Franklin News and Views

After I could finally think beyond the immediate urgency of my horrible accident, it was to wonder how I could have possibly coped without Alan and Nigel. They stopped the blood flow, cleaned and patched me, set up the tent, put me in it, and brought food when I had recovered sufficiently to drink and eat. Earlier that day we had walked past profusely flowering bushes, where the big fire had gone through a couple of years ago. By the time we left Lunchtime Creek showers had developed but the bush held back the wind until we came to the notoriously exposed area above Perdition Ponds. In the buffeting here I had trouble making forward progress and whilst trying to get my feet onto an even surface a particularly strong gust hit. I felt myself losing balance and was literally blown into a dive onto rocks. I realised what was happening but was unable to prevent it. The instance before impact I probably yelled in horror because my tooth got chipped without damage to the mouth. Blood wa...

Flat Rock walk Wednesday 10 October 07 Dave was sick and he looked as bad as he sounded too, so Nigel and I went searching for Flat rock and Alpha Pinnacle via map and GPS. We went via Guvys Lagoon to Devils Elbow and then followed old logging tracks onto Flat Rock where there was lots of Tetratheca in flower and soon this will be joined by the plentiful bushes of Golden Rosemary. The forest in this area was very nice despite being once logged and there were lots of snig tracks, but recovery has been good and in time will not be very visible. Old stumps were noticeable but not enough to spoil the scene, expect in a few spots where more recent woodhooking had taken place. We were aware that there was insufficient time to get to Alpha Pinnacle Reserve, but after getting through the maze of old tracks we found ourselves at the foot of a very old and overgrown track leading up the valley to the reserve. However our belief now is that the best approach would be to stay higher an...

Massive Clearfell at doorstep of Three Capes Eco-tourist venture Over a period of more than 30 years I have regularly walked to the spectacular Cape Pillar in what is now Tasman National Park, but not so long ago the start of the track was altered. It is now so very sad to see the terrible wound that has been inflicted on the original track, in the form of massive clearfelling of the forest. Clearly the forest industry has no heart and soul. It seems ironic that Lennon and Wriedt have been in the area espousing the marvels of the place and how they intend to invest an estimated $15 million to create a Three Capes walk to attract eco-tourists. While all this has been going on, the Government has been responsible for the wholesale destruction of the land bordering the proposal. Why is it that politicians can not see that this is equivalent to shooting yourself in the foot? The mass destruction of forests is not something that rates highly as an attraction to tourists. Forestry sign...