Nature of Australia – Land of Flood and Fire (1988)

This is the story of the seasonal cycle of northern Australia, where every year fierce monsoonal rains break the drought. The animals and plants must cope with the stresses of life in a place that swings savagely between the wet season and the dust and heat of the dry season.

A visual exploration of the life cycle of northern Australia as it had not been filmed before. Most people flee this part of the world during the wet season because of the fierce heat and the flooding rains that can cut people off for months at a time.

Dione Gilmour, who later became head of the ABC’s Natural History Unit, lived and worked at the top end for over three years in order to produce these magnificent pictures. As the producer-director of the program, she worked closely with rangers, Aboriginal communities and scientists to produce this unique record of the wildlife of the north of Australia. The relationships forged between the ABC’s Natural History Unit and the people of the top end from this time have continued to this day.