Harrowing images paint a picture of flood devastation

HARROWING images of the devastation left in the wake of the 2022 floods will hang in a national museum, telling the story of the disaster’s impact on the communities that call the region home.

Opening at the Australian National Maritime Museum this August is Inundated, an exhibition that explores the impacts of the floods in Lismore and the Northern Rivers region, told through the lens of Northern Rivers photographer Natalie Grono.

The museum acquired 16 images for its National Maritime Collection that highlight the destruction caused while acknowledging the resilience of local people overcoming adversity together.

Included is the award-winning image “Peter takes a moment”, which secured Grono the Nikon-Walkley Photo of the Year Award in 2022.

Inundated provides a perspective, not only of the aftermath, but of the extreme flood levels reached in this tragic event, giving visitors an understanding of the severity of this natural disaster.

Grono said it was important to make the images publicly accessible to showcase one of Australia’s most devastating floods.

“They clearly illustrate the magnitude and impact of the event, making the issues more tangible and accessible for everyone,” Grono said.

“Additionally, they highlight the wider environmental challenges which affect us all.”

Australian National Maritime Museum curator Roland Leikauf said the images were a fitting inclusion in the National Maritime Collection, “documenting our relationship with the waters around us”.

“These photographs depict the reality faced by residents in the receding floodwaters and capture both the desperation of the situation and the weary resilience of community members during one of Australia’s most destructive and displacing floods,” Leikauf said.

This free exhibition opened ealier this month in the Tasman Light Gallery at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

For more information on the exhibition, head to sea.museum/whats-on/exhibitions/inundated