The arid Mallee region of northwestern Victoria almost qualifies as part of the great Australian Outback, but it's still a bit too close to towns and cities to truly qualify. The Mallee's sandy soil supports only a gnarled and stunted native vegetation - typified by the hardy mallee eucalypt - much of it cleared for sheep and wheat farming. In the more remote national parks it is still possible to get seriously lost on rough 4x4 tracks which reach into waterless and (seemingly) featureless wilderness, prone to searing summer temperatures. Tiny townships, usually anchored to a tall grain silo, pin their hopes of survival on tourism. The silo art movement, through which the silos become blank canvasses for urban street artists, has created a welcome incentive for us city dwellers to venture this far from the state capital. Ephemeral salt lakes and wildlife - including the flightless mallee fowl - also invite discovery.

This gallery opens with our November 2020 road trip to witness Lake Tyrrell, known far and wide for its surreal vistas of salt flats and sweeping skies. Once a favourite of selfie-snappers and Instagrammers from overseas, it now offers a quieter and more natural experience. The homebound journey via the Calder Highway will take us through a number of quiet, gold-rush era or wheatbelt towns.