Jacob Raupach

Detours from Wagga

I moved five years ago to Wagga Wagga in regional New South Wales from Wodonga, a town on the Victorian border. Nothing much felt different and nothing much felt the same. Since then, I’ve driven the same road that connects the two more times than I care to remember and when asked to write to the idea of place, this drive sprang to mind.

The contemporary road is not necessarily a space that offers personal connection; we quickly pass through on cars, buses, and trains from point to point, but never consider the side of the road for more than a split second. Initially, I felt like this on my drives to and from Wagga, wondering about the small towns like Henty, The Rock, Uranquinty and Yerong Creek.  However, I never bothered to stop.

The works presented are part of an attempt to rectify that. They are both a way of using the systems, monuments and detritus of industry to offer glimpses of history, both written and unwritten.  They are also a way for me to better understand the biology of the places along this stretch of road and my place within that.