Gallery release: ‘Cryotherapy’

The Australian Snow Gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora) easily contends as one of the toughest of all eucalyptus species, surviving harsh winter temperatures & conditions throughout Australia’s mountainous regions. Characterised by gnarled limbs and smooth bark that turns to vivid stripes of colour when wet, they make for fantastic photographic subjects. After years of hoping to capture this iconic Australian species in deep winter conditions, I was finally able to make the most of this year’s plentiful snow season with a spontaneous overnight trip.

Teeing up with local photographer (and great bloke) Luke Hasaart, our sunrise snowshoeing efforts were rewarded with some of the best conditions one could hope for. Recent rain, quickly freezing temperatures, overnight wind & snow combined to create a thick rime ice and hanging icicles on the branches of these high-altitude trees. Thick atmosphere moved in and out, occasionally allowing the sun to cast a subtle glow through the clouds, before eventually clearing out to reveal the valleys beneath. 

Despite their hardiness, swathes of these trees across Australia face numerous threats to their existence - bushfires and a warming climate, which in turn exacerbate severe dieback induced by wood-boring beetles - on top of the tough winters they already endure. Playing an essential part of their alpine ecosystem by greatly increasing water yield, their loss would be felt widely in ways that we cannot quite yet imagine. Several of the trees within this gallery have already succumbed to such a fate, now only bearing a skeletal resemblance to their once vibrant and leafy stature.

All prints sold from these galleries will donate 20% of profits to research conducted by Australian National University in the matter of snow gum dieback. If you’d like to learn more, report dieback, or contribute financial support, head to www.saveoursnowgum.org.