Story Title: “The Lake”
Book: Australia
Story and Script: Julie Ditrich
Pencils: Pete Fairfax
Inks: Pete Fairfax
Colours: Pete Fairfax
Letters: Pete Fairfax
Cover: Ryan McDonald-Smith
Book Editor: Nat Karmichael
Genre: Literary / Slice of Life
Synopsis: “The Lake” is a 5-page comics short story about a young woman whose daily walks around a tranquil lake awaken her imagination and create a quiet sense of connection with the people around her. But when a shocking discovery shatters her sense of safety, the familiar landscape begins to take on a darker and more threatening form. As her perception changes, the world that once drew her outward slowly drives her into isolation.

The Story Behind the Story: Some stories ask us to travel somewhere new. Others invite us to return.

When I was invited to contribute to the Australia graphic novel anthology, the brief was wonderfully open: create a five-page story inspired by Australia. Rather than beginning with a new idea, I chose to revisit one that had stayed quietly with me for many years.

“The Lake” began life as a prose short story I had written while completing my Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing at the University of Canberra. During those years, I lived on campus and spent many weekends walking the circuit around Lake Ginninderra. The walk became a familiar rhythm—part exercise, part observation, and part quiet conversation with my imagination. Long before I realised it, the lake had become a place where stories could find me.

When it came time to adapt the story into a comic, I returned to Canberra and walked the lake once again. This time, however, I was seeing it through different eyes. Rather than simply experiencing the landscape, I searched for the places that would best serve the visual storytelling. I photographed locations along the way and used them as reference material for artist Peter Fairfax, helping us ground the story in a real and recognisable setting.

Although I usually write fantasy and adventure, “The Lake” belongs to a quieter, more literary tradition. Working within just five pages challenged me to be economical with both words and images, allowing atmosphere, silence and suggestion to carry much of the emotional weight.

Looking back, “The Lake” reminds me that familiar places never remain quite the same. We change, and in doing so, we discover new stories waiting in landscapes we thought we already knew.