In the late 1980s, I photographed "the Whalers", a family who lived on a houseboat and spent their days floating along the Murray River.
On slow news days in NSW, I would often search the Mitchell Library's copies of country newspapers for interesting photo opportunities. It's how I discovered new stories to chase down across the state and how I came across the Whalers.
Back then, before mobile phones existed, it was difficult to contact the family, as they were constantly on the move.
I rang the lock keepers near Mildura and asked them to pass on my number, if, by chance, the Whalers passed through the locks. A couple of weeks later, the family rang me and we arranged to meet in Renmark, South Australia.
With a reporter in tow, I flew to Mildura, drove a rental car to Renmark and waited by the river. It was a grand sight when the Whalers finally came into view.
They welcomed me aboard and I had a wonderful time capturing their charming lifestyle as we floated along the Murray River.
**This photograph is part of an IA series that looks at Australia through the lens of award-winning photojournalist Bill McAuley.**
Bill McAuley's 40-plus-year news career began in 1969 as a cadet photographer at 'The Age' in Melbourne.
He has several published collections, including 'Portraits of the Soul: A lifetime of images with Bill McAuley' and 'Last light on Victoria Dock, 1999'. To see more from Bill, click here.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License
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