MOT Tour Day 41 - Franklin and The Wall

The Franklin

As previously advised, temps in single figures and rain for a few days.

Please note: this is an observation in order to report our tour progress, not a complaint. We are well aware conditions are unpleasant for some of you at the moment.

Anywho ... we had a slow start to the day and eventually decided to drive to the west along the Lyle Highway for - some sightseeing. After about 25kms we reached a short walk which is part of a much longer one to Frenchman's Cap (two day trek). However, the start of this walk, over board walks, would lead us to a suspension bridge which passes over the Franklin River.

This, by comparison with a walk through rainforest just 5kms earlier which went along the Franklin for some time.

We opted for the earlier spotted trail and were soon decamping in the carpark of the Franklin River Nature Trail. It was cold but the rain co-operated for a time. In minutes we were walking through moss in the shape of trees and fallen logs. The track was excellent and everywhere was green and wet and in various states of decay - just like a rainforest should be.

We could hear the river coursing over rocks, well before we saw it, then through the greenery, a busy, clean, vigorous river was rushing by. This was the river that was saved from being submerged as many other Tasmanian rivers in the southwest had been. In 1982, environmental protesters from Tasmania were joined by the growing number of international environmentalists in order to change the mind of the Tasmanian government. It was a time when the power of the media was just beginning to impact and the Franklin campaigners used it judiciously. The new Federal Labour Government led by Bob Hawke, caused a major political scandal by intervening and stopping the dam.

From where we stood  - literally - it was not a major win for environmentalists or Hawke or the mediawho covered it with increasingly Green sympathies. It was not even a win for the fledgling Greens of Dr Bob Brown. It was a huge win for the southwest of Tassie and for the unique Australian environment. It was the change of direction for Australia and indeed the world, which re-ordered priorities and made the environment important in its own right.

The rain had returned, hastening us along but it was magnificent to stand beside the Franklin and know that common sense can drive political will. I wonder if we had a TV show called "I'm A Politician - Make Me Raft The Franklin" and in the course of their journey they mapped out policies to save the planet which have so far avoided them. 

Returning toward Derwent Bridge, we stopped after a long winding climb beside the Surprise River at a lookout which revealed King Williams Saddle, the saddle that joins to mountain peaks. Thick mist was shrouding them and other high peaks I could see. The rain was getting more persistent and according to the dashboard display, it was 7C ... but out I went to take photos! "Feels like 1C". It was so reminiscent of the border between Scotland and England - weather and landscape.

Our last port of call for this outing was an attraction we had been told about for years when mentioning we would be coming to Tasmania. "The Wall" is ongoing work of sculpture Greg Duncan. Its a narrative in much the same way that Brett Whiteley created "American Dream". Duncan says it tells an unintentional story but that's hard to believe. Essentially, he has taken 100 large panels of Huon Pine and hand sculptured them into stories of the development of Tasmania since European invasion. There are flora and fauna, humans, machines, tools. Anything you can imagine that might be part of the story of Tasmania's development, you'll find. The artistry is superb. The story telling compelling and the scale of the work has to be seen to be believed. 

It's ongoing. There are places in the panels where parts are unfinished. Sometimes drawings indicate what is to come. Sometimes not: an arm just ends in a block of wood. Very clever. Very impressive.

Fine Tasmanian wines are available from the bar if you need alcohol to appreciate fine art.

Click here to see today's photos

My only concern is a complete lack of recognition of Aboriginal Australia other than a very brief mention Sue believes was in the first panel. I took the chains and footprints to relate to the convicts who were used as slave labour. You'll have to see it for yourself to judge.

Home for the afternoon and we lit the log fire for the first time and just let the temperature and rain fall to what ever point they wished.