A eucalypt subspecies restricted to frost hollows on Tasmania’s central plateau near the Great Lake, growing to about 15 metres with glaucous, blue-green foliage. Only a handful of small stands survive, and the subspecies is listed as endangered.
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In a narrow sliver of Tasmania’s highlands, one species dominates the landscape: the Miena Cider Gum (Eucalyptus gunnii subsp. divaricata). Found in only a few dozen hectares of exposed plateau, many members of the population have left ghostly remains after extensive fire damage. Owing to Bortle 1 skies (the darkest class of sky, akin to the void of space with no terrestrial interference to inhibit visibility of faint details) the area serves as fertile ground for imaging, often pairing both galactic and atmospheric sights – such as the "dark emu", intensely colourful airglow, and the aurora as seen on this evening – seamlessly.
Numbering just under 300 and standing for hundreds of years defiant against one of the harshest environments in Australia, the Miena cider gum (Eucalyptus gunnii subsp. divaricata) has been a consistent companion for the traditional custodians of the land, the Tyerrernotepanner who have lived beside and relied on nourishment from for millennia. Its high altitude, usually dry air, and proximity to very little humanity make it an excellent observing companion for astronomy -- a passtime sadly being ruined by the relentless acceleration of 'space junk' - criss-crossing our skies at hellish pace, and leaving inescapable light trails in their wake. Humans have left indelible marks across virtually every environment on terra firma, like the relentless march of climate change that has driven the Ciders to the brink of extinction; particularly bad wildfire seasons in the recent decades have wiped the vast majority of the population out, leaving ghostly gnarled remains on the alpine landscape.
The Miena cider gum, Eucalyptus gunnii subsp. divaricata, is one of the rarest trees on planet earth. Confined to a tiny swathe of Tasmania’s high country near yingina (Great Lake), much of the population was destroyed by fire. Only 8 small clusters remain across a small handful of hectares.
Standing with such rare and mystical specimens always makes my skin crawl.