My time in Tasmania, a home away from home
The Tarkine (takayna), my wonder for nature and some horrific 'sustainable' logging
10 days in Tasmania and what a trip it was.
Chapter 1 started in Hobart (nipaluna) with the Xylo Systems team for the TDWG (pronounced 'ted-wig' - don't ask me what it stands for, it's confusing lol) biodiversity data conference. It was a jam-packed couple of days with talks by ecologists of all kinds and a variety of biodiversity data custodians. My takeaways and learnings will follow soon once I've finished trawling through my pages of notes.
Chapter 2 had us visit the private land (The Quoin) of our wonderful investors (WedgetailVC) and advisors, Lisa and Cameron Miller. Lisa and the team are the definition of putting your money where your mouth is. Not only are they dedicated to investing in biodiversity startups dedicated to preserving nature, but they are also regenerating a significant parcel of the Tasmanian midlands. Getting a tour of the property we saw firsthand, thanks to Andrew Wenzel (Quoin property manager, trusty buggy driver and all-round legend), how the land was bursting with life, from healthy wedgetail eagle nests to evidence of a healthy Tasmanian Devil population (white dreadlock devil scat).
Chapter 3 was the final leg of the 'Xylo takes Tassie' adventure, on the east coast - Freycinet Peninsula. As you drive towards the peninsula you get a panoramic view of The Hazards, a collection of steep and exposed cliffs that split the peninsula into two, hiding the glorious Mt Amos, reserved for hikers' eyes only. The bird life is unlike anything else I've seen. I've never considered myself a birder (historically a tree-hugger and fungi-whisperer) but it's hard not to appreciate the electric blue fairy wrens, flocks of squawking black cockatoos and twittering goldfinches. We walked over the ridge to Wineglass Bay and it was as gloomy, windy and wild as anything - a different personality to the glimmering blue and bright day when I had visited previously. Camille skillfully spotted a seal (or perhaps a few?) playfully leaping at the mouth of the bay. A few hikers sat on the sand with a bottle of champagne, doing as instructed by the Bay's namesake. I said goodbye to the team in Hobart, feeling more connected and aligned on our mission and 'why' than ever.
Chapter 4 was the final leg in the wild, windy northwest coast, the Tarkine (takayna). I'd heard about the Tarkine via media coverage and social media posts from 'greenies' activists associated with the Bob Brown Foundation. The Tarkine is one of the world’s most ancient and intact (but not untouched) temperate rainforests in the world. I couldn't think of a better place to celebrate being alive for a quarter of a century with my partner-in-crime-and-love and Tassie-virgin, Brad. We started in Smithton, a place the internet had named the 'gateway to the Tarkine', although I wasn't sure about that. It's not exactly a naturalist heaven, surrounded by cattle farms and timber yards piled high with tree trunks (more on this below). I knew we weren't going to come across too many people in the Tarkine when the bottle-O guy asked where we were from and when we replied "Sydney", he said, "So what the hell are you doing in Smithton?!". After a grey, rainy day 1 and a traumatic climb up the Stanley 'nut' (see video below), we drove deep into the Tarkine and stayed in Arthur River, a population of 32 and some of the windiest coasts I've ever encountered.
We had a total of 3 full days exploring lookouts and rainforest walks along the Tarkine Drive. From waterfalls to fungi to some of the world’s biggest trees, I can only describe it as a fairyland. The ground is soft and cushiony underfoot with a mossy carpet. Hollowed frames of trees stand homey and screeching with birds. Fallen tree carcasses bloom with life. Slime moulds, spiders and centipedes, all make the most of the fertile real estate before it melts back into the rich soil beneath. If you stop for a moment, you can quiet your breath and listen to the life around you without the deafening crunch and scuff of your own feet. Beyond the punctuated screeches of Cockatoos (lovingly fulfilling the role of 'Karen’ in the bird world imo), you might be able to hear the hop of pademelons and the unique song of birds you've never heard before. It's one of those places I could spend a lifetime trying to describe but never be able to fully do justice. It was a privilege to visit, breathe the world's cleanest air and be part of nature, just for a moment.
It was also completely gut-wrenching and heart-breaking, knowing the devastation that was happening behind inconspicuous gates. The flourishing biodiversity I described above, isn't protected under a national park or conservation area. Much of it is planned for logging by the state government and called 'sustainable' because they are being replaced by single-species 'regenerative' plantations. There is nothing sustainable about logging old-growth forests. Whilst a lot of it is hidden from the general public behind inconspicuous gates, we drove past multiple clear-cut sites. It gave me the same stillness and horror of a war zone. Limbs flung everywhere, raw red earth exposed and unprotected. All of the lush green mossy carpets and sing-song birds were completely erased. The Tarkine also has one of the southern hemisphere's highest concentrations of Aboriginal sites, remaining culturally significant to the small but actively nurtured local indigenous community.
Visiting places like this and showing that old-growth forests mean something to people is one of the key ways we can show that we care. The Bob Brown Foundation also has multiple initiatives including petitions and in-person engagements you can contribute to. And finally, there's nothing more powerful than education. If you're keen to learn more about the Tarkine (takayna) and what's happening to it, please watch the Patagonia documentary. And if you want to visit the Tarkine, check out this blog which inspired the trip.
Love love love this!