Reuters photographer David Gray took some new stunning aerial photos of Australia, showing wide open regions of dry, untouched land. At the beginning of the year, a heat wave gripped large parts of south Australia, sparking wildfires that burned large stretches of grassland.
Burnt trees line a small creek in a field charred by a fire on the outskirts of Melbourne in a photo taken in March.
REUTERS/David GrayA small dam is seen on the left in a patch of dry grassland, beside a field where a fire recently occurred. Australia experienced the hottest year on record in 2013 and the extreme heat has continued into this year.
REUTERS/David GrayRoads go off in various directions next to sand dunes covered in trees and other vegetation in Western Australia's Pilbara region.
REUTERS/David GrayA view of dried-up rivers and a road in the Pilbara region.
The Pilbara region is about the size of Spain.
REUTERS/David GrayIt has the world's largest known deposits of iron ore.
REUTERS/David GrayThe area supplies nearly 45% of global trade in iron ore.