by their surfboards

Three generations of local surfers

Longy, Little Longy and Jock are three generations of surfers living down here so that they can combine their recreation with work, school and the rest of their lives. Jock has been down here surfing since 1962. On the day I asked them to wait at the beach so that I could get a photo, I was a bit late. Jock was getting toey, because 'it's pumping over at Waits and I need to get around there for a surf before dark'.

Chaosstream, Sarah (Toowoomba)

Spiralling eddies in a tannin stained river are a reminder that the elemental forces of nature are dominated by chaotic processes that we can seek to understand, but never truly master.

Crinklestones, Sarah (Toowoomba)

Photo of water moving through a rock pool

The dying leaf adds its nutrients to the stream. The circle of death closes while another circle of life begins. The intersecting ripples reference a holographic plate in which everything is contained in every part of the whole.

Intersecting ripples, Sarah (Toowoomba)

All our actions impact on our essential water resources. The effects of one action collide with those of others, generating chaotic patterns and behaviours that become increasingly difficult to understand and manage. This image also refers to the different perspectives each of us brings to the complexities of river management. Sometimes, as in a hologram, the intersecting waves cancel each other out. At other times they become sources of conflict - and occasionally, the impetus for creative solutions.

Smooth & Stretched Trees, Sarah (Toowoomba)

Photo of the silhouette of trees in the river

Tannin-stained water is a near perfect mirror. The languid fluidity of this stream has distorted the reflected trees and hints at the state of pregnancy and fertility - another reference to the creative properties of water.

Spiral Wave, Sarah (Toowoomba)

The spiral is ever-present in our world (and indeed our universe) at all scales. Eddies spin off to make new, smaller spirals, that interact with life at a smaller scale. Spirals are a constant pressure seeking forms and functions with which to interact.

Water

Water

Families that play together, David (Goolwa)

Chaosstream, Sarah (Toowoomba)

Crinklestones, Sarah (Toowoomba)

Intersecting ripples, Sarah (Toowoomba)

Smooth & Stretched Trees, Sarah (Toowoomba)

Spiral Wave, Sarah (Toowoomba)

Water

Water

Image Gallery Page Navigation

Families that play together, David (Goolwa)

Chaosstream, Sarah (Toowoomba)

Crinklestones, Sarah (Toowoomba)

Intersecting ripples, Sarah (Toowoomba)

Smooth & Stretched Trees, Sarah (Toowoomba)

Spiral Wave, Sarah (Toowoomba)