Jason Perry, Toolondo (LANDSCAPE 2022)

Lake Toolondo in the Wimmera region of Victoria Australia is a beautiful landscape no matter when you go. These night images were taken over a six-month timeframe in 2020. Every time I went to Lake Toolondo not only was the angle of the milky way in the sky different, but so was the light and the mood. From zodiacal light just before dawn, to eerie layers of fog rolling in as the dead trees became silhouetted in front of the Milky Way, I was treated to spectacular views every time. Unfortunately, most of this area is now withered and cracked, caused by a drying climate. These images show when Lake Toolondo was thriving with waters pushing up to the narrow shores. Now, unless there is some significant overflow from rain in the Wimmera catchment, it will be extremely vulnerable to being completely empty, or nearly empty for several years. I truly hope this area can be revived back to the flourishing lake like it once was.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.