Tarkine

[Singe]

It shouldn't be an area that only people who can walk 60 kilometres carrying a 60 kilogram pack can access.

Poll - what is the heaviest pack you have carried? What is the heaviest pack you have ever heard anyone carrying?
I have heard that the supply porters for the tour companies carry 40KG packs. I thought that's a bit extreme, like surely an OH&S issue.
But 60KG's?
What pack is designed to carry 60KG's?

To be fair, he probably muddled up his numbers, like this guy muddled up his words - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CisHakr5yg

Not unheard of for a politician to make a mistake, is it?

Possibly a misspeak - but either way I'd say that the intention is to sideline any opposition to the road as selfish elitists wanting to keep the Tarkine to themselves. Reading between the lines, the message to the guided walks business is 'screw you and screw your business, we've made our decision and that is that'... and while we're at it, we'll use your tourism 'brand' to sell the road to the rest of the country, failing to mention that the peak tourism industry body opposes it!

[north-north-west]

*sigh*
Back when I ware a lad, we had a saying: "The H.E.C. is not a branch of the Government, the Government is a branch of the H.E.C."

These days, you substitute FT & Gunns for H.E.C., but otherwise the song remains the same . . .

$1.2 million dollars for the Bert NewtonNichols Memorial Hut - which is the most ridiculously designed Alpine shelter I've ever seen. $23 million dollars for a road that adds nothing to the area but could very easily help destroy it - and will almost certainly help spread the Devil facial cancer to currently unaffected populations.
And how much do Parks get to spend on feral animal and weed control? On track maintenance and improvement (outside of **** Freycinet)? On anything except raking in the moola from the tourists?

[tasadam]

I just found this.
A worthy 7 minutes, apart from the last 20 seconds or so of Katrina Rowntree's accentuated and exaggerated hip wiggle walk.

I found it here - http://tarkine.com.au/

Had to laugh, I found that site at http://www.discover-tasmania.com/
Boy, did I get off-track there!

[corvus]

Hey I liked the hip wiggle
c

[BarryJ]

The hip wiggle got a thumbs up from me, too.

[seakar]

i also thank you "tastrekker". for the lists of places to explore.
dredging up all this info on stuff people are up to is paying off, it would be excellent if rocky cape and the tarkine get taken up by world heritage.

[corinna]

Hi Adam,
Its a late reply but we apresiate your thoughts and views.
A Corinna we actively promote the whole Tarkine region including
the walks avalible at Mt Donaldson( We have taken over maintenance
of this great walk under the adopt at track scheme),Philosphers falls
walk and Longback trail ( we are upgrading this with P&W)
TNC Tarkine walks brochures are supplied to all our guests and we
recomened were possible the South Arthur Forest drive and Arthur river areas
as must experiences whilst in Tasmania.
Its no excuse but Jan 24 a pretty hectic time all over Tasmania, your wife could have been
attended to by one of our less experienced staff members.
We do charge for our camps site, providing sevrices in remote locations dosen't come cheaply
but the $ 15.00 per site is reasonable considering you get new toilets and showers,2 camp sheds, complementary
fire wood, easy accsess to10 great walks , resturant/bar facilities and other services for your buck.
Our aim is to give all walks of life an opportunity to experience and get a feel for the Tarkine, not just the top end
users or the free campers,I belive Corinna is a great starting point thats within reach of everybodys budget.
The Tarkine is a amazing place that changes every day, without it Corinna would not exist, it is in our best intrests
to promoto,protect,preserve and educate people about this unique part of the planet.
Please contact me (Garry Sullivan GM Corinna ) in any more info is required

[photohiker]

I was at Corinna last month for a couple of days, and I was impressed with what I saw.

I don't know who is responsible, possibly Gary, but they have a bunch of cottages available that have been tastefully inserted into the forest, equipped with basic facilities including gas fires to dry out if you need to and kitchen. The cottages a clean and tidy, the staff friendly. There is a community BBQ area amongst the cabins. Food at the hotel is good. There is a focus on energy conservation and recycling at the resort.

There has been a lot of renovation work going on, and Corinna has been repairing tracks etc in the local area. There is plenty to do. The resort has some hire kayaks and operates tours of the river etc.

I'll definitely go back, probably with the family.

[Ent]

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[ashlee]

Sealed roads are SO good for carting logs on.
Do they really care about tourists? Don't think so otherwise they would have got the western Explorer reopened much quicker than they did. I think Corinna and the Pieman ferry would have really felt the pinch financially. but they don't really matter do they ?
Fancy spending $23,000,000 on an unpopular road when the Lake and Marlborough "highways"still remain dusty roads which have many potholes and corrugations and carry a lot of traffic--many of them tourists.

I can assure everyone that this road isn't about tourism but logging access. There are currently areas of inaccessible old growth forest that FT really wanna get their hands on. Don't know if everyone remembers all the road to nowhere (western explorer) debate. The tasmanian government and FT gave their word that the road would not be used for logging access in any way. Now, anyone that has driven the road would know otherwise.

If this road is really about toursim then why was it proposed by a logging agency? And why is the state government taking their views above anyone elses?
IMO the money would be better spent sealing the south arthur forest drive, upgrading the western explorer, or actually promoting the tarkine to potential tourists interstate and overseas.

Like I've said to many people about this issue, you don't put a road through the middle of the very thing everyone wants to see. Areas like this are very sensitive.

[Ent]

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[Singe]

Cherry-picking part of your post as I don't really have the time to make a considered response to all your points...

9. Urban activist live in a area with a sealed road, power, running water yet they get upset when locals in rural areas seek the same services.

This is a bit spurious IMO. All Tasmanians have a stake in the State's future. And if the people living in rural areas demand the services usually found in urban areas - they should perhaps consider relocating rather than changing the place they have chosen to call home. IME there are typically many more locals who appreciate the area for what it is, and don't want their bush home to be transformed into a glorified city suburb.

But this is really a side-issue - surely nobody believes the proposed road is intended for the benefit of local residents? It has been proposed by FT as a tourism venture (though I note the State's peak tourism body opposes it and has objected to their 'brand' being used to promote it), and conveniently enough will provide access coupes that have been previously inaccessible. AFAICT, sealing the road and branding it a 'tourist' road is a side benefit at best, and much more likely an unsubtle greenwash.

EDIT: "Relocate" is probably a poor choice of words on my part - my point is more that people who demand city-like services should not move to such an area in the first place, only to demand it be changed to suit their preferences. Seeking to 'develop' a rural area fundamentally and permanently changes its character; the people who already live there typically like things much as they are.

[photohiker]

Not really wanting to get sucked into the vortex of crazy Tasmanian Hydro/Forest/Road/Development debate, but from a mainlander 'who has been there's perspective, I cannot see the point of the road for a couple of reasons.

1) I value the Tarkine temperate rainforest, and I think that putting a road through will just stack the odds so that one day another dingbat will create a fire that destroys that rainforest, just like that nutcase did on the road to nowhere. Someone told me recently that once destroyed, if it even regenerates, we're talking 500 years before rainforest species start taking over again.

2) Making it easy to get to doesn't necessarily make it better. We don't have to make a paved road up to every interesting feature on the planet so that the armchair tourists can see it without getting out of their cars. Taking effort and a little hardship on board to visit these sites makes the visit more personally fulfilling and valuable. I'm reminded of the attitude expressed by the Premier regarding carrying 60kg packs into the Tarkine, I guess he's on the armchair side, more's the pity.

3) If you saw the damage being caused adjacent to the Tarkine Coast north of the Pieman heads by quad bikes you would cry.

4) I'm no expert, but I believe the area is named Tarkine after the Tarkiner people who used to inhabit the area. The coast especially is effectively a museum site. There is still plenty of evidence of that, but the quad bikes are trashing it.

[Ent]

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[Taurë-rana]

All I am saying is the behaviour attributed to Forestry is extremely out of character if the purpose of the road is for logging.

Must be a different FT from the one I've known for the past 30 odd years then The FT that promised they would never log south of the Arthur, among other things.

Many people who had shacks at Arthur River did not want the road in sealed - they thought it would spoil the place, and it has IMHO. The reason many people have shacks in these places is because they are isolated and different from where they live most of the time, and people who live there permanently are often there for the same reason. Making easy access to a place often ruins what's good about it.

This is actually beside the point anyway - the proposed Tarkine Loop Road is not going to give easier access to anywhere in particular, except to the Arthur forests. Brett, I agree about FT tending to use gravel roads for logging, but there just isn't any other good reason for a road to be put in other than for FT public relations and perhaps they are desperate enough to do it but the cost of it would seem to preclude that reason.

[Singe]

To say that 'they should move' is a bit off... however people should not move to an area and then demand that it be upgraded

Few of points.

Quad bikes are bad but monkey bikes are downright destructive and seam to attract people that their brain cell lives in solitude. A quad bike is a very useful means of transport but like a 4WD if used with no care are bad news for the environment. Fire is a two edge sword with roads. Yes pyromaniacs will use them but so do fire fighters and they serve just great as fire breaks.

Roads access is a complex area of human behaviour and it is almost impossible in many cases to figure out what is driving the push. All I am saying is the behaviour attributed to Forestry is extremely out of character if the purpose of the road is for logging. As for tourist organisations agreeing I think immediately of the middle east given some of the meetings I have been at so disagreements are not uncommon and in fact should be expected depending on where the focus is.

Cheers Brett

We are talking about a major road proposed not by a local community but a government business enterprise, and one that does not and is not intended to improve access for people in the area but to make money. I don't recall mentioning hospitals or schools

I do agree that while I maintain that everybody has a stake, communities certainly have the right to determine their own future and improve their lot.

[tastrax]

IMO the money would be better spent sealing the south arthur forest drive, upgrading the western explorer, or actually promoting the tarkine to potential tourists interstate and overseas.

...and even if those get overlooked, how about sealing the road to Hastings Caves? - there is a "tourist road" that has been neglected for many years and often resembles a skid pan (much to the distress of tourists)!

[MrCAMEL]

I can assure everyone that this road isn't about tourism but logging access. There are currently areas of inaccessible old growth forest that FT really wanna get their hands on. Don't know if everyone remembers all the road to nowhere (western explorer) debate. The tasmanian government and FT gave their word that the road would not be used for logging access in any way. Now, anyone that has driven the road would know otherwise.

When have log trucks used the Western Explorer?
FT do not care about tourists, the *&%$#! Tayatea bridge is still not fixed. This annoys me muchly.
BUT,
Let's be honest. FT are not going to play funny buggers if the new road get done. There is no way they will think it is a free for all on the trees.
They have all their roads there anyways. The new path goes on their roads that they would use anyways. They have nothing to gain. I don't see how tourists could gain anything from driving past loggin operations either. None of it makes sense really.

In 2007(8) or something, the Ridgley Highway was repaved for about $2.4mil, I read. Being generous, it was about 4km worth. There are 120km of roads that need sealing. But the same logic, in that the Ridgley highway needed ripping up and replanting at 600k a km, the new road will need so much more worth than that, at the same price = $72mil.

However, that is all pointless.

Just before the media frenzy on settled down, I talked on the phone to "Gar Foong, senior project manager" for about 20 minutes, and not once did he assume the road was being built. I should have written everything down, but he assured me/everyone and explained, that there were dozens of reviews and procedures that had to take place before anything at all could happen.

I have not been to Tayatea Spur 11 for almost a year now, but was thinking about a cruise up there this weekend to see if there was any activity in the bush!
Is anyone else keen for a cruise?

[tasadam]

Hi Adam,
Its a late reply but we apresiate your thoughts and views.
A Corinna we actively promote the whole Tarkine region including
the walks avalible at Mt Donaldson( We have taken over maintenance
of this great walk under the adopt at track scheme),Philosphers falls
walk and Longback trail ( we are upgrading this with P&W)
TNC Tarkine walks brochures are supplied to all our guests and we
recomened were possible the South Arthur Forest drive and Arthur river areas
as must experiences whilst in Tasmania.
Its no excuse but Jan 24 a pretty hectic time all over Tasmania, your wife could have been
attended to by one of our less experienced staff members.
We do charge for our camps site, providing sevrices in remote locations dosen't come cheaply
but the $ 15.00 per site is reasonable considering you get new toilets and showers,2 camp sheds, complementary
fire wood, easy accsess to10 great walks , resturant/bar facilities and other services for your buck.
Our aim is to give all walks of life an opportunity to experience and get a feel for the Tarkine, not just the top end
users or the free campers,I belive Corinna is a great starting point thats within reach of everybodys budget.
The Tarkine is a amazing place that changes every day, without it Corinna would not exist, it is in our best intrests
to promoto,protect,preserve and educate people about this unique part of the planet.
Please contact me (Garry Sullivan GM Corinna ) in any more info is required

Catching up on a bit of reading, and boy there sure is a bit of reading to catch up on in this topic...
Garry, thank you for taking the time to respond.
I have always liked Corinna, I fondly remember my first visit there in the 1980s when I went on a Pieman cruise to the heads.
Been back a number of times since, though never stayed there.
I enjoyed the broadcast feature on the ABC radio not long ago, but I was amused by the lack of reliable communications, were they using the fax line or something? It sure dropped out a lot. There were some great stories from the old timers, certainly a wealth of information exists and I hope it gets collated / collected in some form for the purposes of history.

Did anyone hear a few weeks ago on the radio, Bob Brown talking about having more areas of the state included in a World Heritage submission?
Vast areas of the Tarkine were to be included, if I recall correctly.

Someone sent me a link to a place they thought I might be interested in, http://tarkinelodge.com/index.html
So I checked it out and they have a google map linked, here.
Scroll to the south and east, and have a look at their nearby forestry operations...

[Taurë-rana]

Scroll to the south and east, and have a look at their nearby forestry operations...

[url = http: // editedout][img]vomit-smiley-7502.gif[/img][/url]

[Ent]

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[ashlee]

I do believe 'activists from the cities' are entitled to have an opinion on environmental issues. They might not live wherever this road is to be placed, perhaps they visit though? Do you live where you walk?

Pushing roads into pristine environments presents many potential problems; deforestation (obviously), habitat loss for threatened species, weed introduction, feral animal introduction, littering (from people that don't care), pollution (ie. run off from cars), and of course the risk of wildfire.

[Singe]

I have never, ever, met anyone who thinks we should have no forestry industry, or whose primary objection was anything to do with aesthetics

Believing that the industry in this State has not struck the right balance between sustainability and profitability does not mean that someone hates forestry workers and wants their children to starve.

[Ent]

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[photohiker]

Aesthetically forestry is a disaster area, but that's not the problem as I see it. I can live with harvesting in a cultivated woodlot, although I think they could do a better job of it by varying the species and the harvest times so that the scorched earth thing doesn't happen. My main objection is the continued permission given to forestry companies to operate in Old Growth Forest. This is not just a problem in Tassie, mind you. Given that we've historically plundered old growth to make way for farmland and dreaded cities to the point where there really isn't that much of it left, wouldn't it be a better plan to have had a plan to plant, grow, harvest, in already plundered areas than to continue to raze yet more Old Growth Forest to plant monoculture forests?

Also, isn't the Tarkine one of the few areas where the devil survives without the Cancer? Or has that changed?

[Taurë-rana]

Many of us have lived here all our lives and seen the way FT manages the forests over a long period of time and think that the way they are doing it benefits only a very few, to the detriment of the majority, including many forestry workers who have lost their jobs over the years due to the way it's all managed. If FT cared about forestry workers, they would do things very differently. There are plenty of people who are or were in the forest industry who agree.

[ashlee]

Is this debate about the road in general or about sealed and unsealed roads?

[Son of a Beach]

Sorry about the long delay with restoring this topic. I've finally had the time to go through the more recent posts, and deal with all the issues that people had brought to my attention, to the extent that I feel is reasonable. So please note that there are a lot of recent posts here that have been edited, to remove the hostility from them. I've endeavoured to leave the actual real meat of all the posts in tact as much as possible.

Please remember to keep any further posts here (and elsewhere) polite and friendly. There is a real person behind each post you see and reply to, so try to avoid personal attacks, and insinuations.

If you think any other posts here (or elsewhere) are in breach of the site rules, then please bring them to my attention as soon as possible.

[GerryDuke]

News was released last month that the reconstruction of the Tayatea Bridge is close to completion.

Advice came via email:

"The last of the super-T bridge beams was placed on Friday (photo attached). This is a major milestone. The in-situ concrete deck must now be constructed. If there is no significant flooding of the Arthur River, it is hoped that the bridge will be open to traffic by 30th June 2012.


Regards,


Operations Branch, Roads & Traffic Division,
Department of Infrastructure Energy and Resources
10 Murray Street / PO Box 936 Hobart TAS 7001"

The loop road will still not be passabe due to the closure of the Rapid River bridge.

GD

[frenchy_84]

Rapid river bridge is driveable, drove the loop a couple of times a month or so ago