Mountain Journal

Snow Gums (Eucalyptus pauciflora and related species) are the classic alpine tree of the High Country, generally growing at heights between 1,300 and 1,800 metres asl. Anyone who has visited the Australian High Country will know – and probably love – these trees.

In recent decades, wildfire has been devastating huge areas of the Snow Gum forests, with significant fires in the Victorian High Country in 1998, 2002/3, 2006/7, 2013 and 2019/20. More than 90% of Snow Gum habitat has been burnt at least once in the last 20 years.

The species can survive fire. However, climate change driven fire seasons are leading to more frequent fire, which is causing more death of trees and changes to forest structure. In some instances, localised collapse of Snow Gum woodlands is now being observed. As climate scientist Michael Mann describes it, we are now seeing climate change play out in real time.

We must ask whether we are now seeing the start of the collapse of Snow Gum woodlands, one of Victoria’s iconic vegetation communities.

Friends of the Earth has been tracking the loss of trees due to repeat fire – details here.

There is also a project to track and log dieback of snow gums caused by beetles. Details here.

But there is still hope, and wonderful landscapes to explore.

While the snow gum forests are getting younger as fire frequency gets shorter, there are still many thousands of old and graceful elder trees across the Alps.

It would be great if you wanted to share an image of your favourite tree/s. Please email to cam.walker@foe.org.au or post in the comments below.

Please add a note with a rough location – eg, ‘100m south of the summit of Mt Clear, VIC Alps’.

Please take action

Please sign our letter to the Victorian environment minister, urging him to act to protect snow gum forests.

Thanks. Let’s remember to celebrate the precious trees that remain.

Here’s a few

You can find our map which shows you many places where you can visit old trees here.

Victoria

Above: Just north of Dinner Plain, VIC Alps

ABOVE: near Lake Catani, Buffalo national park

ABOVE: between Cope hut and Cope Saddle hut, Bogong High  Plains

ABOVE: Pretty Valley, Bogong High Plains

ABOVE: near Cope hut, Bogong High Plains

ABOVE: the famous Octopus tree, Bogong High Plains

ABOVE: Wallace’s hut

The short walk in to Wallace’s hut is hugely popular among people visiting the Bogong High Plains. Like many other areas in the high country some of the trees around the hut have been protected from intense fire simply by virtue of the fact they exist near a human asset like a hut. As reported by Will Ashburner (who took the photo used here): This Snow gum near Wallace’s hut was saved by active fire fighting in 2003, they also weren’t burnt by the 1939 fires. Their regrowth is probably from the 1858 holocaust making them around 255 years old. Very slow growing, the lignotubers that the trunks spring from are maybe thousands of years old and been subjected to a number of fires’. What is happening in nearby forests is ‘a tragic example of ecological collapse.

ABOVE: tree between the summits of Fainter North and South, Bogong High Plains. Photo: Alicia Crossley.

Above: This “tree of many limbs” can be found on the southern side of Mt Koonika summit at approx 1,580m. There are a number of old weathered snow gums along the ridgeline between Mt Speculation and Mt Koonika. It does seem to be in a state of decline. This photograph is from May 2024.

Photo: Alicia Crossley.

ABOVE: Mt Speculation. Image: Alicia Crossley.

ABOVE: near Macalister Springs

ABOVE: Mt Winstanley, near Mt Stirling

ABOVE: near Geelong Grammar hut, Mt Stirling

ABOVE: on The Bluff, VIC Alps

Above: JB Plain, VIC Alps

ABOVE: Mt Higginbotham, Hotham alpine village

ABOVE: these trees are not tall but they are impressive. Right on the treeline, Mt Hotham. These trees, at a high elevation and exposed to south westerly storms, manage to hang on year after year.

ABOVE: Long Spur track, Dargo High Plains

Above: On Mt Wills, VIC Alps

Above: Long Spur Track, Alpine national park, VIC Alps

Above: In Dinner Plain village, VIC Alps

Above: Fire survivors, Kelly Hut, Bogong High Plains

Above: Just south of Dinner Plain village, VIC Alps

Above: Just east of Cope hut, Bogong High Plains

Above: Just near Bluff Spur hut, Mt Stirling, VIC Alps

Above: Just on the treeline, east of Mt Howitt summit, VIC Alps

Above: Burnt country on the Howitt Plains that has pockets of old trees hanging on

Above: Mt Cobberas No 1, Eastern VIC. Photo: Alicia Crossley.

Above: near Charlottes Pass, Snowy mountains

Above: Three Mile Dam, Kosciuszko NP

Above: Mt Jagungal

Mt Jagungal is the northern most mountain over 2,000 metres asl in Australia. It is a wild and very special region.

A massive, majestic, mature snowgum situated at approx 1900m on the south west side of Mt Jagungal. It lies right on the upper edge of the treeline, to the east of the footpad that climbs Jagungal. The girth of its trunk would be several metres. Not an overly tall tree, rather spread large & wide due to elevation and fairly consistent high winds. There are a number of stunning snowgum nearby but this is by far the largest I found & so impressive to see. It looks healthy and structurally sound, here’s hoping it remains so.

Photographed 11th Oct 2025.
Photo: Alicia Crossley.

Above: Cobberas Wilderness Area VIC NSW border. Image: Alicia Crossley

Above: south east side of Mt Buggery. Photo: Alicia Crossley

ABOVE: away from the Alps: snow gums at Camels Hump, north of Melbourne.

ABOVE: snow gums on the summit of Mt Macedon.

ABOVE: passing through Siberia, on the road to Thredbo.

ABOVE: near Charlotte Pass

ABOVE: up on the higher alpine country above Whites River hut, Snowy Mountains.

ABOVE: survivor, Mt Franklin, ACT

ABOVE: Mt Aggie, ACT