Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Dam Proposed for World Heritage Area

I thought building dams in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (WHA) was dealt with by the Australian High Court on 1st July 1983.

According to a Tasmanian Times article this week and this month's Meander Valley Council (MVC) agenda, we're going back to the future!

Maps and diagrams included in the council agenda show the power station (4 shipping containers), pipeline, access road, maintenance road and weir are all to be built within the WHA.  Has no one realised this?

It was passed at the MVC meeting earlier this month.  The appeal deadline for the decision is this Friday 31st July.  What jurisdiction does a local council even have over development within the WHA?

Q: Who ultimately has jurisdiction over development in the WHA?
A. Meander Valley Council
B. Tasmanian Government
C. Australian Government
D. UNESCO
E. All of the above

[Edit 29/7/15 - I contacted the MVC planner and he made a few interesting points:
* MVC were aware of WHA listing
* The application goes back to 2012, before the WHA extension
* Development within the WHA has to meet other government approvals which are outside Local Government scope
* The planner pointed out this part of the WHA is still zoned Timber Production - He has friends in high places there.  UNESCO's WHA Committee also pointed out the inappropriate reservation status of sections of the WHA when they rejected the government's draft management plan.]

While I could be proven wrong, I'm quietly confident the charts below clearly show the whole box n dice to be within the WHA.  They also show the pipeline and maintenance road nonchalantly crossing a 40 metre high cliff near the intake weir (which amusingly looks 80 metres high on their map as they have labelled their contours incorectly!).  The documents don't seem to indicate how they manage to achieve this with "minimal surface disturbance."



I'm willing to concede this is a very small corner of the WHA and one which has been disturbed by past logging activities.  However, there are principles at stake.

Principle 1. These disturbed areas were added to the WHA in 2013 as part of the forest industry-supported peace deal for a reason.  In this case the WHA extension provides a buffer around the main walking track leading to the stunningly beautiful Walls of Jerusalem.  One would hope the buffer would protect against development such as that which has been proposed.

Principle 2. Is this the kind of commercial development the current government is seeking for the WHA?  There are many streams inside the WHA which would be great for RET-induced micro hydro schemes.  Perhaps we could get a few micro coal mines re-established on those coal seams near Mt Ossa and Barn Bluff.  Oh no!  The R in RET stands for renewable.  Oops!

Now that I'm starting to get sarcastic it's probably time to stop writing and see if anyone reads my little rant and shares my concerns.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Mount Field Snow

Soon after today's tour got underway we had an unscheduled stop at Glenlusk to see if we could replicate the sunset shot of 2 days ago.  Trees in the way, bus on the wrong angle and the sunrise just not so speccy.  Conclusion: Dunalley was a special moment.  Trying to replicate special moments ends up somewhat contrived.

Sunrise at Glenlusk
Next stop was Russell Falls, a consistent performer.  "Keep it up RF, visitors and locals alike love it!"


Russell Falls
Had I not been 'working' today I almost certainly would have joined Endorfun's Russell Falls 6km race taking in RF, part of the Tall Trees loop and the Lady Barron Falls circuit.  As I was working I had to make do with watching runners cruise on by and enjoying the extra 'pointers' along the way.


Pointers set up for the Endorfun Russell Falls 6km race.
While admiring the regal regnans the sun put on a show of its own to distract us from the world's tallest flowers. 

Sun shining through the baby regnans.
Next on the itinerary should have been the Lake Dobson Circuit but fresh snow meant no hope of getting the bus all the way up.  With most of my 14 guests having never seen snow it was great watching their enthusiasm as they played in the morning's fresh powder.  It made no difference to them that we had only made it halfway up to our intended destination.

 

The rest of the day consisted of lunch in a picnic shelter by the open fire, Bonorong Wildlife Park, walking to a scree slope near The Springs (due to Pillinger Drive being closed at that point) and ending the day viewing the inside of a heavy rain cloud from the top of Mt Nelson.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Dunalley Bay

Having traded in the office job for guiding in the great outdoors there could be something outdoorsey to blog about almost every day. So...

What was the most bloggable feature of the past 24 hours?

After touring the Tasman National Park a highlight presented late in the day at Dunalley Bay. As my guests lined up for their pics I was taken by the extrapolated sunset reflected in the side windows of our bus.




Friday, July 24, 2015

2014 Career Change!

Another year+ absence from blogging and another compelling reason to be distracted.  2014 was the year of my career change from long-time IT Manager to my dream job: Outdoor Guide.

IT career sailing into the sunset
Ditching the security blanket of a 'day job' is tricky but supportive family makes a world of difference.  Within a month of resigning I collected a handful of relevant certificates, made some contacts and landed a couple of positions.

Leaving Devonport
While I have always desired overnight bushwalk guiding an even stronger desire to come home to wife and children each night directed the opportunities available.  Enter Tasmanian Walking Company and Tours Tasmania as the employers who have spring-boarded my new career.  Nine months in, I feel confident enough to call the transition a success.

Arriving in Hobart
As a surprise twist, soon after embarking upon the career change, family circumstances (don't ask) strongly influenced a move from my comfort zone of north-west Tasmania to the big smoke, Hobart.  It was not hard to agree.  I have always been an admirer of the capital city which so brilliantly combines the best of Tassie's environments all within cooee of the CBD.

A short trail run from our new house on our first morning in Hobart (and also our first wedding anniversary)
So...
Blogger-fodder should be easy to come by now.  Let's see how we go.