A trek through some of Australia’s most beautiful natural landscapes has been documented in a journey undertaken for a special cause.
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The Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory was the site of a journey undertaken by family violence spokesperson Rosie Batty in order to raise funds for the Luke Batty Foundation in August, a journey on which she was joined by Ballarat born photographer Fiona Lockhart.
The trail, which is 233 kilometres long, took six trekkers six days to walk, beginning outside Alice Springs, from Telegraph Station to Mount Sonder.
Currently on display as part of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale is a selection of landscape photographs that photographer Fiona Lockhart captured while on the journey.
Ms Lockhart, Ballarat born and raised, was educated in photography at the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE and the Australian Centre of Photography in Sydney.
She then went on to establish Lockhart Project Solutions, her own project management business in Sydney.
“The statistics where either one or two women a week are killed by their partners in Australia simply horrifies me. Domestic violence was still swept under the carpet until Rosie Batty came along,” Ms Lockhart said.
“The way that her son was killed at cricket practice really grabbed Australia’s attention. Although Rosie didn’t choose this path, she works tirelessly to make real change, and people listen. Now that I’m older, self employed and in a position to give back, I really wanted to do this."
Back in February of 2014, Luke Batty was tragically killed at a cricket practice by his father and this prompted his mother, Rosie, to set up the Luke Batty Foundation in his memory.
“It was a remarkable group that came together to support Rosie. About half the group had personally experienced domestic violence and this trek was one of the first things that they had done for themselves. Getting out in nature with no cell reception, walking for 6-8 hours a day was actually quite therapeutic,” Ms Lockhart said.
“It was a privilege to spend time with Rosie and the remarkable people that were compelled to support her on this trip. Together, the group has currently raised $27,540 for the charity.”
Ms Lockhart’s fundraising page can be found at www.mycause.com.au/page/147225 and her exhibition is on display at the Bluestone Cafe, on the corner of Drummond & Urquhart Street.
This weekend is the last chance to catch it from 11am until 3pm on Saturday and Sunday.
For more information about the Luke Batty foundation, visit https://lukebattyfoundation.org.au.