It was 3:24 pm on a Friday, 8th of July 2022. As every worker in a white collar begins to appreciate the ever-lingering movement of the minute hand, most of them realise their weekend daydreams might just come to fruition, given it’s the 28th weekend of the year.
A commonly accepted truth is this - the wall clock moves slower if you stare at it.
A sudden teams inbox message requesting an audio call came slightly too late for my comfort; perhaps it’s the loose ends that need tying again.
Two things resulted from that audio call:
My plan for the foreseeable week is cancelled
I am going to Cape York, Australia. This coming Sunday.
Feeling surrealistic as I had to make travel arrangements, I spent most of my Saturday ignoring that a whirlwind road trip is imminent. Perhaps old Orwell was right- “Ignorance is strength.”
I reluctantly packed a small set of gear on a loan of good faith by my friend Samuel. The kit consisted of the following which I managed to fit in a single SLR carry bag
Minolta Cle
40mm f2.0 m-rokkor
28mm Leica Elmarit f/2.8 v2
90mm Leica Elmarit f/2.8
Cable release
The only thing certain on the day of the trip was this-
The Only Way is North.
I flew from Townsville to Cairns and drove the rest of the way. Approximately 10 hours’ drive in total. Summary observations on my leg of the drive are as follows:
Quaid Dam's reflection was utterly calming; the realisation of the road trip has settled into the core of my body
After Mt Molly, the roads begin to become narrow and winding. But at random times, it would straighten out far as the eyes can see
The roads became red after Laura and fuel was getting expensive
4. An Oasis forms surrounding the Hann’s River Roadhouse, which I photographed as the light which spilled on the red dirt turned yellow
5. As the dust cuts through the bush, the skies turned pink at Musgrave.
Throughout the week I was there, a surge of energy would rush into me upon knock off to explore and see the surroundings of Archer River.
There is an interesting dynamic and perhaps a relationship in which I, myself, cannot draw the lines, whether it puts me in an existential debate or it has become the very thing I refuse to think about it at night for the betterment of one’s sleep.
The presence of a construction site shows the full might of man and machine that exists on downstream of the Archer River:
And a pure example of juxtapositioning in public display: the remnants of the frontiers, yet to be touched by man:
Even now, I can’t help but wonder what parts of the remnants of the frontiers should we leave alone; perhaps we have seen enough for one life. Every step I took upstream felt strange as if the whisper of the wind was telling me I was leaving my world for another. But what about the people? Cape York is known to be flooded for the majority of the wet season, improving its road's flood immunity is crucial for those who reside there.
On my journey back to Cairns, the very question lingered in my mind.
And right now, I still don’t have the answer,
Perhaps I never knew the question
Maybe it’s not for me to answer
All photos are taken on Wik, Kaantju and Wikampama land, the traditional custodians of the land where Archer River is.
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Film photographer Wing Hong Leung is based in Townsville Australia. See more of his work on Instagram.
