Alchemy of the Sun is a book about journeys. Sent to ‘open up the country’, ignorant of Aboriginal strategies for coping with the terrain and climate, many of the desert explorers failed, some dying in the attempt. Today’s battle is with man-made climate change and its aftereffects, an ongoing fecklessness that has disturbed the delicate balance of elements and environment. These poems seek to challenge the mindset of ‘conquering’ the land, and offer instead the opportunity of mediation with the forces that shape the planet and our lives.