Blog

A collaborative creative adventure with the paper makers at Curtin Springs Station and our first ever accommodated Creative ‘Camp’ was a huge success on all counts. The process of making paper from the ground up: from cutting the native grass right through to working creatively with the paper we made, was fascinating in itself but so too was the insight into station life provided by the generous family at Curtin Springs. We were very lucky to be able to see close up some of the natural treasures on their vast property, The Half Way Tree, Beefwood Dam, Mt Conner and some of the amazing salt lakes in the Amadeus chain. We were privileged  to hear the history of Curtin Springs and the the Severin family from the family itself. They are such a busy bunch and they kept us very busy too! Most of my photos taken inside the paper mill show a literal blur of activity, but mainly because the photographic conditions in the Old Abattoir (the paper mill) were not ideal lightwise. Consequently there are no really great shots of the process or participants, sorry folks! To see clearer photos of the paper making process best go to my Blog from November last year when it was a bit brighter inside the Old Abattoir. However I did get some great shots of this recent creative adventure; the inspiring environment and some less glamorous pics of us novice paper makers and our attempts to translate this beautiful landscape into paper made directly from the land itself… Amazing stuff!

Well the plan was to have our first Creative Camp of 2016 at Running Waters but heavy rain and rushing rivers prevented us getting to this remote location on the Finke. We spent our first night in accommodation at the quirky Stuarts Well Roadhouse hoping that the roads would be passable the next day. But the Ernest Giles road remained very boggy and we risked having to camp beside a semi-submerged vehicle and trailer on the roadside, if we proceeded. So we headed north west to a little known but lovely location on Owen Springs Reserve, known as Haunted Tree Bore. It’s the the quintessential Central Australian location, big river red gums, ancient corkwoods, red cliffs, grassland and strangely enough, given the rain elsewhere, a very dry riverbed. We were lucky see Rainbow Valley reflected magnificently in its clay pan on route and another trip there later in the week gave a couple of participants another chance to work there.  Everyone was a first timer on this camp so the abundance and then scarcity of water must have seemed odd. But despite the bumpy start  and set backs some really beautiful work was created on this camp as you will see.  Truly a testament to time well spent immersed in this beautiful country.

To view slide show click on any thumbnail. Photos by Deb until you send me some!

time well spent in this amazing country.