RMIT journalism student Johanna Keskitalo recently attended a cycling tour between Mirboo and Boolarra in country Victoria in the hopes of finding out why the areas nearby have become of focal point of an extended environmental campaign.
Keskitalo and her group were led by well-known Great Forest National Park advocate and cyclist Aidan Kempster.
On her motivations for writing the piece, Keskitalo says:
Amid the environmental crises and debate on the new coal mines in Australia, many people are left feeling powerless and pessimistic about the future. I find that a big part of the dissension regarding our natural resources and environmental protection comes down to disagreeing about the value of nature and its meaning to different groups of people.
I wanted to write an inspirational piece that also unravels what kind of meaning nature and especially the forests in Victoria, that are being logged at an alarming rate, hold for different people.
The essay focuses on Aidan Kempster, an environmental activist, who organises bike rides around the Victorian forests for anyone interested in order to take people out in nature and raise awareness for the Great Forest National Park campaign. I had a chance to join him on one of his trips and photograph the day.
Click through the gallery below to see the full photo essay.
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- Aidan, Dan, and Athreyan ready to take off near Mirboo North, Victoria, on 11 May, 2018. The 35-kilometre ride will take approximately four hours with plenty of stops and a beer break.
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- Only a small piece of native forest is left in the Mirboo woods. The forests used to be logged by hand, which supports the natural processes of its wildlife, but are now logged by machines leading to dramatic consequences.
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- Aidan Kempster, 28, on his fat-tyre bike. Kempster is a bike enthusiast who once spent a year traveling around the country on a mountain bike.
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- Aidan stopped for a sip of water and to soak up some afternoon sun on the way to Boolarra.
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- A pint of lager inspired Aidan to goof around during our beer break at a local pub in Boolarra.
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- Dan, an environmental engineer, prepared for the day trip with proper footwear and bike. The trips do not, however, require any special gear as Aidan wants them to be as accessible to as many people as possible.
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- The group has a 12-kilometre stretch of steady incline ahead returning to Mirboo North.
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- Eucalypts are one of a few tree species that benefit from forest fires as they help the plant spread the seeds. On the downside, the iconic tree oil is also highly flammable, contributing to intense wildfires.
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- A motif of an endangered Leadbeater’s possum, also known as fairy possum, decorates Aidan’s handlebar. They are tiny nocturnal animals, measuring only 10-15 centimetres in length.
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- Aidan balancing on his bike at sunset. What he wants more than anything is to enjoy nature and to be able to do so in years to come.