The Australian Alps — where endless mountain ranges give way to uninterrupted horizons and ever-changing weather reveals a world of winter snow and summer wildflowers. This ancient landscape has a long human history steeped In tradition and adventurous tales of fame and fortune. For Indigenous Australians It Is a place of great spiritual significance. The Australian Alps contain 11 national parks and reserves, the highest mountain peaks on the continent and in winter, the most extensive snow-covered areas in the country.

THE CREATION OF A WORLD-CLASS ALPINE ENVIRONMENT

Over 600 million years of geology has shaped Australia's unique alpine environment. The mountain ranges are some of the oldest in the world, with some minerals in the rocks found to be over three billion years old.

The age of the mountains and diversity of the rocks has meant that unlike other alpine areas in the world, the Australian Alps has fertile soil, up to one metre deep In places. This soil is capable of supporting a diverse range of distinctive plants, animals and ecosystems. Water loving ferns, sphagnum bog and fen (mineral-rich wetland) communitiescan be found In moisture-pockets. Woodlandsand arid grasslandsexist In the dry shadows of mountains and cliffs, and the striking silver and red snow gums stand out amongst a snow-filled landscape. Alpinemeadows explode in spring and summer once the snow- melt begins — masses of yellow billy buttons, pink trigger plants and silver and white snow daisies.

AUSTRALIA'S ALPINE PLANTS - THERE’S NOTHING ELSE LIKE THEM

The diverse habitats of the Australian Alps have given rise to high levels of endemic species — species that don’t live anywhere else on earth. About 25 per cent of Australia's alpine plant species are endemic — five times higher than other similar regions of the world. Over 46 different species of eucalyptus treesexist in the Alps, living In all climates from cool, lush forests through to the harsh subalplne terrain. No of her tree In the world shows such rugged versatility.

FROGS IN DANGER

Baw Bawfrog

The Baw Baw frog is found only in an 80 square kilometre range on the Baw Baw plateau, Victoria. Unlike the you ng of otherfrog species, Baw Bawtadpoles do not swim orfeed! Instead, they hatch with a yolk sac that sustains them until they turn into frogs and live hidden under vegetation and leaf litter. Oncethought to number between 20-30,000, fewer than 600 frogs remain. The reasons for the decline of the Baw Baw frog are unknown, but could include climate change, pollution, habitat destruction or disease.

Southern corroboreefrog

The striking black and yellow southern corroboree frog grows to 30 millimetres in length and is found only in a very small part of the su ba I pine area of Kosciuszko National Park. It is thought that there are fewer than 100 frogs, including just 16 breeding males remaining in the wild. Similartothe Baw Bawfrog,the exact reason fortheir declining numbers is unknown.

CULTURAL HERITAGE

The Alps have a long record of human history. Humans have lived here for at least 21,000 years, even through the ice age. Many Indigenous clans adopted the Alps as an annual meeting place because ofthe seasonal abundance of bogong moths — a major food source. They were also a place of important ceremonies, cultural and political discussions, and a trade link between tribal groups acrossthe region. The Australian Alps are also steeped in European history. Pioneers flocked hereto make their fortune — cattle grazing in the 1830s, the gold rush era ofthe 1850s and logging in the 1860s. Their legends live on through stories and song. The cattlemen’s huts that dot the high plains are a legacy of those days.