Sorrel Wilby

Sorrel Wilby is a committed naturalist and award-winning adventurer, photographer, artist, writer, reporter and documentary maker, best known for her work on "Getaway" and the "Best of Australia" series she created for Australian Geographic. She has written and illustrated 11 books (including 5 for children) and her articles and photographs have been published in magazines throughout the world. She is passionate about the environment and deeply committed to sharing her love and knowledge of nature with others, encouraging greater curiosity & respect for the natural world - above and below the waterline. Working closely with Tourism Australia, Parks Australia and various State and Territory agencies over the years, her films and images are still widely used to showcase the myriad wonders of iconic Australian landscapes, such as Uluru-Kata Tjuta, Kakadu and the Snowy Mountains. Her project for the Churchill Fellowship, however, will focus more intimately on the natural bounty that surrounds her cherished island home.

Inspired by the work of several artists who visited Norfolk Island during the Colonial era, she will be drawing over 100 newly discovered endemic species that are yet to be named and described by scientists, as well as several hundred known endemic and native species that are vulnerable, critically endangered or extinct. This collection will be archived on Norfolk, providing an invaluable resource for Parks Australia, visiting researchers and local citizens into the foreseeable future.

Entirely self-taught, Sorrel is a diligent researcher and will be complementing her archive with recorded interviews with scientists who have contributed significantly to the study and conservation of Norfolk Island's extraordinary biodiversity. These interviews will also serve to inform the narrative of an illustrated book she will be producing, celebrating the natural history of Norfolk Island and her profound connection to it.