Tag Archives: Australian

Aboriginal Cultural Walks in Tasmania

Leave a reply

Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service provides information about an Aboriginal Cultural walk, the Needwonnee Walk, in the very remote southwest of Tasmania.  In addition, information is provided about a cultural walk at Lake St Clair – here. The Tiagarra Walk in Devonport on the north-west coast of Tasmania, is introduced on this website. Last weekend I visited Devonport and went to walk in this Mersey Bluff area before learning that the site was closed.  Alas.

Mersey Bluff Devonport Nov2015.jpg

However, I was born and grew up west of Devonport where I could look out at Bass Strait during those early years of my life.  Standing and listening to Bass Strait with the onshore breeze blowing into my face brought back many memories.  This felt right. This was my place. I knew my place.

Bass Strait Dpt.jpg

Watch this video to hear the sound of the Bass Strait waves lapping the stony shore near Mersey Bluff.

Journalist David Beniuk reported (Sunday Tasmanian 1 November 2015) that a survey of Australian holiday makers found ‘more than a third of domestic tourists would consider an Aboriginal cultural walk on their next trip to Tasmania.’ He went on to say ‘The results have buoyed the proponents of a four-day trek through the traditional homeland of Tasmania’s Aborigines from wukalina (Mt William National Park) to larapuna (Eddystone Point) in the North East.’

The Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania is seeking funds to build huts based on Aboriginal building practices, and to set up the walk as a commercial operation.  The walk would include traditional stories, bush tucker and premium Tasmanian produce.  I like the concept of a four day walk because it provides sufficient time for walkers to forget their city or other lives and immerse themselves in the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of the land.

40 degrees south

2 Replies

The iconic magazine produced in, by and about Tasmania is Tasmania 40° South.

Details about the latest issue can be read at http://www.fortysouth.com.au/back-issues/issue/77. One current story highlights the cleverly re-purposed Pumphouse at Lake St Clair (the end goal for my walk along the Derwent River). The accompanying photos include mirror quality reflections across the lake – simply stunning.

Tas 40deg south mag cover

Each issue of the magazine showcases the wonders and diversity of Tasmania, the stories are always well written and accompanied by magical photographs.

It is possible to subscribe and receive each quarterly issue through the post, or purchase electronic issues – go to (http://www.magzter.com/AU/Forty-South-Publishing-Pty-Ltd/Tasmania-40%C2%B0South). For people planning to visit or to move to and live in this state, obtaining copies of this glossy magazine is a must. The information will inspire and orient you. Also, it will provide something wonderful to show friends and relatives.

While Tasmania may be located remotely at one edge of the world before the southern polar cap, it is an Australian state with startling natural beauty, a flurry of surprising international and community festivals throughout the year, clean air, the freshest of sea and land food, a rich and complex cultural scene, beautiful remnants of heritage listed architecture, and short travel times with easy access within the cities and throughout regional areas. In addition, Tasmania boasts valuable educational institutions (for example, our University of Tasmania is ranked in the world top 100 universities in the disciplines of Earth and marine sciences, top 150 for Agriculture and forestry, top 300 for Law and top 400 for Medicine).

Many residents and visitors to the state are lifted by a sense of vibrancy and vitality from the opportunities which Tasmania offers.  Technological and communication access to the world is a given from Tasmania, and a number of airlines fly in and out of Tasmania all day throughout the year.  In other words, we are easily connected to the world – when we are not out and about in Tasmania eating world class meals, participating in all manner of sports, or discovering more of the natural environment by walking, cycling, driving, swimming, diving, fishing or flying. Oh yes … and some of us work.

If you are wondering where the magazine title came from, consult your maps or have a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/40th_parallel_south.  You will see that the latitude of 40 degrees south passes through King and Flinders Islands the two most northern islands of Tasmania and therefore that line of latitude marks the northern extremity of this Australian state.

I wonder who of my blog readers, apart from Tasmanians, live somewhere near 40 degrees South (New Zealand, Chile, Argentina?).  And how many readers are living at 40 degrees North?

A long distance walk

4 Replies

Hundreds of dedicated long distance trails have been defined over the centuries or more recently in different parts of the world.  To the east, across the ocean from Tasmania, lies the very beautiful country New Zealand and today I learned that a walking trail Te Araroa extends the length of the country over 3068km.

In 2013, Australian Laura Waters completed the trek often walking solo in some of the most challenging parts of the country.  Currently she is writing a book about the experience but, in the meantime, you can read her blog of the walk at http://soultrekkers.com.au/blog/.  An interview with her has been transcribed at http://www.newzealandonfoot.com/catching-up-with-a-te-araroa-thru-hiker.

The June-July 2015 issue of the magazine Great Walks Australia’s Bushwalking Magazine includes an article with glorious photos and her 10 tips for managing such a walk.  I was interested to learn she carried 18kgs at the beginning of her walk, and only 12 kgs at the end – obviously having become more ruthless about what was essential. Laura Water’s trek is another example of someone making their dream happen.  When she says ‘You’re capable of more than you think” and “don’t let fear get in the way of progress. The reality is often never as bad as you imagine it to be”, I hope this will inspire you to seek out your own projects, however large or small and pursue them with a passion – wherever you live, or wherever you travel.

The crustacean that walks – and only in Tasmania

2 Replies

My last post introduced a giraffe who took a long walk. Since giraffes typically walk as part of their locomotion, the surprise of that story cannot be as great as the fact of the shrimp (prawn if you like) which walks around the high creeks and streams which flow down into the Derwent River in Tasmania.

Anaspides tasmaniae from Parks&Wildlife Service

(Photo courtesy of Parks & Wildlife Service Tasmania – http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/indeX.aspX?base=11244)

Geoffrey Smith, in his book A Naturalist in Tasmania (Oxford, 1909), describes the Anaspides tasmaniae. “A number of streams rise in the plateau of Mount Wellington, some of them attaining a considerable size before joining the estuary of the Derwent, and all of them characterised by the beautiful clearness of their water, owing to their beds being formed entirely of hard greenstone boulders.

In the pools of the upper reaches of these streams near the top of the mountain, a very peculiar shrimp-like animal is found.  It is now recognised as one of those survivals of a bygone age of which the Australian continent has furnished so many and such interesting examples. The nearest allies of this animal appear to be some marine shrimps which come down to us as fairly common fossils in the sand deposited round the Permian and Carboniferous seas of Europe and North America: subsequent to this very remote period they do not seem to have existed in the seas, at any rate in the northern hemisphere, so that an enormous passage of the earth’s history has occurred between their peopling the northern seas and their survival on the mountain tops of Tasmania.

The Tasmanian Mountain Shrimp (Anaspides tasmaniae) is sometimes as much as two inches in length, of a brown colour, and walks about on the stones and among the weeds at the bottom of the pools, browsing on the mosses and liver-worts and any small creatures it can catch; it very rarely swims, but when frightened it darts forward by flicking its tail and takes cover under a stone.

In other parts of the world no trace of the animal’s survival has been discovered.

Goethe somewhere remarks that the most insignificant natural object is, as it were, a window through which we can look into infinity. And certainly when I first saw the Mountain Shrimp walking quietly about its crystal-clear habitation, as if nothing of any great consequence had happened since its ancestors walked in a sea peopled with great reptiles … time for me was annihilated and the imposing kingdom of man shrunk indeed to a little measure.”

The website http://www.anaspides.net/other/website_name_why.html believes “Anaspides tasmaniae has remained unchanged for 250 million years (Triassic Period): it is a living fossil. The first published record of Anaspides tasmaniae was made in 1893 from alpine pools on Mt. Wellington behind Hobart.”  More details about this discovery, and about the later involvement of the author of the book excerpt above, Geoffrey Smith, can be read at http://www.tasfieldnats.org.au/TasNaturalist/Articles/1967/TasNat_1967_No8_Feb_pp1-2_Hewer_AnaspidesTasmaniae.pdf

Another revision: naturally therapeutic images from stages 7-10

3 Replies

I can’t help myself. Having reviewed my favourite images from the first half a dozen stages of my walk along the Derwent River, I felt compelled to continue looking through my collection from the subsequent walks.  I have chosen photos showing aspects of both the natural and man-made world and I believe all will prompt thinking about the Derwent River, Hobart and its suburbs, and the natural environment. My selection of the images with the most memorable impact for me, from stages 7-10, are given below.

20141031_094126

From the eastern shore looking northwards towards the Bowen Bridge, with a couple of black swans on the river.

20141031_100200

Two plaques ‘opened’ by two great Australian prime ministers near the Bowen Bridge.

20141031_104822

The rusting raw-edged remains of a ship, the Otago, at Otago Bay.

20141031_113132

My enjoyment of any family’s black sheep.

20141031_123000

Heading into Old Beach and gradually leaving Mount Wellington behind.

20141031_132519

The gloominess of the approaching storm when I reached Old Beach.

20141111_092342 20141111_092805

The pleasures of well-made pathways, thanks to local government.

Green Point from new Old Beach

Looking northward across the Jordon River to Greens Point.

20141111_103700 20141111_121906

The glories of native flora. In these instances, it was blooming wattle and a spectacular stand of eucalyptus/gum trees which attracted my attention.

20141111_120752

The remains and the signs of a burnt out car on a back track.

20141111_130523

Knowing that it is still possible to have a laugh when walking.

20141111_131133

Arriving at the Bridgewater Bridge.

20141111_134311

Walking on the western shore of the Derwent River for the first time during this project.

20141125_095438

The house of one of first European settlers, James Austin, at Austins Ferry.

20141125_115047

At Dogshear Point, walking around the Claremont golf course, with the thwacking sound of hit balls crossing the greens.

20141125_110906

Reaching Cadbury’s chocolate manufacturing factory in Claremont.

20141125_143454

The hand-hewn rustic style seat near Connewarre Bay.

20150109_074126
Passing MONA somewhat camouflaged as it nestles into a tiny hill against the Derwent River.

20150109_081644

The mosaics along the foreshore.

20150109_101243

The jumble of boats and boat houses at Prince of Wales Bay.

Hoon tyre marks

Road mark making in Lutana.

20150109_132008

Cornelian Bay’s oil tanks up close.

20150109_153103

The Tasman Bridge.

20150109_155515

The circus had come to town.

20150109_161747

The emptiness of an arena of stands waiting to be filled during wood chopping competitions.

20150109_161339

Reaching the ‘end of the line’ on arrival in Hobart city.

New Norfolk

Leave a reply

New Norfolk is a Tasmanian inland town which sells itself as the Capital of the Derwent Valley. The undulating countryside around and the more majestic peaks in the distance make this town one of the most beautifully set in the region. The town’s social and cultural history is rich and the architectural remnants are everywhere to be seen.

The website at http://www.newnorfolk.org/ contains much interesting information and I particularly like one of the image pages where an early photo of a building or location sits next to a more recent photo in the same spot.  From this website you learn that ‘New Norfolk was the third planned settlement to be undertaken in Tasmania, after Hobart and Launceston.’ 

On the history page, you will learn about the connection between the Norfolk Island penal colony and the settlement of New Norfolk.

‘New Norfolk was at first known as “The Hills” because of its setting among hills, valleys and gentle streams.   In 1811 Governor Macquarie came to visit Van Diemen’s Land.   He mapped out a town site and named the town “Elizabeth Town” (after his wife) in the District of New Norfolk.  The name did not catch on although it was used on and off from 1811 to 1825, but the local settlers, wanting to preserve a link with their old island home, won the day and the town was officially known as “New” Norfolk. The stream called the Thames by the locals, was renamed the “Lachlan” (pronounced Locklon) by Governor Macquarie (in honour of his son). However, although it retains the name to this very day, it is pronounced as “Lacklan” by the locals, much to the confusion of newcomers.’

I strongly recommend this site for its extensive information and superb historical photographs, drawings and reproductions of lithographs.

A second site at http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/about/regions-of-tasmania/hobart-and-south/new-norfolk offers additional information and recommendations for things to look for. when visiting the area. In particular, a convict Betty King/Mrs Elizabeth Thackeray was mentioned as being the first European woman to step onto Australian soil.  You can read more about her at http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/settlement/display/70623-betty-king and it seems she was buried in a Methodist Church cemetery on Back River Road in New Norfolk (as per the map below). Unfortunately my Stage 15 of the walk, when the weather begins to warm next Spring, will not deviate from the Derwent River to look at this – but if you are visiting, maybe the site will be worth a look.

Map of Betty Kings memorial New Norfolk

My favourite time of the year to visit New Norfolk is autumn when the leaves turn red and gold so that the town almost seems to be on fire in places. Quite wonderful. Notwithstanding this, the other seasons of the year offer their own special characteristics, making the town always interesting to visit. And when the weather fails, you can immerse yourself in the many antique shops.

A deviation from the record of my walk along the Derwent Stage 11 – today was Australia Day!

2 Replies

Around the edge of Australia, and across inland towns and communities, celebrations are taking place today remembering the start of European settlement in Australia – not that it is expressed as such, rather as a day to celebrate being Australian (Orstrayan – as our accent seems to be saying these days). The day, quite reasonably, antagonises the descendants of the original land owners, our Australian indigenous community, because the day seems to be about being from other countries and not inclusive of the people who were already living here at the end of the 18th century.  Today celebrates the first ‘white’ settlement but not the start of invasion of the lands of those aboriginal peoples who had lived on this land for thousands of years. So it is a day of division across Australia. However, since people with an aboriginal heritage are in the minority in Australia’s population, non-aboriginals go ahead with their barbecues and other family and social events treating today as a public holiday which is their right.  More cross culture chat is needed.

So with that opinion as background, instead of walking to the Bellerive Boardwalk for the annual community Australia Day breakfast and ceremony for new Australian citizens, I decided to try out the Kingston (Kingborough) Australia Day celebrations which were centred on Kingston Beach.

Thousands of people across streets closed to traffic and the endless beach, playing beach volleyball, creating extraordinary structures in sand, and all sorts of other family and activities made the area a hive of activity.  The day’s temperature was comfortably mild for summer, the water so clear, all manner of water craft glided along, swimmers braved the cold water, and happy dogs led their owners on their leashes.  It was an extremely comfortable place to be.

I didn’t take any photographs (more is the pity because Kingston Beach was such a colourful location today) –  you may have read my blog in the area on an overcast non-people day at https://walkingthederwent.com/?s=kingston

The photos I took at that time included:

Sign and river Kingston Beach

Please try and create an image in your mind of sunshine and colour, and of lots of happy relaxed people of all ages and sizes and backgrounds playing and walking on this beach today.

Whatever out ethnic background, Tasmania’s natural sites are incredibly beautiful – and all the better for being so easily accessible.

Today our national Prime Minister released the names of people who have won prestigious Australia Day Awards in recognition of valuable contributions to Australia’s wellbeing and growth and substantial achievement in one or more specific areas.  Today, many Australians are aghast at our Prime Minister’s approval of the English Prince Phillip as a Knight of Australia. Many of us are perplexed and cannot name his contribution to Australia and achievement for Australians, other than in the most general and cursory terms. We have many amazing people in this country, so this announcement of a foreigner getting a special national honour has stopped many in their tracks.

Another opinion can be read at http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/prince-philip-awarded-knight-of-the-order-of-australia-by-prime-minister-tony-abbott-20150125-12xzk8.html – ‘some people worried that this was an Australia Day hoax’.