Annette Ruzicka, The Derby Breakfast Tree (Places)

I was in Derby, Western Australia for a pit stop after some travels. The town was once bigger than Broome, but today it is small service town; a crucial stop before you leave the bitumen and hit the Gibb River Road into the Kimberley. The town is surrounded by a vast expanse of salty mudflats. At first glance they seem lifeless and baron but this is not the case. Every other morning locals appear and set up breakfast under one lone tree facing the flats. Underneath it was a comfy armchair. They would set up a fire, make a cuppa and watch the morning go by until it became too hot. Overhead the kites and ravens would circle waiting for leftovers. This image was taken when just one person was left by the tree and the birds of prey were in spectacular numbers. The more I watched the more I realised that this may well be an insight into what life was like before European settlement occurred in Derby just 140 years ago. Sans the armchair of course.

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