Despite having never camped before, she tagged along on an art trip and fell in love with the colours of the land, the flowering eucalypts, and discovered a new passion.

“Ever since then I’ve been interested in not only the landscape but the plants in it. I looked out over that gorge and wondered how aboriginal women keep their families alive on this dried out, parched vegetation and had to find out.

Over 17 years of camping trips she learned how indigenous people use various vegetations and created beautiful watercolour and ink artworks which are now on display in Vast, at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.

To save packing space on camping trips, many of her works were sketched on concertina books which now open to run the length of the walls in the gallery.

Ms Mayo will give a free talk about the exhibition and her trips to central Australia at the gallery today at 2pm.