Oils on canvas
Snow Gum, Mount Gingera, January 2023
121cm x 95cm x 2cm
$800
Mount Gingera is the second highest point in the ACT. At 1,800ms it’s one of the highest points in Australia. Mt Gingera is reached via Mt Franklin Road, followed by a four-hour return easy walk along a fire trail. Along the way you can also go up to the weather station atop Mount Ginini.
On this morning, the road in was potholed and foggy and the drive took ages. I have never seen so many wallabies both in numbers or varieties jumping around in the mist. The wallabies alone made the trip worthwhile. Pryer’s Hut, and an old arboretum (a folly from the ‘50s) are also on the walk.
The panorama from the summit was magnificent with 360-degree views and it was very difficult to choose what to paint. Apart from the views, the area had its own unique ecosystem. There was an abundance of beautiful little things, colours and textures such as wispy grasses, wildflowers, mountain streams, rocky knolls, moss and snow gums. Bush fire damage and recovery were also evident.
This wind-swept snow gum sits in a beautiful grove on top of Mount Gingera’s summit. The grove reminded me of a Japanese garden. Beautiful enough to make me cry. Beauty like this does that to me and I had a similar reaction to seeing Cressida Campbell’s woodblocks at the Gallery earlier in the week.
Simone Annis Paintings 