Western coast of Tasmania

A shot of the Franklin Valley and Frenchman's Cap from the Donaghy's Hill lookout.

This is the very shallow part of the Franklin River.

For many people the Franklin River became in the early 1980s a symbol of the recognition of environmental conservation values. Conservationists campaigned fiercely to save the Franklin River from flooding with the proposed construction of the Gordon below Franklin dam. In 1983 the High Court ruled 4 votes to 3 that the Commonwealth could stop the dam from being built in Tasmania.

The Wall in the Wilderness at Derwent Bridge in southwest Tasmania near Lake St Clair, is an extraordinary gallery. It houses a giant wall made up of 35 panels of carvings made of Huon pine by artist Greg Duncan. It is planned that the final work will consist of 100 panels. It is evolving art. Each panel is one metre wide, three metres high and 100 mm thick. The panels together illustrate two aspects of Tasmania’s twin industries: forestry and hydro-electricity.

The photo above is of one panel.

The gallery also houses many of Greg’s still lives, made of wood and bronze, each fabulously detailed and nuanced.

No photography is allowed in the gallery. Both these photos are from the book The Wall which is for sale for $22. The book contains detailed photos of each panel as well as of his smaller pieces of work referred to as “still lives”.