On the Road to Tumbarumba, Batlow

Date2020

Object number00055843

NamePoster

Mediumink on paper

DimensionsOverall: 815 × 608 mm
Overall (image): 812 × 607 mm

ClassificationsPosters and postcards

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection

Terms

DescriptionPoster by David Pope titled 'On the Road to Tumbarumba, Batlow'. Illustration depicts a large floating apple with a spiral shedding skin. The bottom of the peel is burnt with the top, featuring houses, is bathed in light. Batlow, known as the 'Apple Centre of Australia', was badly affected by the bushfires of 2019/2020. Many long-standing orchards, houses, crops and animals were destroyed. However, much was saved, a source of great pride by the small town's residents, especially as Batlow was considered undefendable in the face of the fire. HistoryThese posters by David Pope were published in March 2020 as part of a tourism campaign in the newspapers of Australian Community Media (ACM). Prints, posters and postcards based on these designs were sold to raise funds for the long-term bushfire recovery effort on the South Coast of New South Wales. The style Pope uses references traditional early 20th century tourism posters but subtle differences are noticeable. Each image, with black tinges, show the scars of the bushfires that ravaged the region in the summer of 2019 - 2020. Burnt landscapes and solitary native wildlife remind us that that these beloved destinations and places of natural wonders are vulnerable to climate destruction and desperately need ongoing support from a wider community to recover and regenerate. SignificanceThis series of posters by David Pope represent an organisational and community response to a major bushfire event and to the Covid-19 pandemic that followed shortly after.

These events had a dramatic impact on the Australian psyche and physically, on the landscapes and communities from the summer of 2019 to 2020.