Winter Road Trip Insights

Rob and I have just embarked on a winter road trip in our new campervan. While most people in southern Western Australia head north, we’ve decided to venture inland and "northish" to avoid the crowds.

We’re nearly a week into our trip, and the first week is always an adjustment to living in a small space. Plus, we're getting used to the new van and its slightly different systems, which has meant a few trips to local hardware stores along the way.

Packing my art gear into my mum’s old art box felt really special. The box still carries the scent of the turpentine she used in her oil paintings, and her name is written in her own hand on the top.

The art box made its debut while we were camped at a salt lake called Lake Ninan near Wongan Hills in the wheatbelt. In the rush to prepare the property for our farm sitter, I messed up the art packing a bit. I forgot black paint, and the white is almost empty. I bought a sample tin of white house paint to see if that works. I don’t use much black, so burnt umber will have to do.

I set up on a park bench overlooking the lake, but it was incredibly cold, with the wind cutting like a knife. I'm really drawn to these salt lakes—their changing beauty with the shifting light, contrasted with the harsh reality that their extreme salinity and degradation are caused by our farming methods. I feel a series of paintings coming from this place.

Last night, we camped at Camel Soak and enjoyed our first campfire of the trip. We toasted marshmallows and sipped a very special port while I sketched the beautiful pool and rock. Winter camping has its own unique joys!