Introduction
Controversial Issues
Getting Unlawful and Unlicensed
Guns
To Clone or Not to Clone
Courage, Resilience & Innovation
Modern Massacre
Explorers Past & Present
Hobart - The Gateway to Antarctica
The Great Adventurers Flinders & Bass
Historic Hobart
Indigenous Connections
George Robinson
Major Events
Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
Controversy Over Money Spent On Sea
Rescues
Controversy
Surrounds Race
Heroes of the Day
Men and Women With Courage
Natural Wonders
Our Pioneering Past
Convict Legacy
Port Arthur
A visit to Australia's second oldest city is like a walk through history.
Everywhere you look the past is reflected back through the perfectly preserved buildings, magnificent harbours, pristine mountains and even the many reported sightings of the thylacine. So enjoy this walk through history and discover what was, is now and can perhaps be again.
Tasmania is serviced by air from Melbourne, Sydney and Christchurch, New Zealand. There is also an overnight ferry from Melbourne to the northern town of Devonport three days a week. It's much maligned climate is actually "temperate maritime" which compares most favourably with centres on the Mediterranean.
While Tasmania is the smallest state in Australia, measuring only 286 kms from north to south, do not be seduced into thinking that a couple of days is enough, you won't have left Hobart by then.
Getting Unlawful and Unlicensed Guns Out of Society
The battle with the gun lobby was hard fought but finally legislation to tighten gun controls and a government "buy back" scheme were introduced. The "buy back" scheme retrieved 635,000 banned semi-automatic rifles, but Gun Control Australia believe there are still 330,000 weapons still out there.
In 1999 Victorian Police engaged in a program to track down illegally held guns. In one district alone more than 2000 guns were recovered from unlicensed shooters. The success of this program should hopefully encourage other states to follow suit.
Recent statistics on multiple gun killings has shown a remarkable decline in lives lost, proof that responsible gun control does work. In the decade prior to gun control, the average total number of people killed in a multiple killing each year was 13. Since Port Arthur and stricter gun controls this has reduced to 5. But there is much much more to be done.
The Gun Lobby Frantically Lobbying or Deliberate Attempts to Deceive The Public :
Extract from The Age Thursday 23 March 2000. Writer Melissa Marino.
>> Outrage over US Gun Lobby's ads>>
Australia protests over claims of a rising gun murder rate.
An American gun lobby infomercial that claims violent crime has skyrocketed in Australia since gun laws were tightened was offensive, inaccurate and outrageous, the Attorney-General and acting Justice Minister, Mr Darryl Wiliams, said yesterday.
Mr Williams yesterday wrote to the president of the United States National Rifle Association, Hollywood legend Charlton Heston, describing the use of the Australian figures as misleading and asking that they be wiped from the website campaign immediately.
"The simple fact, which is the relevant fact, is that crimes involving firearms have not gone up, they've gone down," Mr Williams said. In his letter, he quoted Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showing firearms were now used less often in murder, sexual assault and armed robbery cases.
Mr Williams said he was outraged that the NRA, based in a country where there were "something like 11,000 firearms homicides in one year, is telling us our gun laws fail when our statistics show that in 1998 there were only 54 firearms homicides." The 30-minute documentary-style advertisement says Australians' right to gun ownership were stolen by their Government, which had promised safety in return.
The infomercial footage depicts a nation of smashed windows, people cowering in fortified houses and rising rates of murder and armed robbery. It also shows street protests against home break-ins in South Australia last year, interviews with elderly victims and comments from the South Australian Attorney-General, Mr Trevor Griffin.
Mr Griffin said yesterday his quotes had been taken out of context for a "blatantly political purpose", and it was clear the NRA had misrepresented the debate.
The infomercial claims that armed robberies in Australia have risen 69 percent since gun laws were tightened - figures which include weapons other than guns. Assaults involving guns rose 28 percent, gun murders increased 19 per cent and home invasions jumped by 21 per cent, it says.
Mr Williams said 640,000 were removed from the community after the National Firearms Agreement following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures revealed a drop in murders and armed robberies involving guns between 1997 and 1998.>>
Firing From The Hip :
The NRA Claims:
Australia's armed robberies are up 69 per cent.
Assaults involving guns are up 28 per cent.
Gun murders are up 19 per cent.
Home invasions are up 21 per cent.
Guns were a 'right stolen by the government, promising safety in return for gun
bans".
Source ABC.
Australian Institute of Criminology and ABS Figures show:
Armed robberies(using any weapon) rose 20 per cent in 1998 compared with 1997. (All armed robberies rose by 69 per cent from 1995- 1998).
Armed robberies using a firearm fell from 24.1 per cent (of all robberies) to 17.6 per cent (1997-98).
The number of murders using a firearm fell 30 per cent from 1997 to 1998.
In 1998, gun murders in Australia equated to 0.28 per 100,000 people. In the US it was 4 per 100,000 people.>>
I watched the NRA infomercial when it was shown on television in Australia. What was shown was not indicative of how my friends and family experience life in Australia....I think we should let the statistics speak for themselves.
To Clone Or Not To Clone That is The Question
There has recently been speculation that the Tasmanian Tiger can be cloned, using cells from a baby thylacine preserved in alcohol in a Sydney museum since 1866. Professor Michael Archer has said that technological advances, like the cloning of Dolly the sheep have brought this possibility closer to reality. Geneticists say we may need to wait ten years for further developments, but will this make the ethical dilemma clearer.
Extract from Melbourne Herald Sun Monday 25 October 1999. Writer Greg Thom.
>> Mammoths, the dodo and own Tassie Tiger could
be.......
Back From The Dead>>
>> Human beings have become expert at wiping less fortunate species off the face of the Earth. In the not too distant future, though, scientists may prove just as adept at bringing them back.
An international team of scientists is a step closer to its quest of cloning a woolly mammoth after last week digging up a specimen from a Siberian ice field.
But it is an Australian team that hopes to become the first in the world to return an extinct animal from beyond the grave.
Researchers plan to use DNA taken from a tasmanian tiger specimen preserved in alcohol since 1866, to one day bring the animal back to life.
Advanced genetic technology will be used to clone the cells into a surrogate mother, such as it's closest "living relative", the tasmanian devil, in much the same way as the now infamous Dolly the sheep.
If the project proves successful, it could open the door to the tantalising prospect of resurrecting long-dead species from dinosaurs to dodo birds. There is a lot of catching up to do. Hundreds of animals have already lost the battle to survive alongside man.
Countless more, as diverse as the sumatran tiger, eastern barred bandicoot and spotted tree frog, are teetering on the edge of oblivion.
The NSW Government recently announced it would contribute $20,000 to the tasmanian tiger project, a joint effort between the Australian Government and the Garvan Institute.
The effort has been welcomed by some scientists, who see it as a positive attempt to right humanity's wrongs against nature.
Others, however, point to the ethical questions raised by scientists acting as God and believe the money could be better spent preserving those endangered species whose time is running out.
That is exactly the approach being adopted by Chinese scientists, who have just announced plans to clone a giant panda embryo.
The embryo would be grown in the womb of a black bear in an effort to save the species, which now number as few as 1000.
Perhaps, the boldest move is that of scientists attempting to clone the woolly mammoth 23,000 years after it last roamed the earth.
Last week, they cut parts if the three-metre tall candidate free from the ice where it was discovered two years ago.
Along with analysing dirt, pollen, and even the beast's stomach contents, their main task will be to extract DNA for cloning.
This would then be transplanted into the egg of an Asian elephant that had been stripped of elephant genes. The team believes that even though an elephant will give birth, the baby would be a mammoth, not a hybrid.
It is a similar approach planned for the tasmanian tiger, with the tasmanian devil acting as surrogate mum.
Apart from the extremely long odds of success, it is this aspect of the cloning process - growing the embryo in the womb of a different species - which has produced scepticism in the scientific community.
Some, such as reproductive biologist Professor Roger Short, believe it defies the whole point.
"At the end of the day, it's not a clone, but only half a clone," he says.
While he describes the chances of bringing the tasmanian tiger back to life as "almost zero", he says there is no reason not to try.
"To clone an entire organism from a fixed specimen pickled in alcohol for over 100 years, I think is impossible," Prof. Short says.
"I don't see anything wrong with it ethically, I think it would be great. I just think the chances at the moment are very bleak."
One of Australia's leading experts on cloning and invitro fertilisation, Monash University's Professor Allan Trounson agrees.
"I can't see anything wrong with it," he says. "If you could get that from an extinct species I would be delighted."
Prof. Trounson is dismissive of concerns that bringing back species from the dead could upset the balance of nature.
"Ecology is upset already," he says. "There are rabbits and camels running around that were not there before. Another dodo wandering around is not going to make much difference."
However, he believes the tasmanian tiger- the last of which died in Hobart zoo in 1936 - is destined to remain a specimen in a bottle, with scientists unlikely to extract any living cells.
"I don't think you can do it from something that's been pickled in alcohol, " he says.
"In my view, to clone the individual animal would be impossible with what we know today. Then again, I thought Dolly the sheep was impossible."
The Garvan Institute's executive director, Professor John Shine, acknowledges the barriers to success are many.
"Clearly at this point in time, the technology is not there to generate a complete living tasmanian tiger by cloning from dead cells from the preserved specimen, " he says.
Prof. Shine says one of the main tasks of the project is to extract chromosomes containing the tiger's DNA and preserve it, in effect storing the animal's genetic make-up until genetic engineering can catch up.
"This could take years," he says. "But we need to do the hard yards and put in the work. If you don't aim for the stars, you only get to the moon.">>
One can't help but ponder whether the thylacine would want to return to a world that has changed so drastically, and which, at best, would offer a life of captivity.
Courage, Resilience & Innovation
Port Arthur was again linked with inexplicable horror and sadness on Sunday 28 April 1996. On this day a gunman indiscriminately shot and killed 35 people of all ages; he injured a further 21 and left scores more with deep and lasting traumas. In keeping with a decision begun by the parents of Dunblane in Scotland we will not name the gunman. His random act of evil does not earn him a place in history.
Extract from Herald Sun 28 April 1999. Writers Peter Mickelburough and Carmel Egan.
>> Grief that just will not fade>>
>> Three years later and the victims of the Port Arthur massacre can neither forgive or forget.
Daily they confront that day of madness through missing loved ones, wounds - some still requiring treatment - and horrific memories.
They struggle to come to terms with the bloody rampage that erupted at the historic Tasmanian convict prison on April 28, 1996. For some, the battle to move on has proved too much.
The survivors, about 50 of whom will meet in private in Melbourne today - the media have been asked not to attend - were devastated this month by news that a second of their number had committed suicide, taking the death toll to 37.
Organisers of today's meeting said there had, sadly, been many suicide attempts by survivors.
Citizens of Port Arthur and nearby areas maintain close contact with each other and at least 12 are said to be on an unofficial suicide watch.
"This is something that has affected our very existence, our very lives and continues to do so, every day," said Lynne, a Melbourne nurse who helped treat and comfort many of her fellow victims.
Today's gathering would be a sharing of grief. "While people say, "Yes, it was three years ago," that doesn't change the fact of how much it still affects our lives day to day," she said. "There were people having surgery last week".
She suggested people who wished to show their support, should light a candle "somewhere people can see.... in remembrance, perhaps, of all victims of violent crimes."
Another survivor said: "We all battle daily with the memories, and feelings of guilt and good fortune (at being a survivor). Some can't get past it but I like to think I'm in the group that's getting on with it. I'm really hoping that one day I'm not going to dread April".>>
Australia Embraces Stricter Gun Controls :
In the aftermath of the Port Arthur massacre, Prime Minister Howard called for the introduction of national uniform gun laws which included a ban of automatic and semi-automatic weapons.
Walter Mikac's wife Nanette, and his two daughters, six year-old Alannah and three year old Madeline were killed at Port Arthur. Later, when some states fought to weaken the laws, Mikac urged politicians to hold firm. In the midst of his grief he contributed enormously to the gun debate by giving a human face to the tragedy. No person could see Walter's despair, determination and courage and not be moved by the depth of his loss. Port Arthur challenged all of Australia to create something positive from that day of pain and devastation.
Mikac worked to establish the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, a charity with the mission to support child victims of violent crime and sudden family loss. After the tragedy he wrote a tribute to his family called "To Have And To Hold" and only recently published another book called "The Circle Of Life", which is a collection of his thoughts.
Reluctant to talk to the media, he limited the book publicity to a few radio slots and has stated that: "I just want to move on with my life". We can only thank him for his courage and generosity and may he find peace, love and joy in the future.
Reflections On The Tragedy :
On Friday 28 April 2000, the fourth anniversary of the Port Arthur Massacre, mourners gathered in the roofless convict-era church at the site, as they have done each year since that heart-breaking day. Sir William Deane officially opened the memorial garden which has a reflective pool at it's heart. Located behind the remains of the Broad Arrow Cafe, where so many died, it is a place of quiet reflection.
Keith Moulton, father of Nanette Mikac, who lost his daughter and two granddaughters at Port Arthur, said: " To all visitors, please make the Port Arthur memorial garden a place of peace. Overlay it with love."
Each year, mourners have gathered to recall a tragedy that united Australia in grief, as no other recent peacetime event. The Governor-General, Sir William Deane, said, "It was not simply the fact that many of the victims came from different parts of Australia. It was the fact that the tragedy touched us all. Australia was a victim. In that what had happened was an affront to our people as a whole".
"This memorial garden, at the place where those things happened four years ago, seems to me to capture the sentiments, which I have endeavoured to express. Through this garden, we look forward to the future."
The time has come for us all to look forward.........to a time when we all feel secure and safe enough, to relinquish all weapons of destruction. Dare we wish for a time when armies are obsolete and world peace and co-operation is the norm. As a nation we have a lot of work to do.........but recognising the problem is halfway to solving it.
Tasman Discovers Van Diemen's Land :
Major source of information and all quotes drawn from "The Exploration Of Australia". Writer Michael Cannon. Publisher Reader's Digest of Sydney.
The smallest state in Australia was discovered by the Dutch Navigator, Abel Janszoon Tasman in 1642. The Dutch East India Company chose Tasman to lead the expedition to discover the remaining unknown part of New Holland (Australia). On his first voyage he was blown onto the southern tip of Tasmania. Tasman wrote proudly in his journal "As this land has not before been known to any European, we call it Antony Van Diemen's Land, in honour of our High Magistrate the Governor-General, who sent us to make discoveries".
For some unknown reason, perhaps unfavourable winds, Tasman sailed east to New Zealand. Had he continued sailing northward, he would have made the great discoveries of Australia's fertile east coast and we might now be speaking Dutch instead of English. On such chance decisions the fate of nations turn. In 1856, Van Diemen's Land was renamed Tasmania in memory of it's first discoverer.
Hobart - The Gateway To Antarctica
Hobart's continues to farewell adventurers as they sail south. It is now the last stop for many embarking for Antarctica and early in 1999 farewelled Jim and Yvonne Claypole, who spent 12 months at Cape Denison as part of Expedition Icebound. But spending twelve months at Cape Denison is something we can all do and it is proving to be the ultimate destination for adventure travellers.
The History Of Expedition Icebound :
Don McIntyre, one of Australia's most experienced yachtsmen, set out in his early 20's to cruise the world in a yacht he built himself. He met Margie, then a student nurse, during a stop on the Queensland coast. They were married in Sydney in 1983.
Don had established McIntyre Marine Services, a company supplying marine safety and survival gear. In 1983 he founded the Short-Handed Sailing Association of Australia and went on, in 1988, to create the Goodman Fielder Wattie Bicentennial Around Australia Yacht Race, which attracted international competitors.
In 1991, in his yacht Buttercup, he finished second in his class in the 1990-91 BOC Challenge solo around-the-world yacht race. In the same yacht he sailed to Antarctica's Cape Denison in 1993 with three crew and 200 teddy bears. His experiences on that voyage inspired Expedition Ice-Bound.
Margie, a registered nurse, has managed McIntyre Marine Services since 1983. She has helped plan and organise Don's major adventures and devised the scheme to use teddy bears to raise money for charity. The teddies raised nearly $10,000 during Don's 1993 Cape Denison expedition. Before Expedition Ice-Bound, Margie had seen snow only twice.
Extract from "Two Below Zero - A Year Alone In Antarctica" Writers Don McIntyre with Peter Meredith.
>> In 1911-14, the great Australian explorer-scientist Sir Douglas Mawson spent two winters at Cape Denison, in Antarctica's Commonwealth Bay, one of the most inhospitable spots on earth. But as leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, he had come well equipped and with a number of companions. Though tragedy struck during a foray onto the Antarctica icecap, he and the rest of his men fared well in the relative comfort of their hut. Could a privately funded and much smaller expedition winter as successfully?
That was the question in Sydney yachtsman Don McIntyre's mind after he returned from a voyage to Cape Denison early in 1993. He decided to find out, and in the process experience the full cycle of the Antarctic seasons.
On 15 January 1995, Don and his wife Margie, together with a crew of five, reached the site of Mawson's headquarters in their yacht Spirit of Sydney. Before the month was out, the yacht and crew had sailed home and Margie and Don were alone in the world's last great wilderness. Only days later, the wind worked itself into a screaming fury and the first blizzard struck.
This graphic account of the couple's year at Cape Denison, based on their detailed diaries and logs, is a study in grit and determination in the face of conditions that few humans ever encounter. Battered by winds that sometimes exceeded 240km/h, gripped by temperatures as low as -32oC, their tiny prefabricated hut shook, creaked and grew a lining of frost as thick as any inside a freezer. As autumn gave way to lifeless winter, the psychological pressures were such that Margie suffered bouts of profound despondency, particularly when confined in doors for days on end. But foul weather sometimes gave way to days so brilliant that the stunning panoramas outside the hut inspired moods close to euphoria. And with the arrival of spring came life - killer whales, seals, penguins - and days of never-ending sunshine.
Margie and Don are two sides of a coin: they have their differences but they make a formidable unit. Their differences came to an extraordinary climax at the end of their stay, but their unity survived stronger than ever. The McIntyre's year in Antarctica was a triumph of organisation, but without the will and strength to see it through, it would have failed, perhaps disastrously.....It is the story of a grand adventure in the grandest of places.>>
I feel very privileged to have seen the video and read the book that resulted from the year that Don and Margie spent in Cape Denison. I was totally captivated by the book and read it from cover to cover in one sitting. I watched the video that night and was blown away by it as well.
"Together Alone In Antarctica" :
Don and Margie McIntyre are seeking an "adventurous" couple to spend a year in Antarctica in "Gadget Hut". This is an opportunity of a life time!!
If you are chosen, Expedition Icebound will provide the total logistics for your year in Antarctica and ask you to undertake some simple activities to further its aims, but 90% of your time is your own to do whatever you like. Film, photograph, write, explore, talk to the animals, paint, contemplate life, it is entirely up to you.
Once chosen, you can expose your sponsors in any way you wish. You own all your own film, photographic and media rights to your adventure in Antarctica.
You will not be able to be rescued at anytime from Cape Denison until the scheduled pick up at the end of your expedition and you will be required to sign a form declaring your wish not to be rescued at anytime and accepting the fact that this is a potentially dangerous and life threatening expedition which could result in serious injury or death.
Still interested?... contact Don and Margie for more information.
Expedition Icebound
PO Box 404
Mona Vale NSW 2103
Tel: 61 2 9979 8525
Fax: 61 2 9979 8535
Email: mcintyremarine@ozemail.com.au
"Two Below Zero" Book and Video :
I strongly commend the book and video to you all. The book tells the story of the expedition and has the most wonderful collection of photographs. The award winning video is also not to be missed. I was deeply touched by Don and Margie's honesty throughout their adventure. I laughed with them, felt the fear, the joy, the frustration, the elation and the sadness when they farewelled "Gadget Hut".
It was a wonderful experience... and the video made me feel I was really there.... but sorry Don I might pass this year.. my adventurer's heart was deeply stirred by the stunningly beautiful scenery but when the wind blew ... you lost me!!
We look forward to hearing more of the Expedition Outbound adventures.
Keep pushing those boundaries folks.
The Great Adventurers Flinders & Bass
In September 1795, HMS Reliance arrived in Sydney with the twenty three year old George Bass and the twenty year old Matthew Flinders. On the journey out their shared passion for adventure and navigational techniques made these two firm friends.
Flinders and Bass fitted out a two and a half metre row boat with masts and sails, called "Tom Thumb", and in their free time explored the coastline around Sydney. They charted with great accuracy encouraging Governor Hunter to give them a slightly larger boat which they again christened "Tom Thumb".
The Discovery of Bass Strait :
Several unofficial voyages proved very successful, and finally Bass persuaded Governor Hunter to allow him to have the services of a whaleboat and six naval volunteers to investigate the south eastern coastline and to determine once and for all the existence of a strait separating Van Diemen's Land and the mainland.
The boat was built in Sydney of banksia wood, lined with cedar, was eight and a half metres long, with curved keel and pointed fore and aft. Carrying six weeks of provisions, Bass and his party left Sydney on 03 December 1797. By 05 January 1798 they had arrived at Western Port Bay (Victoria) where Bass and his men spent 12 days exploring the area. With supplies dwindling he reluctantly headed for home. On the return they successfully landed at Sealers' Cove, on Wilson's Promontory, where they killed seals and dried their flesh for chewing while rowing.
After weeks of fatiguing sailing and rowing they arrived at Port Jackson at 10.00pm on Sunday 25 February. In his final report to the Governor, Bass reaffirmed his belief in the existence of a southern strait. His report reads: "Whenever it shall be decided that the opening between this and Van Diemen's Land is a strait, this rapidity of tide, and that long SW swell that seems to be continually rolling in upon the coast to the westward, will then be accounted for."
Flinders & Bass Circumnavigate Van Diemen's Land :
Governor Hunter commissioned Flinders to take a twenty five ton leaky sloop, the "Norfolk", and make a further voyage of discovery. With Bass as his second in charge they set sail through Sydney Heads at dawn on 07 October 1798. There was an eight man crew and provisions for three months.
On 17 October they were charting the islands at the northern tip of Van Diemen's Land. The picturesque Flinders Island was charted and named after it's intrepid discoverer. They travelled up the Tamar River and in a small boat almost reached the site where Launceston stands today. Flinders recounts the capture of four swans in the estuary and how it "afforded us much joy. As one swan will serve three or four people for a day, they constitute the greatest part of our food".
By 24 December they had reached the Derwent River and the safety of Risdon Cove. On Christmas Day, Flinders climbed Mount Wellington where he found the mountain" covered with large timber, to its very top". After a circumnavigation of the island the "Norfolk" returned to Sydney where Governor Hunter duly named the new shipping lane Bass Strait.
This discovery was extremely important to the new colony as it would shorten the voyage from Britain to Sydney by at least a week. As Flinders pointed out in his report: " the expense - the wear and tear on a ship - for even one week is an object to most owners, more especially if freighted with convicts." More significantly it opened the possibility of the unexplored lands to the south.
Matthew Flinders Circumnavigates Australia :
Flinders went on to circumnavigate Australia in the period 1801 to 1802.
Due to the ongoing war between the French and the English, Flinders was continually plagued by ships that were old, decaying and leaky. To undertake the task of sailing and charting the thirty-three thousand kilometre coastline of Australia he was given by the British Admiralty a vessel previously considered unsuitable for fighting the French.
Renamed HMS Investigator, the three hundred and thirty four tonne sloop set sail to the other side of the world to explore unknown and potentially dangerous waters.
A Scientific Expedition :
On this maritime adventure went Broken Bay Aboriginal, Bungaree. He was undoubtably the first Aborigine to circumnavigate the continent. Bungaree was there to lead landing parties and set up friendly discourse with any coastal inhabitants. Accompanying Flinders were several scientists. Robert Brown had a interest in natural history and became world famous for his hundreds of plant specimens. The ship's botanical artist was Ferdinand Lukas Bauer, whose exquisite drawings revealed the originality of Australia's plant life. The ship's landscape artist was William Westall who was only 20 when the ship sailed. Sadly most of his best work was lost when his ship was wrecked on the return voyage to England. Also on the voyage were astronomer John Crosley, mineralogist John Allen and Kew gardener Peter Good. The cabin boy, fifteen year old John Franklin, later became a famous Arctic explorer and governor of Tasmania.
Imprisonment By The French :
In 1803, after successfully circumnavigating Australia, Flinders and his precious charts, sailed to England on the twenty-nine tonne Cumberland which, you guessed it, leaked badly. On 17 December 1803 he was forced to call into French Mauritius for repairs. Unaware that war had again been declared with France he was captured and imprisoned for more than six long years.
Flinders And His Cat :
Few people know that Flinders travelled with an unlikely companion. While imprisoned he wrote a touching tale of his much loved cat, Trim, who had accompanied him on his voyages. Trim's fate has never been confirmed but there are rumours that the French on learning of Flinders attachment to Trim, not only confiscated the cat, but ate it.
If you visit the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney, take the time to find the statue of Flinders located outside. Recently a group of history buffs and cat lovers rallied to unite Flinders and Trim. On the window sill, just behind him, you will see the statue of his loyal companion. It seems fitting that the two are together again.
On his release from prison, Flinders was thirty six, but the long incarceration had taken a heavy toll and he looked twice his age. From 1810-14 he prepared his great work "A Voyage To Terra Australis" for publication. On 18 July 1814 a copy was brought to his house. Sadly he was unconscious and died the next day, never knowing that many of his maps would guide Australian shipping through it's greatest period of development.
George Bass Lost At Sea :
Flinders friend George Bass, left the navy and decided to make his fortune as a south sea trader. On 5 February 1803, he sailed from Sydney and was never heard of again. Bass and Flinders created so much opportunity with their exciting discoveries, it seems poignant that their lives had such tragic endings.
Battery Point Links Past and Present :
Battery Point became home to master mariners, merchants, shipwrights, coopers, seamen and fishermen and their houses reflected their positions in Hobart Society.
A walk through this historical location will bring to life this fascinating time. Discover beautifully preserved Arthur's Circus, a village green circled by single story worker's cottages complete with picket fences and well kept flower beds. High on Cromwell Street sits the convict built, St Georges Church, known as the Mariner's Church and still maintained in perfect condition. Wander through Salamanca Place and admire the row of sandstone warehouses along the waterfront. They make a perfect backdrop for the regular Saturday market where locals produce what is arguably Australia's best market.
Aborigines Are Eradicated From Tasmania :
When Tasman visited the island in 1642 the only inhabitants were a brown skinned people whose ancestors were believed to have come to the area 18,000 years ago when Van Diemen's Land was part of the mainland. They used wooden spears and stone tools to hunt wallabies, wombats and Tasmanian devils and gathered shellfish, seaweed, native potatoes and bird's eggs.
The expansion of the new colony pushed the Aboriginal population further from the coast, traditional hunting grounds were lost, women raped, often they were shot on sight and white man diseases decimated the population.
By 1830 Aboriginal numbers had been reduced from the 2000 estimated at European settlement to 200.
George Robinson - Protector of Aborigines
In 1829, Robinson was deeply committed to "conciliation " instead of persecution of the island Aboriginals. A self-educated carpenter and builder in the Hobart colony, he had a deep religious conviction and a vision for how settlement could be. He first cared for the Aboriginals of Bruny Island before hatching a plan to travel throughout Van Dieman's land telling the Aboriginals of the humane government who would resettle and re-educate them.
On 03 February 1830, aged 42, George Augustus Robinson, set off from Recherche Bay with little more than his clothes and a small bag of wheatmeal. He was accompanied by Woureddy and his wife, Truganini and several other Aborigines, who taught him how to live off the land, guided him around the island and communicated with other tribes.
Living rough, Robinson spent four years, and walked hundreds of kilometres around the island. He succeeded in persuading small groups of Aboriginals to be placed under protection and transported to government camps, where sadly, their futures were bleak.
Robinson's friendship with the Aborigines and his habit of travelling unarmed throughout the island was viewed with deep suspicion by the European settlers. They did not share or comprehend his vision of social harmony. Many settlers felt that in killing the aborigines they were simply eradicating a pest.
By 14 June 1834, Robinson had tired of the continual travel. In October 1835 he took charge of the largest government camp on Flinder's Island. Sadly, in spite of his best efforts to educate them in European ways the Aborigines continued to die off. In 1838 he was appointed Chief Protector of Aborigines in the new Port Phillip district. When he left Flinders Island there were only about eighty Aborigines left alive.
The last forty or so full blooded Aborigines spent their final days at Oyster Cove, a pretty inlet in the south east of Tasmania, which in earlier years was frequented by them for the plentiful supply of shellfish. After Truganini died in 1876, there was no full blooded Aborigine left on the island of Tasmania. It was the wish of Truganini, or Lalla Rookh as she was also known, that her ashes would be scattered on the seas near here - a request that was not met until 100 years after her death.
Land Finally Returned to Aborigines :
On 28 February 1999, the 1830's genocide site on Flinders Island was finally handed over to Aborigines by the Tasmanian Government. Between 1833 and 1847 approximately 250 Aborigines were rounded up and shipped to Wybalenna, which in all intents and purposes was a concentration camp. When it closed in 1847 there were only 44 Aborigines still alive. This Land Claim is the oldest in Australia or more accurately, it origins reach furthest back into history.
On 26 December each year, The Cruising Yacht Club Of Australia, hold the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. You cannot help admire the courage of Bass and Flinders who survived long voyages in their small boats, when today, with modern yacht design and state of the art technology the voyage from Sydney to Hobart is still fraught with danger.
Boxing Day 1998, saw 115 boats set sail through The Heads and turn south for Hobart. Sydney always enters into the spirit of the race and thousands line the harbour and take to the water to cheer the start. A magnificent sight and not to be missed if in Sydney at the time.
This race has always attracted the most experienced sailors and rates in difficulty alongside the Fastnet and Bermuda yacht races. In 1998, when
cyclonic weather conditions hit the fleet, many Sydney Hobart race participants had their skills and endurance tested to the limit. Forget about winning; this was survival! In the history of the race there had only ever been two fatalities, in 1998 there were six. Memories surfaced of the notorious 1979 Fastnet race in which 15 died.
Extract from The Age 01 Jan 1999. Writer Catharine Munro.
<< "Death on the raging ocean" >>
<< The farewelling crowds on the docks of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia were too thick for Sydney-Hobart crewman Peter Bigelow to push through to reach his vessel.
The 22-year old first-time Hobart racer avoided the short walk from the footpath to the dock and instead got to "NatTel Adrenalin" by another boat. Sporting the previous day's Christmas presents - a harness, a strobe light, a torch and a knife that his parents ordered him to wear at all times -Peter downed some "nerve-settling" drinks on deck with the crew before the start.
But it wasn't a Christmas Eve warning that storms from an intense low pressure system, rare for the season, were brewing in the Tasman sea that had given Peter the jitters. "Before the race you see all these people watching", he said. "It's overwhelming when you are out there competing with everyone packed into Shark Island and all the way along the Heads as far as up to Bondi," he said.
Boxing Day crowds swarmed almost every available centimetre of Sydney Harbour's girth to farewell the fleet. Every year they are enticed by the glamour of the giant yachts and hope the breeze will be strong enough for the boats to lift their skirts, push out their spinnakers and run out past the Heads.
A strong enough breeze for a pretty race, not a tragic one. At 1.00pm on Saturday the starting gun sounded and suddenly Peter forgot the crowds.
"In the back of my mind was when am I going to get to Hobart," he recalled.
The fleet were well rewarded that first afternoon as the sweet, warm breeze from the north east kept lifting. By midday on Sunday the mood on the "Adrenalin" was high. "Everyone was on top of the world, we knew there was wind coming, as the CYCA had predicted, but we were still hoping it wasn't going to be more than 40-50 knots."
Skippers ordered sails to be winched in and steered their boats closer to land, obeying Saturday afternoon's gale warning of a 45-55 knot sou'wester off the south coast of New South Wales.
But by 1pm on Sunday Peter said" all hell broke loose" for the "Adrenalin" as she encountered waves as big as buildings and winds of 70 knots. Braving massive waves that swept over the deck, Peter crawled to the bow, where he felt safest, preferring to be buffeted by 24 degree water than sitting in the cock-pit being stung by gale force winds. "There was a lot of yelling and people telling us to hang on," he said.
Then something happened that Peter believes put his fate on a different path to the six dead. "As we were pulling the main (sail) in, we were hit by a nine metre wave... I reckon that if we had the main up we would have probably flipped over."
Peter watched the ill-fated "Winston Churchill" overtake "Adrenalin" at 2.30pm. "She looked fine, but that was the last we saw of her." An hour later, "Adrenalin" heard her Mayday, among others, as skipper Richard Winning and his crew of eight scrambled off the decks into two life rafts.
A massive wave had pushed the mast through the cabin and the boat, which had raced in the inaugural Sydney-Hobart race in 1945, sank within 20 minutes. The men faced hours in the pitch black on Sunday night and survived the terror of capsizing and being trapped under water in the great seas. Skipper Richard Winning and three of his crew, Bruce Gould, Paul Lumlin and Michael Rynan, were somehow found by rescuers, but only John Stanley and John Gibson clung to the remnants of the other raft in time to be found.
Three men from the second raft were swept away at dawn on Monday. Jim Lawler and Michael Bannister's bodies were retrieved the next day, while missing shipmate John Dean has not been found. Friends now say Mr Winning, who had been so sure his childhood sailing buddies Bannister and Dean would be found, has turned his back on the sea.
His friends were not the first to die. At 7.30pm on Sunday," Sword of Orion" rolled, sweeping away Olympian Glyn Charles of Britain. The boiling sea was scoured, but he was not found.
At 1am, "Business Post Naiad" rolled and her skipper Bruce Guy suffered a heart attack while crewman Phil Skeggs drowned in his safety harness. Their bodies were left in the abandoned boat when their seven mates were winched to safety by a helicopter. Six dead. There had previously been only two fatalities in the history of the race.
Fortune stopped any members of the country's biggest rescue effort - 35 civil and defence aircraft and the frigate HMAS Newcastle - from joining the toll. They searched 4000 square nautical miles in search of missing sailors. Helicopters, tossed about in the 70-knot winds, plucked people off boats and rescue workers descended on wires into heaving seas at night to retrieve the helpless.
Three yachts were towed, six abandoned, 70 of 115 entrants retired while two men overboard were found alive and 50 crew were evacuated.
The search ended on Tuesday after, needless to say, the champagne and fireworks at Constitution Dock in Hobart had been cancelled." >>
Controversy Over Money Spent On Sea Rescues
Australia has funded several dramatic sea rescues in recent years and world recognition supports our rescue services are of the very best standard. Many Australians have criticised the amount of money spent on rescuing yachties, including Bullimore (British) and twice rescued Autissier (French), but we need to make it clear that rescues are not a waste of money.
Firstly, and most importantly, they are rescuing people, but secondly they are honing skills that increase both efficiency and effectiveness under circumstances that no "mock-up" could ever duplicate.
May Australian sailors be shown the same courtesy, skill and care when they are in danger in foreign waters.
Going To Sea In Boats & Safety Are Incompatible :
Providing you have considered issues of weather and taken all reasonable precautions, going to sea in a boat remains a contest between you and the elements. Actually there is something incompatible with safety and sailing the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race or any other ocean race for that matter. You can take all safety precautions but can never guarantee safety....we need only think of the " Titanic" to remind us of that.
The 1998 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race generated enormous controversy.
The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia were slammed for not stopping the race, lax safety on boats, ignoring weather warnings, taxpayers money spent on rescue.....controversy raged. A CYCA report issued early June 1999, has encouraged stricter safety equipment regulations and more accurate assessment of weather reporting.
All agree that safety should be kept to the highest possible standard, for it is a foolish person who does not reduce the odds where possible. Better understanding of weather reporting is essential for who would deliberately sail into 82 knot winds and 25m high waves?
It was during the turmoil of the 1998 race that the following situation developed as reported by Simon Prestel in the Herald Sun Newspaper June 02 1999.
<< Heartbreak as yacht sails on >>
<<" Skipper Rob Kothe remembers the feeling of relief that washed over him when he saw the other yacht closing in on his sinking boat, Sword Of Orion. "We thought we were all saved," Kothe said yesterday. "I told the crew to hang on, it wouldn't be long now."
More than an hour before, Sword Of Orion had been rolled by a 20m wave, which washed helmsman Glyn Charles, a British Olympic sailor, overboard. For up to seven minutes the crew watched helplessly as an injured Charles was swept away. His body was never found.
But now the crew's "saviour", Margaret Rintoul II, was no more than 100-200m from them. With their radio out of action, massive waves pounding them and the wind screaming through the night sky blocking their shouts for help, Kothe's crew launched flares.
The "saviour", however, kept going to Hobart. "We just watched the other boat disappear into the mist," Kothe remembers. "It was terribly disappointing." It was another seven hours before the crew was rescued by helicopter.">>
The skipper of the Margaret Rintoul II has stated that the seas were too great and the conditions too treacherous for him to put his boat in further danger by attempting a rescue: his decision has been debated by yachties and landlubbers alike. Was there a moral obligation to stop and help?
Was the Margaret Rintoul's obligation to their crew greater? Is this a reflection of today's attitude of "look after number one"? What do you think............ in the same situation would you have stopped and rendered assistance?
But there were heroes on that day!...... men who did take enormous risks to save lives.
Extract from Herald Sun 21 April 1999. Writer Brian Walsh.
>> Rescue heroes win top awards>>
>> The helicopter teams who risked their lives to rescue 40 sailors during last year's fatal Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race have won a coveted international award.
The rescues by the emergency helicopter crews from Melbourne Sydney and Canberra have earned the William J Kossler award, an annual tribute recognising the greatest achievement by helicopter crews worldwide.
It is only the second time helicopter crews from the southern hemisphere have won the prestigious award, which was first given in 1951.
Previous winners include the US Marine Corps TRAP team that evacuated Capt. Scott O'Grady after his jet crashed in Serb-held Bosnia in 1995, the first Soviet pilots to fly over Chernobyl following the nuclear explosion in 1986 and the first US pilots to fly into Iraq in the 1991 Desert Storm assault.
American Helicopter Society deputy director Kim Smith said the award covered the co-ordinators and all chopper crews in the 50-hour rescue.
This included crews from the Victoria Police airwing and the La Trobe Valley-based Helimed One, the first choppers sent into action as 80 knot wind hit the fleet. Other crews included the navy's SeaHawk 70 and 75, and SeaKing 905 and 920, ACT Southcare, NRMA Careflight, Lifesaver 3, and the ABC TV chopper.
The police chopper crew rescued American John Campbell after he fell overboard and spent 40 minutes alone in the water. The next day they plucked four crew members off Midnight Special seconds before it disappeared below water.
Sen-Constable David Key who, along with crew Sen-Constable Daryl Jones and Barry Barclay, winched five sailors to safety, said all the chopper crews had worked beyond their capabilities.
"We were doing our jobs, but it was a job like no other. None of us had ever experienced horrendous conditions like that", he said of the 80 knot wind and seas higher than 40m.
"Everything that could go against you in a rescue - the wind, the waves, the stinging rain, 120 km out to sea - that's what we had. The wind was screaming and at one stage I couldn't see the helicopter and thought I've had it. I thought "who can rescue me?" There was no one."
The LaTrobe Valley-based Helimed-1 was also at the vanguard of the rescues, lifting eight sailors from the stricken VC Offshore Stand Aside.
Two men from the La Trobe crew will receive another international award for their bravery.
Paramedic Peter Davidson and winchman David Sullivan are to be inducted into the Aviation Week and Space Technology Aerospace Hall of Fame in the US tomorrow. Service spokesman John Fasham said their efforts were deemed the most heroic of any rescue anywhere in the world last year.
Mr Davidson and Mr Sullivan will also be presented with awards on behalf of the people of Victoria by Australian Ambassador to the US, Andrew Peacock, the following morning.
Last night Queenslander Bill Butler, who was plucked from the deck of the Midnight Special minutes before it disappeared, said he and his crewmates would be long dead if not for the courage of the rescuers.
"All the crews were fantastic and I'm elated they have been recognised. They certainly deserve it.">>
The 1999 Sydney To Hobart :
It is interesting to note that the Australian entries in the 1999 Sydney to Hobart race dropped considerably, but a large number of international thrill seekers have doubled the overseas entries. Many are drawn by the potential of the high seas that can quickly change the scenario from racing to survival. The race has always been held in high regard overseas but it seems the tragic loss of life and the extreme conditions have pushed it's reputation higher.
Extract from Herald Sun Sunday 26 December 1999. Writer Sarah Stuart.
>> Back to the gates of hell>>
Rob Kothe is not a man given to emotion. Pick up, press on and do not think about "it" too much, he reckons.
But this white-haired grandfather of two, who last year went through the "gates of hell" on the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, will face his greatest fears this weekend.
The nightmares will hit mid-race, he says, as his new Sword of Orion speeds towards Hobart race finish line, a mark he failed to reach in 1998.
"It's like that movie Chariots of Fire, where everything happens in slow motion, " he says of his recurring memories of last year's race.
"I can see myself in the water, my leg in a splint, and they have pushed me off the side of the boat because I could not jump.
"I"m in the drink- it's huge seas and white foam - and I am looking for the line from the helicopter, I am under the water and I can see it tangled around the rudder. It's just looping around.
"I know I could drown if I do not get that line. So I'm in my lifejacket and I dive down under the water to get it. It all happens so slowly. I nearly broke my shoulders, but the adrenalin kicks in and you just do it.
"And I get the rope and we were winched up. And then I'm looking down at my broken boat, a boat I know I'll never see again."
One Sword of Orion crew member lost his life last year, and several others were badly injured. Kothe still walks with a noticeable limp, the result of a crushed knee, which kept him out of the water for months after the race.
But unlike many who can not again face the terror that became the '98 Sydney to Hobart, in which six sailors were killed by the monstrous seas of an unpredicted storm, Kothe has always known he would return.
He lives with guilt, he says - the horror of his family knowing only that someone from Sword of Orion had been washed off, but not knowing if it was him. And then there are the psychological scars that came with the loss of former British Olympic sailor Glynn Charles, who was flung into the seas as the boat rolled and whose body was never found.
"You know, his sister, Miriam, came out from England after the race and George Snow, from Brindabella asked her out on the boat," Kothe recalled.
"At first she said no, then she went. She said Glynn would have wanted her to steer the boat across the finish line, so she did."
The Sword of Orion was one of the first of the fleet of racers to hit the gusting winds and turbulent seas that signalled the start of a storm.
The Bureau of Meterology had predicted 55 knots, but by 2pm on that Sunday, as his yacht was coming a comfortable eighth in the race, Kothe's wind speed graph was jumping up to 78 knots, almost 150kmh.
"It was huge, but then there was this stillness for several minutes-it was calm," he said. The guys wanted to put up more sail." It, Kothe realised, was the eye of the storm. Things were about to become much worse.
As one yacht after another was tossed and flipped in the pounding seas, Sword of Orion tried in vain to turn around and head for shelter. By 3.30pm, most of the crew were ordered below, with only Glynn Charles and crewman Darren Senogles on deck.
Dozens of the ocean racers have told of the noise of that storm, the roar that accompanied each gust. The wave that rolled the Sword of Orion sounded almost like a bang.
Charles was tossed helplessly into the sea, with Senogles unable to help him.
"The boat was breaking up. I knew we had to get off, " says Kothe.
"But there were so many EPIRBs (emergency signalling devices) going off that the helicopters could not tell whose was who."
Kothe's company, Tetra Marine, manufactures marine-rescue equipment.
Before the race last year, it had started work on a new safety device - an automatic self-inflating buoy, which could shoot out from a boat no matter how strong the wind. "We will be taking the prototype out with us this time", Kothe says.
"Sadly, we realised how important something like this is in the middle of Bass Strait." Sailing again, he says, has helped ease the terror. Kothe, who returned to offshore racing last August, said that while the horrifying memories of the '98 Sydney to Hobart came at odd moments of the day, they had not returned while he was out on the water.
"When I was a child, my family were involved in quite a serious car crash", he said. "Our car was run off the road. Every time we drove that piece of road you would think about it. I guess it will be like that again, only this time it will happen in Bass Strait."
The new Sword of Orion is slightly smaller than the ocean racer that sunk last December. But it is stronger, too, and will hold its own against the bigger Sydney to Hobart boats.
Only two other crew from last year are joining Kothe - Declan Brennan and Adam Brown - although some are scattered around the other 80 yachts in the fleet.
No matter how terrible the memories become as he heads out into Bass Strait, Kothe is confident the race will be finished. "If I stopped sailing because of last year I'd be crippled," he says. "I do not give up.">>
A Rescuer's Job Is Never Done :
Extract from the Herald Sun Thursday 06 January 2000. Writer Philip Cullen and Jeremy Kelly.
>> Hero Twice Over>>
>> Flying Medic saves sailors again>>
Sydney-to Hobart- hero Cam Robertson, who rescued seven sailors from deadly seas in last year's race, has done it again.
In a dramatic rescue that mirrored his feats a year ago, the air ambulance paramedic yesterday plucked seven stricken yachtsman from huge seas off Flinders Island in Bass Strait.
Seven times Mr Robertson, 41, was lowered from a helicopter into swells up to 20m high.
And one by one, the crew of the 20m pocket maxi Innkeeper, which had been upended by a huge wave, were winched to safety.
Mr Robertson had to pluck the last three sailors directly from the water.
The paramedic, who received a bravery award for rescuing seven sailors from Solo Globe Challenger and Winston Churchill last year, said the rescue was helped by his 1998 experiences.
"It was very much deja vu, because it is almost a year to the day," he said.
"The Sydney-to-Hobart has just finished, and we knew the boat's were coming back and the conditions were very much the same."
But though he conceded yesterday's rescue was fraught with danger, Mr Robertson was reluctant to accept hero status.
"We have a job to do and if it was something that really scared us, we wouldn't do it," he said.
"There is a certain amount of fear and a certain amount of apprehension when doing it, but it is extremely rewarding when the job is done."
The Innkeeper's crew of six men and one woman were returning to Sydney after the ocean classic when they were upended by a huge wave about 7am yesterday.
Mr Robertson and the Helimed One crew flew over high sea and wind gusts up to 66 knots to reach the yacht about 100km east of Flinders Island.
"It was fairly horrific weather," Mr Robertson said. "The vessel was just floundering around and being breached by large waves."
Pilot Peter Leigh, 47, said the stricken yacht had been dismasted, had no power or steering and had lost a life raft.
"The yacht was going up and down like a very fact elevator and it was moving fairly wildly through the sea," said Mr Leigh, who also helped save lives a year ago.
The crew, aged from 22 to their mid-60s, decided to be winched from the life raft after being told a tow was 24 hours away.
Innkeepers' 22-year old female crew member, from Poland, had suffered a minor head injury when she was hit by the mast. She was in a satisfactory condition in the La Trobe Regional Hospital in Traralgon last night.
Innkeeper was 21st across the line in the recent Sydney-to Hobart race. It was the fifth time the 13-year-old yacht, owned by a syndicate from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, had competed in the race.
Most of its crew is returning to Sydney while attempts to salvage the yacht, insured for $500,000, are made.
The paramedics have praised the crew's cool headedness. But the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia last night said Innkeeper had not followed safety procedures.
"Innkeeper had not advised the CYCA of their intended departure, had not provided a crew list, had not provided any details of the yacht's intended itinerary, and the CYCA had not received any radio communication from the yacht since departing Hobart, commodore Hugo Van Kretschmar said.
Mr Robertson has now rescued 19 sailors from yachts.>>
Death of a Hero :
We are sad to report that a hero of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Rescue Team was one of 13 Australians to die in a Swiss canyoning tragedy on Tuesday 27 July 1999. Flight Lieutenant John Flynn, 31, was navigator on a P3C Orion plane which spotted John Stanley and John Gibson clinging to a shredded life-raft after abandoning their sinking yacht. Both sailors were rescued. Nicknamed "Errol", Lt Flynn had been "an exceptionally gifted and very highly regarded air force officer".
Men And Women With Courage Step Forward
Society needs leaders, sporting or otherwise, men and women who will step forward and put their personal safety at risk to meet a challenge...for by stepping through fear legendary deeds are done. A personal journey many would argue, and so it is, but one that we can all applaud and as a consequence be encouraged, cajoled or shamed into achieving greater outcomes in our own lives.
We salute you ... George Bass - Explorer, Bruce Guy, Glyn Charles, Phil Skeggs, Jim Lawler, John Dean and Mike Bannister and others who have surrendered to the might of the ocean. At least you were in the race.
Island of Superb Natural Beauty :
Tasmania is richly endowed with World Heritage wilderness areas, pristine rivers, freshwater lakes and imposing coastlines. With a diversity of habitats ranging from coastal heath lands to old growth forests, and sub-alpine sedge land the north west corner of Tasmania is rich in wildlife.
For thrill seekers rafting the Franklin River is the ultimate masochistic delight. Be prepared to portage around rapids that are too dangerous to raft and paddle through 600 metre high walls that compress the river to barely a raft width. The most famous part of the river is called the Great Ravine with its four main rapids - aptly called The Churn, Coruscades, Thunderush and Cauldron. For the dedicated white water rafter who enjoys a super-charged adrenalin rush, the Franklin and its rugged beauty is the river for you.
Natural Protection for Wildlife :
Because of the relative freedom from predators such as foxes, Tasmania has become the last stronghold of many marsupials and birds that are either rare or in danger of extinction on the mainland. Bettongs, potoroos, barred bandicoots, pygmy possums and quolls are still seen regularly and wombats and wallabies are common.
Tasmanian Tiger :
The last recorded Tasmanian Tiger (thylacine) died in captivity in 1936 yet this creature has lived on in popular imagination, sustained by many well publicised but unsubstantiated sightings.
The Australian Rare Fauna Research Association, in Emerald, Victoria, say they have 2000 'sightings' of the thylacine in their state alone. Spokesman Peter Chapple says: "On the balance of probabilities they still exist in Victoria." Hm ... we question this - mainly because none of these supposed sightings are on film and all are contrary to the accepted belief that thylacines died out on the mainland at least 3000 years ago, perhaps through competition for food with the dingo. But the mystique lives on.
The world's biggest carnivorous marsupial, the Tasmanian tiger was up to two metres in length and about 60cm tall. It was more like a hyena than a cat, but became known as a tiger because of 13 to 19 dark brown stripes that extended from the base of it's thick, kangaroo-like tail almost to the shoulders. The thylacine's scientific name is Thylacinus cynocephalus meaning "pouched dog with a wolf's head".
Eventually hunted and shot into extinction after only one hundred years of settlement, the tiger now appears to be merely a memory. But then you never know.!! Reports of sightings continue both on the mainland and in the north of Tasmania, so happy hunting.... with your camera that is.
For those interested on reading more about the thylacine there is :
Australian Museum
6 College Street
Sydney NSW
Tel :(02) 9320 6000
Web: www.ausmus.gov.au/thylacine
"The Tasmanian Tiger: a lesson to be learnt" by Philippe Godard and Eric Guiler published by Abrolhos Publishing at a cost of $65-00.
Albrolhos Publishing
Tel: 0409 109 484
Fax: (08) 9322 6522
Settlement of Van Diemen's Land :
The circumnavigation of Van Diemen's Land gave rise to concern that the French would annex the island. In 1803 the Governor dispatched a party to set up a colony. The first site at Risdon Cove proved unsuitable due to a shortage of fresh water, so five months later the settlement was moved south to the western shore of the Derwent River, where Hobart is sited today.
Initially the plan was to establish a port for landing free settlers, convicts and their supplies but the deep water harbour soon became a base for South Sea Whalers. By 1847 there were almost 50 whalers refitting and re victualling in Hobart harbour, where cooperage and ship building flourished. By the 1880's, as whale oil was being replaced, the boom was over and the last whaler left the port in 1899 marking the end of an era.
Convicts Build A Nation :
The transportation of convicts to Van Diemen's Land was a brutal time in our history. A penal settlement was established in 1822 at Macquarie Harbour and the convicts quickly became a source of cheap labour. Conditions in the new colony were harsh for free settlers but for the convicts it was one of beatings, starvation and backbreaking work.
In 1830 a convict timber station was established at Port Arthur to provide material for Government projects. Port Arthur eventually became a prison settlement for male convicts with severe punishment for repeat offenders.
By 1840 there were 2000 convicts and staff providing services such as ship and boat building, sawn timber, clothing, boots and shoes, bricks, furniture, vegetables and other goods. Transportation ended in 1853 which accelerated the final closure of Port Arthur in 1877.
It is rare in Australia to find streets lined with sandstone buildings dating back to early settlement, but Hobart has a rich heritage of Colonial architecture. Convicts, such as Peter Degraves, were responsible for many of the fine buildings in and around Hobart. Degraves was transported for non-payment of debt and honed his architectural skill while in custody.
In 1834 he built the Theatre Royal, now Australia's oldest theatre, for the princely sum of 2300 pounds. Originally called Theatre Victoria, it has attracted performances by Sir Harry Lauder, Lord Olivier and Noel Coward.
Port Arthur Emerges as a Tourist Destination
By 1927 a tourist industry had developed and several buildings had become hotels and guest houses. By 1970, sites had been acquired by the Government and the management was passed to the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
In 1987 the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority was established to administer and maintain what is today a fascinating look into our convict past. For the very brave we recommend you take an historic Ghost Tour of the site. Join a lantern lit walk around Port Arthur while listening to your guides gripping tales and be prepared to be scared witless..... !
Port Arthur Today :
Port Arthur was again linked with inexplicable horror and sadness on Sunday 28 April 1996. On this day a gunman indiscriminately shot and killed 35 people of all ages; he injured a further 21 and left scores more with deep and lasting traumas. In keeping with a decision begun by the parents of Dunblane in Scotland we will not name the gunman. His random act of evil does not earn him a place in history.
We encourage all visitors to spend time at the Port Arthur Historic site. It is of significant historical interest and also a stunningly beautiful part of Tasmania. If you have any queries regarding the Port Arthur Massacre we urge you to obtain an information brochure from the visitor's centre which sets out the tragic events of that day; ask for a copy of the "Port Arthur Tragedy" brochure.
We urge that you spare the staff any questions on details of their involvement as the impact of that day stills weighs heavily on many of them.
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