Kings of the Forest

Australian Landscapes #33

Destination: Great Alpine Road, Victoria

As the Great Alpine Road leaves the Ovens River Valley and begins its ascent into the Victorian Alps, the scenery changes dramatically. Dairy farms, orchards and vineyards give way to mountain slopes covered with dense eucalypt forests.

When the road climbs even higher, the view changes again. Stands of magnificent Alpine Ash, their white trunks reaching high into the sky, line the sides of the road. These beautiful trees only grow between elevations of 900 to 1450 metres and are amongst Australia’s tallest flowering plants. While most average around 50 metres, a few are almost 90 metres tall.

Eventually the Great Alpine Road reaches the tree line, beyond which trees do not grow. But here, where conditions are just right, forests of Alpine Ash reign supreme.