Australia is a beautiful country, with sweeping planes, running rivers and captivating deserts. Edwina Robertson set out to capture the beauty of this country, particularly the bush.
The 32-year-old went on a three-month trip of a lifetime travelling through the diverse landscapes Australia has to offer, without spending a cent and taking photos along the way.
Edwina Robertson, 32, (pictured) went on a three-month trip of a life time as she travelled through the diverse landscapes Australia has to offer
Edwina is exchanging her services as a professional photographer for food, petrol and accommodation.
She is also using her outback adventure and photos to educate people on life in regional Australia.
‘There’s a huge social divide between our own backyard – bushies and people who live in urban Australia, that’s one of the reasons I’m doing this trip,’ Edwina told Charles Wooley in a 60 Minutes interview.
‘There’s a huge social issue… We’re just not connected to the bush anymore and it’s really sad because it’s in our own backyard and no one’s paying any attention to that.’
Edwina is exchanging her services as a professional photographer in exchange for food, petrol and accommodation which is what helps her not spend any money
She is using her outback adventure and photo campaigns to educate people on life in regional Australia
Another reason Edwina decided to pack everything up and jump into her 1979 Toyota BJ40 is due to her mental health.
‘I’ve had depression several times and literally three weeks before I left on this journey, I was hospitalised,’ she told Charles.
‘I call it my mental breakdown. I’d pushed myself to a point, you know, always about the money, always about working harder, keeping up with the Jones’s. I had just burnt out. I didn’t even know who I was.’
Mental health plays a core part in her photography as well as she wants to bring light to the issues people in the bush face.
‘I’ve had depression several times and literally three weeks before I left on this journey, I was hospitalised,’ she said in a 60 Minutes interview
‘There’s a huge social divide between our own backyard – bushies and people who live in urban Australia, that’s one of the reasons I’m doing this trip,’ Edwina said
But even Edwina has faced hardships during her journey. Daily Mail Australia caught up with her in August when she was on the road still.
She detailed her time in Western Australia in which she ran into trouble – spending 30 hours without food.
In the remote Kimberleys, Edwina put a call out over Facebook for people looking to have professional pictures taken in exchange for some food.
Edwina originally became known through a wedding photo she took in the dusty outback
Edwina originally became known through a wedding photo she took in the dusty outback of Australia that was circulated globally on the internet.
This photo spread during a time Australia was facing a severe, and what seemed a never ending, drought which left farmers struggling.
‘With hard times comes mental illness, comes depression, comes suicide,’ Edwina explained.
‘These people don’t have the access that everyone else has to get help and there is a stigma. There’s a stigma everywhere but its harder in the bush.’
Another reason Edwina decided to pack everything up and jump into her 1979 Toyota BJ40 is due to her mental health
This really pulled one of Edwina’s heart strings so she shared the story about how hard it was for people living in the bush and the rise of mental health issues.
She started a campaign and through her photography she raised $40,000, which went to a clinical counsellor for Western Queensland.
Her adventure across the country is also to show the world how generous people in the country really are.
Her adventure across the country is also to show the world how generous people in the country really are
‘I know people are looking out for me and that’s what the bush is about. I want to represent the bush and help the people i admire so much and help them have a little bit of say in society,’ she said
‘I class isolation as a social issue, not a geographical issue. I spend 600km on a dirt road a day and I don’t feel isolated at all,’ she said.
‘I know people are looking out for me and that’s what the bush is about. I want to represent the bush and help the people i admire so much and help them have a little bit of say in society.’