Author Description

There are places in this country where if you are out walking, senses alert, the ancient pulse of the land beats palpably. The ranges of the Grampians, or Gariwerd - to give back the land its older, indigenous name - is one such place. This high quality, hard cover book of 100 lyrical photographic images and five challenging essays pays homage to these outlier ranges at the south western extremity of Australia's mountainous eastern seaboard. The Gariwerd/Grampians National Park has deservedly gained fames as a refuge for an extraordinary ark of wildflowers set among spectacular natural rock gardens. Landscape photographer and ecologist Alison Pouliot has tramped over peak and range photographing Gariwerd in all seasons. Her evocative images capture the ranges' combination of fabulous landscape vistas and intimate detail. They bear witness to the paradox that lies at the heart of Gariwerd: a power eons old, pared back to a fragile and abstract intricacy. Writer Gib Wettenhall's family settled to the north and south of the Grampians in the early days of settlement. His essays fuse Aboriginal and European perspectives to offer comparative insights from creation stories and the application of fire to visions for the future. Now in its second reprint, the images and essays reflect on how we might explore, appreciate and enrich our reading of this lone jewel - a landscape like no other on this most unique of continents. First published September 2006.