Bush Medicine
In 2012 I found myself in a period of unwellness and ened up staying in hospital. The staff at Calvary were great but hospital time is just that, time moves slowly as a patient. When I was well enough I could go for a walk in the dry woodland next to the hospital. Here I found myself drawing on Andy Goldsworthy and greating structures out of fallen wood, looking for natural objects to rearrange and taking photos. In time I got better in no small way from my time outside. I was left with this series of photos . These were shown at an exhibition called Bush Medicine.
Live Music
HAve loved live music since I was old enough to go into pubs and even before. If anything other than being with family and time in natual spaces is restorative it is music! For a period of time i lost connection to this source but surely enough restoration and rebuilding requires a soundtrack. Ive lived long enough to love many genres of music, but it is in metal where I have found my musical home. Metal may well be the new punk... Nowdays work, sleep, driving and household jobs all do better with a bit of metal. With kids grown up living the live music dream is now a possibility. Here is a collection of images from seeing TOOL, KORN, Sleeping with Sirens, Bring Me The Horizon, Imminence, Wargasm, Northlane, Sleep Token and Fever 333 amongst a long list of others courtesy in large to Good Things Festival.
Bring Me The Horizon, Sydney 2024
Bring Me the Horizon have been at the top of my playlists for a good while, a chance discovery fed to me by spotify at the end of a punk playlist did in reality cause a bout of obsession in a good sort of a way. Not only are they great live they opened a floodgate for me to discover and get to see the likes of August Burns Red, Electric Callboy, Sleep Token (who supported BMTH on this tour), Malevolence and local heavy hitters Polaris and Alphawolf. This is some footage edited together from what was a stunning set.
Stone and Rock
Pebbles, stones, rocks, cliffs and .mountains all have held facination for me since childhood. Learning to climb was not just a strength building exercise, its a whole of body all of senses thing. Exposure to heights and the real prospect of falling ignites every synapse in your body. Being calm and unlocking a path through a 3D arrangement of hand ad footholds is something that takes time. The settings for climbing are so diverse, each piece of stone rpart of a geological jigsaw; each location a new journey to undertake as much climbing happens in your head on the approach as you gaze up a line of weakness and wonder if it will go, and if you are up to the task of sending it. I have won some, lost some and most importantly met some amazing people in my time climbing. This gallery hopefully tells this story and inspires those who havent climbed to do it!
Watchtower Crack, 16 Mount Arapiles
Whilst now in grade terms the hardest thing about the Watchtower Crack makes up for with in following the most striking crackline that stretches over 200m up from the Wimmera plains. It remains one of my best climbing memories and really shows tArapiles as both a world class climbing destination bringing vibrancy to a small community and a geological and cultural site that has been ipart of the a
Aboriginal culture of this part of Australia. I hope a balance can bbe found in the current situation and that both sides keep the preservation of the sites heritage to each community at the top of their mind. I feel grateful to have had this time on some of the most perfect metamorphic stone anywhere in the world.
River and Stream
If climbing was my first outdoor discipline I fully immersed in, kayaking and rafting is certainly my deepest. I have been paddling for 15 years, taught my kids the basics, learned from the most incredible and sharing of communities, learned that no river run is ever the same and that the level is everything. Something technical and tight can become playful with more water, and other times a fall of rain in a catchment will cause the most unlikely of streams to sometime become a navigable path. I hope to keep doing this long into my life, there is no activity like it, it can take you to places inaccessible by foot or road. this gallery contains images spread around the rivers and streams of Canberra and the snowies. Condor Creek, Goodradigbee, Shoalhaven, Murrumbidgee, Cotter, the Gudgenby, Rendesvous Creek and Orrorral River are some of my favourite places to explore. Kayaking, packrafting, hiking and even fishing are my connections to these waters..
Goodradigbee River, Brinda Bella to Big Bend
The Goodradigbee is one of the most special waterways in our region. From its source in the Bimberi wilderness to its junction with the Murrumbidgee it drops steeply bringing rain and snow melt from alpine peaks through vast areas of wilderness to add water to Australia's longest river system. The Digbee is a fine trout stream but its whitewater sections, fast, continuous and testing are what brings people back. Whilst it doesnt flow all the time, when it does it will bring people from all about to test their skills on its continuous whitewater sections..
Wiki River is a community maintained resource for the paddling community. If you can think of a river chances are it has been explored!