WINTER WONDER LAND
WE WAKE TO A fantasy land. In the pink hues of the early morning, snow gums glisten, frosted in snow; sunlight refracts off crystal-encrusted leaves; and kangaroos puff steamy breaths into the cold air.
In the distance, blanketed in white, Australia’s Snowy Mountains beckon. “Move your lazy butt,” shouts Jules, my cabin companion. “We’ll miss it!”
Two hours later, we’ve buckled up, clicked on, and made the fourth chair on the chairlift. We’re quickly whisked above the tree line and in no time the race is on! We’re in a mad dash against a hundred or so other skiers to ride the untouched snow as we tumble and bounce to the bottom of the slope.
That was the magic of my first ever “Aussie powder day”. It’s a bittersweet memory because as I stand here today with Professor David Karoly, a climate expert from the University of Melbourne, Dan Nicholls, an officer with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), and photographer Don Fuchs, it’s with the realisation that if we’re not careful, a warming climate may one day rob Australia of its snows.
My reason for this trip, which is part of a winter-long sojourn to Australia’s snow country, is to look at how our rapidly warming climate is affecting the alpine landscapes of New South Wales and Victoria. This morning, these thoughts are in the back of my mind as I excitedly
