DEPLOYMENT #008
In a Gippsland Far, Far Away
2.5hrs East-ish of Melbourne
Field Scout: Maddy Tonks
Equipment: Leica Q and DJI Mavic Pro Drone
Cabin: Anant
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“True solitude is found in the wild places where one is without human obligation” - Goethe
Sometimes, every now and then, you come across a place that makes you remember for a moment, ever so briefly, that freedom is out there, sitting on your doorstep. It’s not some political slogan, it’s not an exotic dancer, it’s just unlacing your shoes, putting your phone on airplane mode and walking barefoot, a drink in hand, listening to a stream bubble, pines sway and wonder whether you’re just tipsy or if nature really is that f’ing amazing.
Hint: it is. We wandered, we thought, we exhaled. Instead of anxiety there was adventure, instead of stress there was the stream, we’d stumbled into a different land from the spreadsheets and expectations of yesterday, and it started a rebellion in our week-day souls.
Something about this place, this wilderness, the trees talking to each other, the quietness away from the demands of the 9-to-5, made us realise how much we yearned to be away from the conventions of someone else’s way of living. The 24hr response for emails, the instant call back if you missed someone’s call, the desire to see a photo or it didn’t happen. Maybe it was just the handfuls of Sriracha popcorn we’d just made, or the s’mores that followed, but there was a pleasing lethargy to being out there, a familiar yet new feeling that hey, maybe we actually didn’t need to do anything right now.
This was the kind of place where “because that’s the way it’s done” didn’t exist, where “it’s expected” is missing, and where “but, that’s not how we do things” just shouldn’t bother showing up…we couldn’t have asked for more.
We left rebellious yet calm. Recharged and ready to go back to our week but restart in a new way.
The end.
Photos by Maddy Tonks @maddytonks