I am on assignment for the New York based magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, on the Mary River floodplains in the Northern Territories. When people think of the Australian Outback, they imagine deserts, crocodiles, aborigines and Crocodile Dundee. For those who have been there, they will immediately add a lot of diesel and dust. It’s on a buffalo ranch called ‘Swim Creek’ that I meet Frank. I photograph his lower half, as the upper part would fill the rest of this book. “ Less is more”, I tell him. “ Let’s have a beer, mate”, he answers. It’s difficult to get into the mind of a man who manages a ranch that stretches out to 400 square kilometres. “ Four hundred square kilometres!” I exclaim in total amazement. Frank looks out over the horizon and grins, “more or less, I guess —– Let’s have another beer, mate”. Frank’s area of control stretches well into the wetlands, which are well suited for the 4500 Buffalo on the station. The Mary River flood plains are also said to be home to the highest concentration of saltwater crocodiles. The Buffalo meat is exported to the Far East immediately after slaughtering. Rodney Ansell once owned the neighbouring farm called Melaleuca. He became an Australian Outback legend, made famous by Ben Hogan in the ‘Crocodile Dundee’ movies. Sadly, long after he had moved there, Ansell went on an amphetamine-fuelled rampage, killed a cop and wounded two others, before he was himself gunned down. Stan’s voice breaks into the surrounding vastness, “Another beer, mate?
