‘Tree seeking’ couple travel 1,000kms as part of growing Aussie trend: ‘Sense of spirituality’

It’s deeply rooted in the past, but a somewhat surprising hobby is quietly growing in popularity in Australia’s vast backyard. And according to the Aussies involved in it, the sense of wonder is second to none.

Keen hobbyists, or self-described tree seekers, are going to extreme lengths to admire some of the country’s oldest – and tallest – native flora. Like couple Aaron and Cristy-Lee Poole who recently travelled 12 hours in a single day to visit a must-see tree.

Tree seeking is a simple hobby that involves “finding and admiring the biggest trees in the country”.

“You feel a connection to nature and there’s a story behind each one,” Aaron told Yahoo news. “When you stand beside a tree as tall as a 30-storey building, it’s truly humbling.”

As modern-life gets increasingly busy, more Aussies are choosing to spend their downtime connecting with the natural world in a way that helps puts things into perspective.

Aussie couple travel over 1,000 kilometres to visit native tree

Aaron visits and photographs some of the largest trees in the country and alongside his wife Cristy-Lee, is working his way around the most notable ones in his home state of South Australia.

But recently the pair jumped in the car and travelled interstate from Burleigh to Moulmein in New South Wales to visit a eucalyptus camaldulensis — aptly called ‘The Big Tree’ as it stands 31 metres tall and has a diameter of more than 11 metres. It’s believed to also be one of the oldest trees in the state.

“They can live up to 500, 600, sometimes 800 years… they’re representative of a time before colonisation,” he said. “We’ve lost a sense of getting out into nature and making contact with the earth… there is a sense of spirituality in it and it’s not a bad thing.”

Aaron said he’s long been “fascinated with horticulture” and during the two decades he’s been a tree seeker, he’s visited a “countless” number of Australia’s most impressive trees. He makes sure to take pictures to document his visits, often sharing them online with fellow tree seekers.

One Facebook group, named Finding Big Trees Australia, now boasts nearly 75,000 members.

“My wife begrudgingly poses for my photos and she’s done hundreds of them just to give a sense of scale,” Aaron told Yahoo.

The couple has visited the Morwell tree in Victoria’s Grampians, which stands almost 39 metres tall, and the Mountain Ash trees in Victoria’s Yarra Rangers which boast a height of more than 100 metres.

“They were here long before we were and hopefully will be here long after we’re gone…”

Like using a telescope to look at distant stars, being in the presence of the massive trees can feel like peeking into the past.

“It captures people’s imaginations,” Aaron said.

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