Laura McDougall, Flooded Ghosts on the Murray (PLACES WILDERNESS 2023)

La Nina brought so much flooding to this country, and while the media's focus was mostly on the devastation in the NSW northern rivers area, Echuca-Moama along the Murray River also got walloped several times. I took this photo shortly after the Moama lights festival had to be cancelled early due to river lagoon flooding. This extended forest along the banks of the Murray felt oddly peaceful and fairylike in the afternoon sunshine, even with the damp spectre of flood line showing how high those waters got.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.