108 Australian Geographic
I
T’S BOOM TIME at the tiny outback settlement of
William Creek along the dusty Oodnadatta Track
in South Australia as news of a once-in-a-decade
f looding event at nearby Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre
radiates outwards like the effects of a pebble tossed
into its turbid, briny waters.
It’s a sunny but chilly Friday afternoon in early May and
William Creek’s quirky hotel has been inundated with
enquiries following an ABC TV news item the night before.
Footage of water surging down through Queensland’s
braided inland river channels, turning the red desert green
in its wake before emptying into the vast dry lake bed, has
pitched William Creek into the global spotlight.
Trevor Wright, proprietor of the William Creek Hotel,
woke this morning to more than 200 emails in his inbox,
which sent him and his staff into a f lurry of activity to meet
the sudden demand.
As well as running the hotel, campsite and bar, Trevor,
a well-known outback identity, is an experienced bush pilot
who runs his own charter airline, Wrightsair. It’s based here
at William Creek, which is reputed to be the busiest outback
airstrip in Australia.I’ve been invited by Canon on a guided photography
weekend organised under their Canon Collective program,
which teams dedicated amateurs with talented professionals
in inspiring locations.
During the next two days we’ll make good use of Trevor’s
airstrip and his team of expert young pilots as we explore
this locality from the air.
My seven fellow participants and I and our two tutors
can’t believe our luck. We’ve come here to learn to
take aerial photos, so the f looding event at the lake is an
unexpected bonus.Canon professional
photographer Jay Collier sets up
for a long-exposure shot of the
Painted Hills in the golden light
of late aernoon.