A Forest Holiday in Australia
Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
Rest Among Trees In Australia
By: Phoenix Arrien
The Otway’s is a lush cool temperate forest on the southern coast of Australia. Cool fern gullies, dark hidden creeks and the inspiring Mountain Ash - magnificent trees that are an inspiration to stand under - are magnet for loggers.
After years of confrontation, environmental battles and resistance by the logging industry, the chainsaws are finally quiet in this region and the remaining trees are safe. Australia sends a good slice of its old growth forest overseas as woodchips and there has been a strong movement to stop this.
I visited a beautiful old growth forest in Tasmania called the Weld Valley. On the way I picked up a hitchhiker who was travelling to the forest blockade to help protest over the clear felling of this forest as well as have ‘some time out in the bush’.
This is common around Australia. Joining a protest is not just voicing one’s opinions about the destruction of trees, it is also a working holiday and an opportunity to spend some time camping in the middle of wilderness, meet interesting folk and breathe some pure air.
If you are thinking of seeing travelling Australia and experiencing a bit of the original bits, as they were hundreds of years ago before European habitation, as well as helping to stop clear felling forests, you may want to join an forest blockade. More info can be found on www.wilderness.org.au/getinvolved.
