In May/June this year, a team from the ABC took an outback odyssey where they were lucky enough to see what few in the world ever witness first hand, the filling of the massive water system in the heart of Australia, Lake Eyre. Cameraman John Bean was amongst the group and captured these magnificent images. This is what he had to say about his journey to the ‘lake country’…

"I love my job. The photographs in this exhibition were taken over 2 weeks in May / June 2010 while I was filming for the ABC.

"We (Journalist Paul Lockyer, helicopter pilot Gary Ticehurst and myself) were filming stories for the ABC TV News, The 7.30 Report, Landline and two documentaries.

"I was completely amazed at what we found. Where was the red, the dust, the caked barren earth, the sand? Instead there was water everywhere, and green, and blue, and yes, there was red.

"We travelled from Queensland into the Northern Territory and down into South Australia. We stayed on properties, in tents and under the stars by the banks of the Cooper River. We camped with cameleers, scientists and tourists.

"And we followed the water, from the north where the earth seemed to be leaking into the green countryside to Lake Eyre where the bird life was extraordinary.

"The highlight of the trip was being able to touch down ahead of the flood. Normally we stand in the middle of a downpour and watch the water rise around us. But to be standing in a parched landscape under a blue sky, in the cracked bed of a dry creek and watch the water rush and tumble, creep and trickle towards you is amazing. To see spiders and rodents pop up from underground and scurry away from the approaching tide is breathtaking.

"This exhibition came together by accident. When I took these shots it was for my photo album and to bore friends and family. But a showing on Facebook convinced me that people wanted to see them in the flesh. It was deeply rewarding to see them printed, mounted and hung in my favourite little café – Grub Street, in Brisbane. It is my first ever exhibition but I think I may have caught the bug."

All about John:

John Bean is an award winning lighting, camera operator who has worked for the ABC for 20 years.
He films for programs as diverse as News and The 7.30 Report, to Catalyst, The New Inventors, and Gardening Australia.

He has travelled extensively throughout Australia and the Pacific region for work and last year filled-in in the Washington Bureau for six weeks.

He also contributes photographs and blogs for various ABC web sites.

Link to Grub Street Café: http://www.grubst.com/