Housing crisis, massive cows and canola fields visible from space feature in our top September news photos

Spring has well and truly sprung in Western Australia, with flowers aplenty for aspiring photographers to set their sights on. 

But while it's the season of renewal, it has also seen destruction — with devastating fires laying waste to a luxury boat, and a shopping centre in Perth's north-eastern suburbs. 

The ABC's photographers were on hand to capture it all, and the results are some spectacular images. 

Fields of gold

In the wake of the wettest winter in almost a three decades, WA's canola fields have been vibrant and abundant.

The fields can be seen from space, and the crop now generates billions of dollars for the state's economy after being introduced from Canada in the 1960s.

Boat fire

On a sunny Saturday morning on a public holiday weekend, plumes of black smoke could be seen from kilometres away as a 50-foot boat went up in flames at Hillarys Boat Harbour.

It didn't take long for firefighters to tackle the blaze, but it left the vessel completely gutted.

Community hub in flames

It took 70 firefighters several hours to extinguish a blaze at Morley Market in Perth's north-east in early September, leaving dozens of business owners devastated.

The shopping complex has been known as a community hub for decades, and the damage was so extensive that the site had to be demolished.

The local community has banded together to organise fundraising events for the impacted businesses.

Housing crisis

Last month, Steve Pountney shared his experience of WA's housing crisis, which has left him and his family living in a bus in bushland for three years.

He's applied for more than 100 rental properties across Perth to no avail, and experts say Steve's experience is becoming more common.

Prime real estate

This picture of the iconic Busselton Jetty was taken as part of a deep dive into the area's rental housing crisis, which has been exacerbated due to a saturation of short-stay accommodation. 

The jetty has been popular with fishers and tourists for more than a century. 

Big bovine

Weighing in at 1.7 tonnes and reaching up to 2 metres in height, the Chianina is the world's biggest cattle breed.

They originated in Italy and are a delicacy, but their meat can be hard to process.

The couple who breeds them describes them as having a "magical, physical presence".

Ride along

The ABC shadowed the south west traffic police for a day during what has been the state's worst year-to-date road toll for more than a decade.

It cast a light on a rarely seen life, one that can be banal and brutal in equal measures. 

Outskirts

There's an eerie silence in Ninga Mia, a once thriving community on the edge of Kalgoorlie. 

The Aboriginal reserve is a microcosm of the cycle of displacement endured by many First Nations people.

ABC reporter Cason Ho visited the area and produced a stunning photo essay with colleague Macey Turner, documenting a community forgotten.

Springtime shots

Wildflower season in the Mid West has brought many keen enthusiasts hundreds of kilometres to see the purples, whites and golds of the state's native flora.

Some have notebooks to write down the name of all of the flowers they seen, and others are recording their finds using cameras.

Cockchafer

Scarab beetle larvae also known as the cockchafer have been causing headaches for farmers and researchers as the tiny worm devastates grain crops.

It's caused tens of thousands of dollars' worth of crop damage, and researchers are investigating the insect's DNA to help better understand them.

Borer fears

Authorities have now opted for a containment, rather than an elimination strategy as the tiny shot-hole borer beetle threatens WA's tree canopy.

Native trees like the marri and red flowering gum are considered high-risk.