When Tasmania’s iconic Lake Pedder was flooded in 1972 to create a reservoir in the service of hydroelectric power, a unique wilderness was drowned, and now lies 15 metres beneath the surface, dormant but apparently intact. What would it take to reverse the course of history, drain the impoundment, and restore the flooded lake to its original glory? Is such a goal even ecologically possible? Meander through Tasmania’s Southwest National Park while contemplating the effort to undo our past actions and rewild our world.
Talk by Christine Milne, Bob Brown, Distinguished Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick, Tabatha Badger and Todd Dudley, with music by Tilly Martin and Julius Schwing.
Suggested Walking Locations
Lake Pedder
Creepy Crawly Nature Trail– Take a walk through a lovely section of cool temperate rainforest. The fully-boarded track gently weaves its way around moss-covered trees and over giant logs. The track is not recommended for people who cannot climb a lot of stairs or who are unable to bend down and duck under branches. Grade 2: Suitable for most ages. The track has a hardened or compacted surface that may have a gentle hill section or sections and occasional steps. Click here for more information on the Creepy Crawly Nature Trail.
Teds Beach Camp Ground– This campground makes a great base for exploring the variety of nearby lakes and enjoying short or longer walks. In the evening your nocturnal hosts may even pay you a visit – look out for possums, pademelons and maybe even a Tasmanian devil. Click here for more information on Teds Beach Camp Ground.
Photo credit: Graham Wootton
Meet the presenters
Christine Milne AO
Former Vice President of IUCN, former leader of the Australian Green Party and current Global Greens Ambassador took up the role of Co-Convenor of the Lake Pedder Restoration Committee in the lead up the United Nations Decade of Ecological Restoration (2021-2030) to campaign for an agreement, by the summer of 2021-22, to restore Lake Pedder and surrounding environs.
Bob Brown
The former leader of the Australian Greens Party and member of the Lake Pedder Restoration Management Committee. Bob became actively involved in the 1970’s campaign to save the Lake Pedder National Park from inundation after flying across the Southwest Wilderness. Since the original Lake Pedder was flooded Bob has advocated fiercely for restoration of Lake Pedder.
Distinguished Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick
Jamie Kirkpatrick is Distinguished Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Tasmania, where he teaches in the undergraduate program and supervises 15-20 postgraduate and honours students working on a variety of topics. His main research loves are alpine, grassy, coastal and garden ecosystems, nature conservation and the politics of environment. He has been recognised by several national awards and prizes for his work developing methods for planning reserves and his contribution to forest conservation and world heritage matters, and has been recognised internationally for producing the pioneering work on minimum set reservation planning methods.
Todd Dudley
Restoration ecologist, Todd Dudley, joined Christine as fellow co-convenor of the Restore Pedder campaign. Todd is also President of the North East Bioregional Network based on the East Coast of Tasmania. He has been involved in bush regeneration and ecological restoration for 35 years.
Tabatha Badger
An avid bushwalker and landscape photographer, Tabatha is a member of the Lake Pedder Restoration Management Committee and actively involved in campaign coordination and communications. Tabatha has been drawn to the restoration of Lake Pedder as a symbol of hope that we can restore and protect our valuable wilderness.
Meet the musicians
Tilly Martin
Matilda Martin is a professional vocalist based on Bruny Island, Tasmania. A graduate from the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music, she has honed a distinctly warm and honest sound with an exceptional attention to detail. Matilda has worked internationally in the U.A.E and aboard the Holland America Line’s fleet (MS Oosterdam). She has been a featured soloist with the Southern Gospel Choir and is experienced in the studio recording her own material as well as for television and radio.
Julius Schwing
Julius Schwing is a guitarist and composer from Bruny Island, Tasmania. Since the age of thirteen he has performed in theatres, clubs and festivals in Australia, Europe, India, New Zealand, Canada and the USA with artists such as Scott Tinkler, Paul Capsis, Bae Il Dong, Aakash Mittal, Scott McConnachie, Christian Windfeld and many more. He composes music for his own ensembles as well as for theatre, sound installations, short film and has released six albums, five of which are on his own creative music label Isthmus Music.
Feature image credit: Stu Gibson
ABOUT SCI ART WALKS
Sci Art Walks is a project by Beaker Street Festival, an annual celebration of science and art in Hobart, Tasmania. The unusual circumstances of 2020 inspired us to innovate, and create something that would get people away from their screens and out into nature. You might say Sci Art Walks is a project for a pandemic. In times of uncertainty and anxiety, many of us find solace in our natural world. Creating these episodes was also a great opportunity to continue to facilitate collaborations between scientists and artists, and showcase some of the amazing talent and groundbreaking scientific research coming out of Tasmania.
CREATED BY MARGO ADLER, CHRIS TOWNEND, AND ROSIE PIDD
9 EPISODES
