Continue reading “‘Save the Trees. March with us in the Autumn Festival Parade’”
Across the Australian high country, the snow gum woodlands are facing an existential threat from dieback and climate change driven fire regimes.
These threats are detailed here, as are some potential solutions.
While the loss of these forests would have major physical and ecological impacts on mountain environments, what would it mean for our personal connection to the high country? For me these trees are an essential part of life in the mountains. When I drive or walk up from the valley and have a wander among old trees, I feel like I have come home. I know these forests have been here for time beyond our imagining:
Continue reading “‘They offer great beauty. They offer shelter. They nurture us.’”
Running 655km across Australia’s toughest alpine track to save our wild places.
The two of us have always dreamed of running the 655km Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT). It’s a track spoken of in a quiet reverence, by old hardened hikers who have seen it and done it all. It’s one of the country’s oldest, steeped in Indigenous and colonial history, and is as brutal as it is beautiful (and it is, above all else, beautiful). Ascending a cumulative 35,000m (approximately four times Mt Everest), the track traverses the ridgeline of the Great Dividing Range from an old gold-mining town called Walhalla (two hours’ drive from Melbourne) all the way through to Canberra. Forcing explorers to overcome the extreme heights (and depths) of the majestic Australian Alps across a typically 30 to 40-day journey, the AAWT is not a track to be trifled with.
And that’s why, one summer’s day, we set out to run it – all in an effort to save our wild places. And now we’re asking for your help to share our story.
In 1972 the original Lake Pedder was flooded to create an auxiliary Hydro storage impoundment, sparking national outcry and international criticism. Since the controversial flooding, there have been growing calls to restore the original Lake. Hence the present-day human-made Pedder Impoundment is contained within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) boundaries, with the intent of eventual restoration. That time has come.
2024 is shaping up to be a pivotal year in determining Lake Pedder’s future. A federal government decision will be made in the coming 12 to 18 months; to either set about planning the restoration of Lake Pedder or invest in massive high-risk dam works that will maintain the flooding of Pedder for another 40 to 50 years.
Continue reading “2024 is a pivotal year in determining Lake Pedder’s future”
Elise Marcianti reflects on a 300 km solo journey from Kosci to Bright along the Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT). Her journey – done as a fund raiser for mental health campaign Moving For The Mind – started with an ultra in Kosciuszko then hiking down to Bright, drawing illustrations of the mountain huts along the way.
Continue reading “A solo journey on the AAWT in support of mental health”
If you love the natural environment of Tasmania you need to subscribe to Tasmanian Geographic (TG), an online journal covering “exploration, research,science outreach, adventure & expedition journalism, educational mapmaking, documentary filmmaking, ecological & experiential & educational tourism, historical musings, museum studies, project updates, and more”.
In their most recent edition, there is an announcement about a book on the alpine environment of this island paradise.
When it comes to being in wild nature, my general rule about social media is ‘don’t hike/ski/climb/ride and tweet’. I tend to take lots of photos but in terms of posting and viewing images, I find being even haphazardly engaged in the online world stops me from being deeply immersed in my surroundings. If I’m base camping somewhere with coverage, I will some sometimes post some things or check the news or weather, but generally try to keep my backcountry experience mostly in the real world.
I was recently on a multi day walk in the Alps. My 12 year old daughter had decided to stay at home with various friends and, a couple of times a day I would turn the phone on and check where she was. ‘While I was there’ I’d Instagram a quick pic. We were walking through some gorgeous country, in a section of the Bogong High Plains where I hadn’t been for years and it was fun to share some images and thoughts on these great places.
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