Mark Walsh, Wimmera (LANDSCAPE 2025)

Running all the way south west between Horsham and Edenhope and north east towards Ouyen, these can vary from chains of small, shallow, dry or salt filled depressions to larger substantial permanent lakes. Of particular interest to me are the haunting features in the region called the Lunettes (a French term meaning 'little moon'). These phenomena are smooth earth mounds deposited by wind action on the ancient lake systems. In the distant past the undulating alluvial clay plains of the Wimmera experienced major wind events and thousands of years ago these ridges were swept up into mounds with shallow lee side swales forming in between. The Aboriginal name for these lunettes is walata tyamateetj, which means 'wind moving sand'. The Lunettes are sacred sites for the Aboriginal population of the area. They are part of the traditional lands of the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagulk Peoples. These groups associate the Lunettes with many ancestral stories and ceremonies. During the last 180 years of European settlement the region has changed hugely. Where there was once an abundant habitat of eucalypt forests stretching to the horizon the pastoralists have now denuded this rich territory for cereal crops and livestock. Gradually, European arts and sciences discovered this district too. The landscape of north western Victoria has attracted many notable names. This vast and harsh environment with its changing conditions and vibrant light has captivated explorers, writers, painters and photographers for over 150 years. In the 19th century Louis Buvelot, Nicholas Chevalier and Eugene von Guerard all visited. In the 20th Arthur Boyd and Sidney Nolan were here too. These ancient land-forms of the Wimmera are truly remarkable. At first seemingly monotonousness, it's scale humbling. However, the longer you stand in this landscape the more your perception is altered. In the early morning and late afternoon the clear piercing sun carves beautiful shapes over the crops. The subtle undulating Lunettes are crisscrossed with wheel tracks from farming machinery and the endless rows of planted canola. The machine geometry cuts through the topography with ruthless efficiency.

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