newsprint | Walking the Derwent River

The previous post introduced the rock line-up located beside the gravel road that leads to a boat ramp located east of New Norfolk. Resting impressively nearby, the massive stump pictured below was labelled as a Swamp Gum/Mountain Ash/Eucalyptus Regnans – the world’s tallest flowering tree.

This Eucalyptus Regnans tree began life when Queen Elizabeth 1^st was on the throne in England in the 16^th century.

The tree stump was collected from west of New Norfolk after growing to 90 metres tall and 3 metres wide, before being felled by a bush fire. Nevertheless, the remains of this grand old-growth forest gum tree reminds me of the wonderful original forest trees we have lost to pulp and paper making in Tasmania and how important it is to protect what we have left.

The placement of this 30 tonne tree stump by Australian Newsprint Mills in association with the New Norfolk Council was made as part of the Australian Bicentennial year of celebrations of European settlement in 1988.

The vegetation beside the gravel road was a lush, overgrown, infestation of blackberry bushes. The photo below shows the steam effluent of the Norske Skog newsprint production mill in the distance.

After the rocks and tree stump diversion, I stepped back onto the gravel road where I could see the Derwent River and some building structures at the bottom of the incline.

The tiny settlement of Sorell Creek has a perfect view of the Norske Skog newsprint manufacturing mill across the Derwent River at Boyer. The business website is located at http://www.norskeskog.com/Business-units/Australasia/Norske-Skog-Boyer.aspx

Since the 1940s this mill, along with others dotted around the state, has been a mainstay of the Tasmania’s economy. Tasmania has been a land of old growth forests which, since European settlement, have gradually been reduced for farming, town and city growth and for the establishment of newer plantation forests. Norske Skog only uses the wood from plantation forests and in this way protects the remaining ‘original’ forests and wilderness of Tasmania.

You can read more about the history of this plant at http://www.vantagepaper.com.au/BoyerHistory.aspx.

During the Stage 14 walk, I approached the mill during the latter part of the morning until I stood looking across the Derwent River at it. From then on, the mill gradually disappeared from view as I wound around walking paths along the curving Derwent River.