Whenever I see an old gnarled tree I find that thinking about its life is a sobering experience. When you think about it, a lot of things can be put into perspective.
Often we are so embroiled in our day to day issues that we forget the big picture. The existence of an individual is but a blip on the horizon in the time spanned in the life of an ancient tree.
Take some of the big mountain grey gums (Eucalyptus cypellocarpa ) in the gullies of Kinglake. The older ones are probably at least two hundred years old.
Just stop and think about this. Two hundred years ago, Australia had just been settled by Europeans. What has gone on in history since then? Wars, booms and busts in the economy, social and political upheavals ….. Through it all, this tree has stood the test of time, serving many useful functions for the environment.
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