My trip to the Peninsula

Dave Groves

On the way was clear fell forestry in full swing. Tired of these sights, I tried to ignore the fact that nowhere it seems is safe from the omnipresent marauders.

As this fight against the insanity of Tasmanian forestry continues relentlessly, sometimes the strain on my personal life beckons a break from the atrocity even if only for a few days.

Such was the case on the weekend starting the 20th of October 2007.

A visit to the Tasman Peninsular, my first actually, was so thrilling, so breathtaking that it was like a week on the moon.

All was well until a sign caught my eye, a quick detour from my intended destination led me to a magnificent lookout (see photo) of the eastern shore, next land mass New Zealand.

On the way was clear fell forestry in full swing. Tired of these sights, I tried to ignore the fact that nowhere it seems is safe from the omnipresent marauders.

I took no photos of their handiwork, determined to erase the carnage from my mind for a few days.

Then I stumbled upon a sign, obviously placed to extol the virtues of “managed” forestry.

I could take no more, so enraged I had to take a few quick shots and so they are attached to confirm the folly of clear fell and so called regeneration.

The blurred photo shows a car beside the scrawny stands of forestry self proclaimed “managed” 20 years of regrowth. The forest giants that are a hundred years old and much more have been replaced by toothpicks.

20 years on, another photo shows the orange clay soil which is all that remains of the soil structure once clear fell and the following erosion has covered the landscape.

A final photo is a closer view of the car relative to the arm thick trunks of generic forestry.

A rather sad tale for the weekend, but go back to the view from the lookout photo and enjoy what I was so very lucky to see.

Till next time,

Take care,

Dave