Emma Forrest, Fire in the Valley (LANDSCAPE & ENVIRONMENT 2026)

There are mornings in the Blue Mountains that feel less like weather and more like mythology. This was one of them. Standing at Govetts Leap in Blackheath before the world had woken up, the valley below was still holding onto the night, clouds pooling in the gorge like something ancient and slow. Then the sun came, and everything caught fire. This is the Grose Valley at the moment it remembers it exists. The mist, the ridgelines, the impossible depth of it all, lit from behind like a painting that hasn't decided yet whether it belongs in a dream or the real world. If you've ever stood here, you'll know. If you haven't, this is the closest thing to it.

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