The West
Echo Publishing 12 Northumberland Street South Melbourne 3205 www.echopublishing.com.au
The West
Part of the Bonnier Publishing Group www.bonnierpublishing.com Copyright Š Frances Andrijich, 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
A Visual Celebration of Western Australia
First published 2015 Printed in China
Cover and internal design by Tracy Loughlin
For Freddy and Artie, with love
Frances Andrijich
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Andrijich, Frances, author, photographer. The west : a visual celebration of Western Australia /Frances Andrijich. ISBN: 9781760061876 (hardback) Western Australia--Pictorial works. Western Australia--Description and travel. 994.1
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following pages may contain images of deceased persons.
Front Cover: Prospector John Heather with his dog Rebel, Gwalia, Goldfields P4: Mist settles over Lake Beedelup, Karri Valley, Pemberton, South West P6: Beach cricket at sunset, Cable Beach, Broome, Kimberley
A u s t Âr a l i a n
p h o t o g r a p h i c
Ga l l e r y
Contents Foreword
6
Introduction
7
Outback 8 Shoreline Urban Country
46 86 120
Frances Andrijich Acknowledgements Technical Notes
158 159 160
Foreword
Introduction
We Catalans believe that your feet must be firmly planted to the ground if you want to leap into the air. The fact that I come down to earth again from time to time helps me to jump all the higher afterwards.
The beauty of our vast state lies in its wondrous diversity of people, communities and landscapes. This collective portrait of Western Australia explores the dynamic relationships among these three elements and, I hope, captures something of their depth, texture and mystery.
Joan Miró quoted in Joan Miró by Douglas Cooper, New York: Acquavella Galleries, Inc., 1977 The people in Frances Andrijich’s photographs are either rooted to the ground or breaking free from its hold. It’s a very Australian thing too, a sense of belonging, an ownership, a real sense of connectedness. Of course the Indigenous inhabitants have a different sense of ownership, it is their land, after all, but all Australians belong here in different ways and their relationship to the land is vitally important. Even when they don’t appear in the image, their presence is palpable. This is an inhabited land, inhabited physically and emotionally. This connectedness is always a focus in Andrijich’s work and it sets her photography apart. It speaks of a diverse and varied sense of being Australian, not dependent on race, religion, ethnicity or gender, but on a sympathetic relationship that is respectful, wary and trusting. Ted Snell
As a photographer I instinctively and obsessively pursue that elusive perfect image. Yet whatever success I achieve is dependent on the generosity of others. Inevitably, I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to bear witness to remarkable places, and the equally remarkable people who inhabit them. One week I will be photographing the pristine beaches of Margaret River, and the next I will be out on a boat in forty-degree heat shooting the Bardi Jawi Rangers, who are caring for country at One Arm Point (Bardi) in the Kimberley. I find it difficult to favour one region over another as each has its own captivating beauty; whether travelling from the seamless city roads to the long stretches of corrugated pindan red earth in the north, driving alongside the glistening Salmon Gums in the Goldfields or winding through the charming vineyards and forests of the South West and Great Southern. Each visit uncovers unique and unexpected discoveries. To travel on the road to Cape Leveque is to undertake a whimsical journey where tracks break off like veins and you land in places like Lombadina and Beagle Bay. You can never get lost because the road
6
just keeps going until the blue sky suddenly becomes blue water. Travelling much further south you lose yourself amongst the intense greenery, the magical mist in the Karri Forests and the abundance of fresh produce, markets and vineyards. Caves Road is a treat to all your senses. They are poles apart, the far north and the south of this state. Yet they share a vastness, a heady sense of space – and a striking sparsity of population. Back home in Perth I continue to document the life of the city in all its chaos and clutter. Multiculturalism brings added depth, a more complex palette. It is joyous to photograph communities sharing and celebrating the richness of their cultures. In the fast-paced city you blend in, you are less noticed. In a world that is forever being documented, your camera is at one with the crowd. In the country, everything slows down, and you have time to stop for a chat. These trips are extensive and exhilarating. I can’t help but have a plan – it’s in my nature – but serendipity and chance are always welcome. From this organised randomness, I have found, the most arresting stories and pictures emerge. My gaze becomes the camera’s gaze and a record in time is captured. Sharing these pictures is sharing my experiences. Frances Andrijich 7
OUTBACK
Left: Tisharnee Taylor drawing on the pindan soil, Yulpu, Great Sandy Desert, Pilbara Opposite: Station owner Janice Bell silhouetted by the setting sun, Barnhill Station, Kimberley Previous: Ngameru Bidu throwing the parnajalpa (goanna) on the hot coals, Parnngurr Martu Community, Great Sandy Desert, Pilbara
Above: Big night sky at Karijini National Park, Pilbara Opposite: Actor/dancer Trevor Jamieson performing stories of his Spinifex People, outskirts of Kalgoorlie, Goldfields Previous: Red dirt track carves through the wildflowers, Ninghan Station, Paynes Find, Mid West 14
15
Mine workers’ shanty interior, Gwalia, Goldfields 16
Balgo Pound, Kimberley 17
Opposite: Ngameru Bidu peels open a wamala (bush tomato), Parnngurr Martu Community, Great Sandy Desert, Pilbara Above: The Pink House, mine workers’ shanty, Gwalia, Goldfields 19
Opposite: Prospector’s shanty in Williamstown, the oldest suburb in Kalgoorlie, Goldfields Above left: Weathered prospector’s boot, Goldfields
Above right: The Cockburn Ranges, Kimberley 21
Left: Tisharnee Taylor with puppy, Telly Telly, Parnngurr Martu Community, Great Sandy Desert, Pilbara Opposite: Roderick Butt driving back to camp, Nukawarte, Great Sandy Desert, Pilbara
Mudflats, Port Hedland, Pilbara 24
Sand dunes, Nambung National Park, near the Pinnacles 25
Opposite: Majestic Boab tree on the outskirts of Derby, Kimberley Right: Nyalangka Taylor, Parnngurr Martu Community, Pilbara
Above: A handful of rocks containing iron ore extracted from the rich, vast deposits of the Pilbara Region, Port Hedland Opposite: Beers on the balcony at the Exchange Hotel, Kalgoorlie, Goldfields 28
A collection of station-life essentials at Ellenbrae Station, off the Gibb River Road, Kimberley
Kununurra Rodeo, Kimberley 31
Opposite: Balgo Pound at first light, Kimberley Above left: Eugene Eades sharing stories and traditional knowledge around the campfire with Lincoln Loo on the Nowunup property (part of the Gondwana Link). Every year hundreds of young Noongar men strengthen their cultural knowledge and life skills through programs run from this property, south of Jerramungup, Great Southern
Above right: Typical spinifex and red rock textures, near Balgo Pound, Kimberley 33