Stephen Blyth's Blog

Fire in the mountains

Sunday, March 28th, 2004, Australia, Travels, whanau, life

It was pretty desolate on the Razorback Ridge, an undulating route up to the summit of Feathertop, Victoria’s second highest peak. The dominant vegetation is short, contorted and barren snow gums. In winter the trees are ravaged by frost and snow, while dry summers make the woodlands vulnerable to fire. There were signs of recent fire all around: blackened trunks and half burnt limbs.

Fire is of course vital to the regeneration of eucalyptus forest. You could see new growth exploding from the routes. According to the WildGuide: Plants and animals of the Australian Alps a feature of the “fire-sensitive, thin barked gum shoots from the roots, resulting in a multi-branched ‘mallee’ growth habit.”

Because of the sparse vegetation and fine weather, the views were stunning. In the distance we could see Mt Buffalo, and ranges radiating out in every direction. We were never far from the cellphone towers and ski lifts at Mt Hotham. The ski resort at Mt Hotham was quiet when we visited, but it was easy imagine the bustle of hundreds of skiers in winter.

Travelling with my parents, we had a fun tour of the Victorian alpine high country. It is not as remote and wild as NZ alpine areas, more like Queenstown. As well as walking, we followed parts of the Ned Kelly trail, sampled local wine and beer, and lazed about at our accommodation. Ruby and Mo, at the Pioneer Cottages in touristy Bright, had thought of everything, including fresh biscuits on arrival and little flower arrangements in the rooms. The Cottages were the best equipped rental accommodation I’ve ever stayed in.

We only experienced a fraction of the high country – I would like to return sometime. To share photos of our travels and snapshots from other places, I’m starting a new photo album called “Australian Travels”. As they say, same channel, same place, next week.