Through the fallen leaves and branches I wander, in search of a perfect composition, a view to evoke the atmosphere of the Australian bush; its peeping and twinkling sunlight, tweeting birds and the subtle crackling of undergrowth and bark under foot. These works honour our Eucalypts, spawned from visits to State Parks in Victoria and National Parks in Tasmania over the past decade which harken back to earlier memories of growing up in a rural township, the height of weekend enjoyment being a day trip and picnic amongst the towering gums.

Although never a botanist or horticulturist, as an artist I have come to know their names; Messmate and Manna Gum along the creek flats and wetter hillsides. The woodland species; Yellow and red, box and stringybark huddle together along Mt Buangor with Narrow-leaf Peppermints on the drier ridges and Snow Gums proudly perched and ready to greet should you make it to the higher peaks. Cooler down south, across the Tasman, you find Peppermints too; black, silver, silver, snow and swamp. The Eucalypts expand; Cider gums, Mountain gums, Tasmanian Snow gums and the most magnificent of them all, the “White Knights” — White gums, stretching up 85m. Tasmaia’s swamp gum holds the title of the second tallest tree in the world, known as Mountain Ash on the Mainland, when it flowers in white it takes the lead as the world’s tallest flowering tree.

Walking amongst these Eucalypts, taking photos at almost every step is slow progress. I try to capture the feeling of the shafts of sun on the skin, the quiet scuffling of a far off Wallaby, even the unmistakable smell of eucalyptus in the air. I am drawn to wisps of bark peeling free from the trunks, falling and carpeting the ground. The protected layer nourishes the soil, prevents erosion and forms habitat for small, native animals. A whole ecosystem beneath my feet.

Green and brown makes way for blackened trunks and a charcoal veneer. Sometimes from a brush fire, other times a controlled burn. Fires are an inevitability, however destructive there is a seed of hope; blistering temperatures are the final ingredient required for germination of a new generation of flora. A tale of loss and regeneration held in perpetual equilibrium. The dark, burnt trees give a rhythm across the canvas, punctuated by the beauty of our dusty, pale green Eucalypts, ferns, Grevillias, Tea-tree and native orchids.

Vibrancy returns quickly. Ferns and moss take over, smothering rock and river banks. Confluence of Franklin and Surprise Rivers captures the infantile stages of the Franklin River. At this point in its journey the river is meagre, meandering down gullies from its source below Mount Hugel. There is no haste in its flow, flanked by the towering trees on either side, their green leaves reflected back in the shimmering water.