Photographic Survey 2022/09/02
They walk away from the paved road in search of an unnamed site. Two men and a woman; some silver device attached to their palms, their footsteps imprinted on the damp, bare soil.
Faraway, the vast rainforests of Nothofagus cloak the continent. It retreats with the cooling and drying of the climate. Decades of sun, wind, rain and fire have transformed the landscape into what they now see and call "the Western Plains."
A raised railway line separates its unkempt clutter of weeds and grasses from the vibrant yellow blanket on its right. The memoirs of dry, basalt remains, souvenirs from blazes past, lie dichotomous to the promises of blossoming spring.
They walk further along, crossing the train tracks to reach an adjacent site. Here, the layered complexities below the ground are finally revealed, divulging generations of life hidden within. After seasons of bushfires, modern infrastructure outline new purpose and paths. Where left on its own, the land is still very much alive: a thriving, remnant reserve.
Sometime later, explorers will survey its quality and value before setting direction across neat geometric parcels to fuse a third scar.
A rumbling sound followed by a sharp whistle breaks the present stillness. The train rushes past at high speed - as if fleeing from remorse. In its wake, the traces of ash and smoke in sediment cores are blown up to the surface; the Wathaurong people of the Kulin Nation arrive to reclaim the land as its traditional owners.
The trio return to their car, travelling down Bulban Road. A left turn reveals cattle grazing, where the soil is compacted and nutrient-enriched. With the arrival of European settlers, the fiery traditions of the Aboriginal First Peoples linger as the dust settles. In its place, a sign announces that fire restrictions are now in force, changing the grassland composition indefinitely.
They stop at an underpass, curious to encounter another site out of the Plains. Unreserved, future generations will grow up observing their Elders leading the use of fire for the Country. Those moments will no longer be lost in time but rather exist in temporal continuation.
A shed - housing a new fire station - will comfort the community so the transition back to fire stick farming can eventually begin. Ribbons of smoke signify the formation of new corridors. They will link existing infrastructure, creating access routes throughout the grasslands and anticipating its revival.
Where a line is burnt, a fuse is lit.
Private / public land.
Remnant grasslands.
Culverts.