RECOVERY EXHIBITION
Wyn Jones and Ian Brown
Ian Brown
Ian is a lifelong nature photographer, bushwalker, naturalist, writer and conservationist. He has been walking and working in the Blue Mountains for more than 50 years. His images have been exhibited and published widely, including in the Wild Blue Mountains Calendar. Ian was a national park manager and firefighter for 20 years and maintains a strong interest in the ecology and management of fire. He mixes his ‘day job’ as an environmental consultant with photography and volunteering on weed, wildlife and scientific projects.
Winston (Wyn) Jones
Wyn is an ecologist, photographer, environmental educator, bushwalker, poet and musician. He has instigated and inspired a number of community activities celebrating the natural heritage of the Blue Mountains, including the 2001 Gumtree Songlines Walk. Wyn has been visiting and studying Blue Gum Forest for six decades. He produces large-scale photographic images which have been exhibited widely in the Blue Mountains. Recently he has been utilising digital techniques to create layered, photo-based artworks to convey ‘the message from the Australian bush’.
An image made at the ‘artist’s camp’ organised by Eccleston Du Faur.
Alan Rigby was part of the movement that protected Blue Gum Forest in 1932.
Dupain often used smoky fires to add drama to his images of the forest.
Camping was moved out of Blue Gum Forest in the 1970s to control impacts.
From Govetts Leap Lookout.
Between fires the understorey grows lush.
Fires still burning in the valley consuming ancient Blue Gum to the ground.
Scorched leaves fall after the fire.
The forest grows green again.
Viney understorey recovers.
The forest in full flight before the next fire.
A corner of the forest escaped the worst of the 2019 fire, leaving the canopy intact.
Wet weather after the fire prompted rapid growth of responsive species.
River banks collapse and burnt tree crowns respond with epicormic growth.
Lightly burnt, recovering strongly.
Native Calomeria became a feature of the understorey, but will die away as post-fire succession proceeds.
From the east.