The Original Lake Pedder – A 1956 Southwest Expedition

Tasmania’s remote and rugged Southwest is a place only a lucky few will ever visit.

Robert Tanner is one of those who was fortunate enough to visit the wide sandy beach of Lake Pedder prior to flooding. He also traversed across the Southwest and many other wild parts of our island state during the 1950s and 1960s. With a super 8 camera in hand, he captured footage of expeditions undertaken between 1952 and c.1965 and his five wilderness films have now been digitised.

Together these films provide an insight into bushwalking in Tasmania 70 years ago they can be accessed at the State Library and Tasmanian Archives.

Tanner’s 1956 footage takes us to the spectacular original Lake Pedder before it was flooded, offering a rare glimpse into a pristine wilderness. The film captures an expedition to the remote Port Davey region, showcasing the challenging, gear-heavy bushwalking of the era and is a vital historical record of a lost Tasmanian treasure.

At around the same time the majestic wilderness of Southwest Tasmania was being captured by pioneering photographer, Olegas Truchanas, Tasmanian Archives volunteer and retired teacher, Robert Tanner, was also exploring Tasmania’s wilderness.

Tanner generously donated his original 8mm films to the Tasmanian Archives earlier this year, along with hand drawn maps and a diary of his 1949 canoe trip down the Macquarie and South Esk Rivers.

Film here – Port Davey and Lake Pedder / recorded by Robert Tanner [features Louis Skoda, Ken Nichols, Derry Scott, Deny King, Margaret King, Janet King, Mary King, Clyde Clayton, Federation Peak, Melaleuca, Bathurst Harbour, Mt Rugby, Settlement Point].

Read more about Robert Tanner in the accompanying blog post ‘Narrow escape from a crushing fate’.