The Swellnet/World Surfaris trip to Nias contest has closed and we've drawn the winner's name from the hat.

That name is...Murray Fredericks from Bondi. Murray is a surfer and landscape photographer of renown, and he was driving back from the South Australian desert when Swellnet called. We dropped in and out of reception till we managed to record this conversation.

Swellnet: The first thing I guess is to offer congratulations.
Murray Fredericks: I don’t know what I did mate [laughs]. You’re congratulating someone for a statistical outcome. But cheers, I’ll take it.

C’mon, pretend you earned it. Pretend it’s good karma.
Oh yeah, I’ve been striving for this. Clearly it’s karma [laughs]. Of course it doesn't mean I’m ungrateful.

We tried to call you earlier but you were out of reception. Whereabouts were you?
I was in South Australia on Lake Gairdner. On a shoot in the desert for a week.

What were you shooting out there?
I’m a photographer, this trip was an ad but I mainly do art kind of work out there. For the art market.

Expand a bit Murray, what is it about the desert that attracts you?
Um...do you want to pretend this is an art interview?

If it helps.
You see, when I talk to art journalists I have to put on the pretension.

Ha ha...then go on. You're among friends.
The truth of it is that I fell in love with the space of the Australian landscape years ago. Something happens to my whole being when I get put into the middle of nowhere. The most empty place you can imagine is the centre of Lake Eyre. It’s like being in the middle of the ocean, you’re completely surrounded by horizon for 360 degrees.

There shouldn’t be anything to photograph out there. I went out there once just for a look and see if I could photograph what it looks like in the middle of nowhere. And I’ve been out there 21...actually now 22 times, in 15 years.

Murray working on location in the centre of Australia

That’s incredible Murray, though we’ve gotta jump back over to the coast now. The surf trip you’ve won is to Nias. Have you been there before?
The very first time I traveled for surf was to Nias, in the late 80s. I haven't been back since.

Things have changed, in a few different ways. It’s obviously more developed but the wave was altered in the quake.
I’ve heard it’s got shallower.

It’s not quite the high line barrel it was, but more of a slab, so get ready. Now, the trip is for two, have you thought about who’ll you’ll take?
It’s funny, my agent and I were driving to this job in South Australia I just mentioned, and he said to me, “Did you see that Swellnet contest? I subscribed. I might win it.”

I looked at him and told him I’ve done the same. So I said, “Let’s think about this. Let’s be smart: If I win, I’m taking you, and if you win you take me.” So we’re holding each other to the deal...though truth be told I did offer it to my wife first.

So it is good karma then.
Ha, yes...I earnt it.

Swellnet would like to thank World Surfaris and everyone who entered the contest.