Clare McCracken and Heather Hesterman, Wild Country: All that is lost and sometimes found, 2024. Photo by Andrew Ferris.

Through documentation of performative fieldwork, creative writing, and participatory practice, Wild Country explores the historical, cultural, and social importance of the Ovens River and its tributaries. With its impressive granite rocks and majestic river red gums, the river network is picturesque, making it a much-loved recreational site for camping, swimming, paddling, and fishing. Yet historical and current-day ecological impacts through mining, agriculture, and climate change have indelibly altered its landscape.