world map & quotes

Dear Fiona,
Many thanks for your book 'A Million Acre Masterpiece'. It has given me a far better view into what my son is doing as a ringer in Northern Queensland than I had hoped for. It is a beautiful book. The pictures are breathtaking.

I now enclose an order for a further two books. One for my son as a keepsake for him to look back on his time in Australia and one for the grandparents.

Fiona,
I returned from a very long trip and my books were on my desk. I have looked through it and I must say you are amazing. The photos are beautiful and the book will make a wonderful gift for customers and friends.

Thank you for your effort in developing this book and thank God for your talent.
All the best.

Dear Fiona
I thank you for your book on cattle stations, fantastic, and the postcards were sent straight to Germany for their views. The book has been a point of discussion since arriving and has also reignited the dream to travel the country to view these sights ourselves. Again thanks and continue your great work.

Thanks Fiona,
The book was for my wife who worked on VRD at Pigeon Hole and also as the Australian stock person on the livestock ships exporting beef into Asia. She absolutely loved the book which brought back so many great memories. The day she opened it she just sat down and read it cover to cover. I got home from work and the home looked like a wreck, no dinner cooked, kids not fed, bathed or anything. Her only excuse, “this bloody beautiful book” she told me. “I couldn't help myself. I just couldn’t put it down.” Don’t know what I am going to do now, she has grand plans of loading up the Cruiser and the kids and heading back up there.

Dear Fiona
Your book is absolutely fantastic; I would like to order two more books, I think these are the 7th and 8th copies that I have ordered.

I gave your book to my mum for Christmas. Mum was a farm girl born and bred. Looking at the photos literally made her cry. This book was the best present she has ever received. Keep up the wonderful work.

G'day Fiona,
I received your wonderful book last Friday along with the cards, bookmark, and bookbag, all very nice. Thank you!
After spending a peaceful weekend enjoying your book these are my thoughts. The design of the book is very nice and well thought out, in keeping with the theme of the project. From the inside cover image to the glossary, it was a pleasure to page through.
The themes explored as outlined in the Table of Contents, and expressed in the photography, were a compliment to the lifestyle of the people and animals experiencing this remote part of Australia. Every chapter had a story told through a photographic journey that wonderfully expressed the people, land, and lifestyle. Really! I enjoyed each chapter, but being an architect I would have liked to have seen more on the homesteads and the lifestyle around them. Saying that, the overall selection is carefully balanced and works well.
All the images from the landscapes to people show the skill in dealing with various subjects. The colors and quality of light were artistic and technically expressive, and a joy to experience. For me this color light, and composition were the best part of the book, and a compliment to the story and land.
I feel you have done a very professional and artistic job of photography, story telling, and publishing design that is a joy to experience. I am looking forward to the promise at the end of the book about more cattle stations to discover, and your next book.

Photo was superb and framed just the way it should be. Thank you so much for the effort on my late order.

Took my time to read the pictures and captions, thanks for that, and enjoyed it absolutely heaps and heaps and heaps.
What amazing images, and the explanatory descriptions are just beaut! The beauty of the imagery is about as far from the reality of heat, cold, dust, dry and flies, as the equator is from the South Pole, or Kathmandu is from New York.
A beaut way to relax with a book, the best relaxer book ever for me. Lucky I saw the clip on the ABC, otherwise I'd never have had the opportunity to buy it.

Hi Fiona
The book “A Million Acre Masterpiece” is fabulous... can’t wait to take it home to my farming family in the UK.

We have just received your books in the mail and wanted to let you know that they are great. We owned a property in the N.T for a number of years and your photos just brought back so many memories. Of course when we were mustering and doing yard work, I didn’t think to take photos and I wish I had now. Thanks for portraying how it really is. My mum dreamed of coming to visit us on the station to see how we lived but she lives in Melbourne and never got the chance. We bought this book for her for Christmas so now I can tell her that what she sees in the book is pretty close to what it was really like for us on the station. Thanks.
Good luck with the book and hope to see more in the future.

Hi Fiona,
Brilliant. The book arrived this afternoon, (could not believe it would arrive so quickly) and my wife and I were very impressed by it, and I am sure my brother will love it. Thank you so much also for the way you endorsed it, could not have been better. I am more interested in the photography, and the colours you were able to get in the outback were great. Good luck for the future.

Fiona – thank you for your quick reply.
You know, I just happened upon your web site, briefly glanced at what you have done, and couldn’t believe my eyes.
Thank you thank you and thank you for what you have conceived, appreciated, and pulled together in capturing the beauty and magic of the Australian Outback through these stations. You couldn’t have targeted this piece of work more accurately to someone like me. I live in Boston – have been here for 20+ years and am a 51 year old expatriate – if that is the right word.
But I grew up in Brisbane and spent from the age of 8 through to 17 spending all my vacation time on outback stations basically mustering, fencing, castrating, and tree lopping for feed. As I went off to Uni, got a job in engineering, then in banking, my life on the land unfortunately faded in reality but never in my memories.
I am sending the first copy to my mother who lives on the Gold Coast who grew up on a sheep station – I know she will love it too.”
And…
I received my copy of your book a week ago and have been pawing through it ever since. It has exceeded my expectations – terrific – I hope you sell a million of them. Every Australian should have a copy.

Fiona, I love your book “A Million Acre Masterpiece”. The images show the true spirit of Outback Australia, and it shows how rewarding the Outback lifestyle can be without romanticising it.
Congratulations!!

Dear Fiona,
Just wanted to let you know, I went to see your photos in the Sofitel Melbourne reception six times while they were here. Loved all of them and still can’t decide which one to buy.
And...
Thank you so much for my picture. I absolutely love it!! I’ve gone on about it so much to my friends so I’ve had them all around to see it. I think you might have a few of my friends wanting to buy one. Thank you once again, I love the frame also.

Dear Fiona
I grabbed a quick view through the gallery this morning, so I could show hubby more pics when ready to brave the computer again. And I knew what he would like to see, WOW they are bloody beautiful. Can’t wait for the book. I just had to comment, they were xxxxxxxxxspecial…
I had an appointment at a specialist and I took the book with me 2 read, cause u ever read the rot they have in waiting rooms, u know the type I mean. And of course then I got into his room and u guessed it, someone rang him, so I took my book out again, and started hiking through the pages while he was talking 2 who ever, when he finished he of course had been drawn 2 the cover of your fab book, what’s that you’re reading he enquired, like he cared – very sarcastically, I looked up at the old geezer, and meekly replied, it’s a picture book doc, u know, one that u don’t have to read, thinking he might get the message, about talking on the bloody phone when I’m paying him a gazillion dollars. He really thought I was serious, he asked why I couldn’t read, which made me angrier, I can read I just can’t bloody spell can I!
Anyway he asked if he could have a look, the result was he is off on holidays now for 8 weeks and asked if I could write your web addie 4 him 2 look you up. He was very very interested in a big print 4 his waiting room, can you believe you’re costing me money down here – I was charged 4 a double appointment, when all he did was look at your book, now 2 the book review –
Well I thought I was there in some of your pics, that’s how great they were, words cannot define a true artist’s angle of their subject, whether it be an oil painting or a charcoal sketch or a frozen image as yours are, if taken at the right moment in that time, they’re worth a million words to the critic. I could smell the dust, looking at the cattle. I’m really happy in knowing there’s someone out there in the bush still telling the story, through wonderful images, may you never tire of it, because I haven’t seen such beauty in an Australian book on Australia 4 such a long time.

Thanks for sending the books – one was for my son who was absolutely rapt and they arrived very promptly.

Fiona,
My first copy of your book has just turned up this morning. It’s truly magnificent and I’m particularly pleased that I ordered a second copy. I love the descriptions and explanations with the photos, and little things I’d entirely forgotten about came back to me as I looked through it – like sitting in the shade of your horse when there’s no other shade anywhere. My grandfather used to do that. The glossary is excellent too. That photo of cattle crossing the Cooper is magnificent.
And...
Your book continues to give me great pleasure, and a number of visitors who have picked it up to pass the time have become engrossed and not wanted to put it down. What pleases them all is the explanations and comments – they really give extra life and meaning to the whole enterprise.

I received my copy of “A Million Acre Masterpiece” in the mail yesterday. It was a birthday present for my husband and he loves it! Thanks for sharing your lovely pictures of your Australian outback experience with us.

Dear Fiona
I am writing to tell you of the great pleasure I am getting from your marvellous book.
For nearly 20 years I worked for King Ranch Australia and spent time at both Brunette Downs and Mount House. During this time I also visited many other properties in Queensland, the Territory and the Kimberleys whilst Santa Gertrudis Cattle and Quarter Horses were being classified for their respective Breed Societies.
One of the many interesting projects I was involved in was to take the photographer Douglas Baglin to Brunette to compile a record of life at the Station. You photos remind me of this fascinating time of my life and of how difficult it is to ' Capture the Moment’ when photographing stock and wildlife. A flick of the eye and often the magic has vanished, particularly the wonderful patterns cattle make when on the move.
Your photos have achieved this to a remarkable degree and have brought back many vivid memories of a marvellous period of my life from 1959.
Thank you and again, congratulations on a great book

Absolutely fabulous book of which you should be very proud, and an edition which one will be able to pass down to future generations. I have planned to give one of the copies to one of my sons and I know he will feel as I do about it, and be thrilled with this years present.

I was visiting a friend in London whose daughter is in Australia, and had sent her the book (A Million Acre Masterpiece). I loved it! Wanted one for myself and as a gift for another friend of mine. Thank you for putting it all together – very lovely!

Congratulations on “A Million Acre Masterpiece”. It is truly a captivating book – haven’t been able to put it down since I received it as a gift! Well done – can’t wait for the next one.