Travelling along the Mallee Routes I see ‘The Mallee’ as it is now, and the traces of the way it was. The past is entwined with the present. Different cultures leave behind different traces. Modern human endeavour has a dramatic effect on the environment leaving behind altered landscapes criss-crossed with new and old structures. And there is destruction and the detritus of neglect. No areas within the Mallee have not been untouched; it is no longer pristine