We are about to enter summer here in Adelaide, in the the driest state on the driest continent (according to popular folklore).

During winter I would have been washed away attempting to stand here in the outflow of the River Torrens. Today this parched mud floodway suggests just how dry our summer will be.

There will still be water in the River Torrens around the city and in deep pools downstream, but precious little will find its way to the ocean for the next six months.

Standing here feels strange. Like standing in the middle of a silent freeway once busy with cars and trucks ready to run me down. I like the strangeness. I like the separation from a time before and a time after which would make this image impossible.

Some time well into next year it will flow here again but for now it is the ex-stream of the River Torrens.

Photo: Robert Rath, ‘X-Stream’, 1.6s f/18 ISO800 15mm