Photographer brought to tears by 'special' sight in Aussie national park lasting only a few weeks

In a country striving to combat the many thousands of invasive plant species that wreak havoc across our fragile, unique ecosystems, an Australian wildlife photographer has shown how nature can flourish when left undisturbed by human interference.

Photographer Joy Kachina, from Deloraine in Tasmania, has been documenting Australia's landscape in all its rugged glory for over 30 years.

Speaking to Yahoo News, she explained how despite decades on the job, the extraordinary displays of scoparia at the Central Plateau Conservation Area — a wild place of sub-alpine moorlands in the state's centre — still brings her "to tears".

Blooming for just "three to four weeks" out of the entire calendar year, Kachina said you've got to be quick to catch a glimpse. But, anyone hoping to witness the extraordinary sight can do so simply by "pulling over on the side of the road".

"You don't need to go off track at all," Kachina told Yahoo. "It's all right there at your feet — it's really special."

Spectacular display only in bloom for 'three weeks out of the year'

The Tasmanian said due to the whopping 100mm of rain that fell on the area over the last week, the full "show", which typically begins in summer, has come slightly earlier than usual.

Sharing magnificent photos from the walls of the Jerusalem National Park and Cradle Mountain, Kachina warned that as "breathtaking" as the spectacle may be, it's best viewed from afar, and particularly as scoparia is "very prickly to walk through".

She explained some of the native trees in the park are well over a thousand years old and play a very important part in protecting other wildlife.

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"It can just bring you to tears," Kachina said. "It takes your breath away, especially when you've got the mist.

"The scoparia and the pencil pines actually support one another — they're like the understory that protect the younger pencil pines that are coming through, and some of them up there are over a thousand years old.

"The scoparia plays a really important role in that protection because the weather up there is really extreme. It's just over 1200 metres above sea level — so always take your jacket when you pop up there, even in summer. "

Visit but 'leave no trace', nature photographer urges

While the Jerusalem National Park remains unspoiled, Australia is in fact home to over 2,700 invasive plant species, presenting an ever-growing risk for ecosystems, agriculture, and water resources.

These introduced species often outcompete natives for resources such as sunlight, water, and soil nutrients, leading to the decline or extinction of local flora.

Urbanisation, land clearing and increased trade and tourism can inadvertently introduce new plant species. Disturbed environments are often more susceptible to invasive plants.

In Tasmania, there over 2,000 native plant species, many of them flowering in vibrant displays, especially during spring and summer. Approximately 30 per cent of the state's plant species are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else in the world — including the incredible richea scoparia.

Encouraging enthusiasts to journey to the area to enjoy the remarkable exhibit, Kachina said "take photographs, but leave no trace".

"Stay on track and really take some time to just enjoy what's there for us, because it is so beautiful and it's so healing," she said.

"We live in such a chaotic world right now where there is just a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety — being able to go out in nature and see these beautiful wildlife displays, it's healing for the soul."

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