Benalla farmers’ struggle and triumph in photos
I have been writing for months about the drought affecting much of western and northern Victoria. Even though I knew the gravity of the situation, I realized what a different reality we had in Melbourne when I went to Julie and Stuart Green’s farm in Benalla in late May.
Before setting out to survey the extent of drought on their land, I sat down at the kitchen table with sheep farmers to discuss the state of the land and their concerns about the state of Victorian politics regarding farmers.
Sheep on a farm owned by Benalla farmers Stuart and Julie Green in late May 2025.Credit: Joe Armao
Little did I know at the time, this visit would be the first of three visits me and photographer Joe Armao would make to the facility in 2025.
After chatting for a while, the duo took Armao and me outside and showed us around their home while they fed grain to their flocks. It had to be cold and green. Instead, the weather was hot and the soil was completely devoid of moisture.
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His sheep were dirty from clouds of dust and there were thick layers of dry matter everywhere. Long after I left I would taste it and feel it irritating my throat.
Selected scenes from the first trip Age As one of the defining images of the year, it also showed a terrifying deadline hanging in the air. If it had not rained, pregnant sheep would give birth in dust and soil. How many lambs can survive in these conditions?
In the following days, I followed the weather forecasts and rain radars in a disciplined manner. Finally the heavens opened. I called the Greens and asked how much rain they had received. They said it was about 33 millimeters sweet. Enough to suppress the dust and send green shoots coming out of the ground just in time for lambing season.
In June, they invited me back to their property (or rather, I invited myself back and they accepted). I met the newborn lambs and Yeşil’s little daughter, Poppy, who chased the lambs and held them in her arms. It was wholesome, cheerful and very reassuring after seeing the concern etched on the Greens’ faces just a few weeks ago.
