Documentaries about Tasmania

[Hallu]

I have no idea if this topic has been done before, I thought SBS may have given it a go, but I can't find anything, and after tas-man's post on the Tassie Legends topic, I thought it would be a good idea. So here it is, let's list the (good) docs about Tassie. They can be free access or not.

-The SBS series "The First Australians" has a whole episode about Tasmanian aborigines, and some of their descendants give insights throughout the series. The whole series is brilliant, one of the best docs ever produced by Australian TV.

-In France, we have a low key series of documentaries called "Vu sur Terre" ("seen on Earth"). On the episode on Tasmania, I was expecting the usual : Cradle, Tassie Devils, Hobart. What a surprise when I saw it was about 3 blokes (well 2 blokes and 2 brothers) in the SW : one is a former ranger protecting Huon pines in the Franklin-Gordon area, another is Richard Bennett, a Bruny Island local who's a professional photographer, and 2 surfer brothers who hike the South-West for days just for waves and the loneliness of the bush. Totally the opposite of the classical mainstream documentary, here's a sample : http://www.evasion.tv/emissions/vu_sur_ ... anie_kj9rh

-Wild Down Under, by the BBC Natural History Unit, has a couple of sequences about Tasmania, with one showing competition between quolls and Tasmanian devils. It's been shot about 10 years ago, unfortunately before the first HD documentaries that the BBC NHU is today famous for, but it's still worth it.

[biggbird]

I still want to see Wildness, but have yet to discover where I can get it from. To be fair, I haven't looked very hard, but it sounds interesting.

[DaveNoble]

Some I can think of -

ABC doco on the Kings of the South West (Denny King and family) - probably early 70's or late 80's

During the Franklin Campaign - late 70's early 80's -

South West Tasmania - A wilderness in Question. This doco was financed by the NSW SW Tasmania Committee (now the Wilderness Soc in Sydney) - from loans from bushwalking clubs, conservation organisations, generous individuals - and filmed, directed and edited by students from the Film and TV School in Sydney. Screening righst were sold to Channel 7 and screened during prime time. It covered both hydro and logging issues - and had some very nice scenes - including a stunning sunrise in the Western Arthurs.

Mike Cordell's film on the Franklin River - a lovely film, made when Mike was a student. Shown on prime time TV. Bob Brown was in this film - great rafting sequences.

Bob Connelly and Robin Anderson's film on the Franklin River - a shorter film, shown in cinemas (and on TV?). Nice (and there was a book that went with it).

Also - on TV -

ABC doco on Olegas Truchanus and Peter Dombrovskis - on photographing the South West. Great scenes of the Gordon Splits. This is more recent and often repeated.

There have been several docos on Lake Peddar I think.

Dave

[Drifting]

I still want to see Wildness, but have yet to discover where I can get it from. To be fair, I haven't looked very hard, but it sounds interesting.

I bought a copy, and had my school buy one too. Where are you?

[biggbird]

Down in Hobart town Drifting. Does one need to contact the ABC directly about it? Like I said, I really haven't looked that hard, just a cursory web search!

[doogs]

Does one need to contact the ABC directly about it? Like I said, I really haven't looked that hard, just a cursory web search!

My name rhymes with google therefore I am an expert at using it . I haven't watched it so I hope the linky workies, let us know how you go so I can put it on my things to watch list when I get some spare time
http://www.abc.net.au/aplacetothink/html/wildness.htm

[MickyB]

Not sure if these are the type of docos you are looking for but I have a few on DVD about Tassie:

Wild Tasmania (Winning Post Productions) Mainly about logging and the threats to habitats and animals.

Land of the Giants (The Wild Australia Series) In search of Tassie's tallest trees and how ecosystems are under threat from clear felling.

Tasmania's Wild West (Jack Absalom's Australian Collection) Looks at the distant and recent past and the struggle for the survival of the wilderness.

Tasmania's West Coast Wilnderness Railway (Umbrella Aussie DVD) Story of the resurrection of the ABT railway

Tasmania The Mountain State (Leyland's Australia)Journey through time from 1st settlement to the present day.

Tasmania's Wilderness Frontier (Outback Australia) Why conservationists fought hard to preserve Gordon and Fraklin Rivers

Tasmanian Wilderness (Aust. Geographic) SEnsual journey through one of the most beautiful natural landscapes on Earth.



If you want more info let me know

[Drifting]

Down in Hobart town Drifting. Does one need to contact the ABC directly about it? Like I said, I really haven't looked that hard, just a cursory web search!

You can buy it from their shop, or online.

[stepbystep]

Hey bigbird, I'll dig up my copy and burn one off for you when we do the gaiter deal It's my favourite film on Tasmania.

I've made several 'corporate doco's' in Tasmania and dozens hundreds of tourism/holiday based pieces on Tasmania. The stuff I've been doing in the Arthur-Pieman will be publicly released in the next month or 2.

I'm working on a new far grander piece which is still in pre-production and will take 3 to 4 years to come to fruition, but if I can pull it off will be something to behold.

[Stibb]

There are many superb gems from the Tas state library on youtube. Mostly shorter vids and not all relevant to wilderness/bushwalking but how can you resist a film from the apple festival in 1958? Imagine the pride being crowned the Apple Queen

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF9E00A4418A9E812

Agree on Wildness. Awesome and a must-see!

[Stibb]

"Whatever happened to Brenda Hean" is also a great documentary directed by Scott Millwood (same guy who made Wildness). He also wrote a book with the same title.

http://shop.abc.net.au/products/whateve ... nda-hean-1

[Nungulba]

Three years later(!) I'm chasing a DVD made by an ABC film crew a few years ago, based on the Huon piners who used to work on the Gordon River, back 100 years or so, last century. Some impressive scenery and several interviews/film footage featuring legendary West Coast timber-getters.

Does anyone know the title of this film and whether (or how) it is still obtainable???

[MickyB]

Three years later(!) I'm chasing a DVD made by an ABC film crew a few years ago, based on the Huon piners who used to work on the Gordon River, back 100 years or so, last century. Some impressive scenery and several interviews/film footage featuring legendary West Coast timber-getters.

Does anyone know the title of this film and whether (or how) it is still obtainable???

Was it 'Two men in a punt : in the wake of the Huon Piners' ?

https://www.blackgum.com.au/stocklist/v ... p?bic=MS09

I think there is another doco called something like 'The Piners, The Miners' but can't find any info on it. I'm sure it was about the mines on the west coast and the loggers who cut the huon pines.

[Nungulba]

Thanks MickyB, I'll do a bit more research on this, and if successful I'll post the details here. "The Piners, The Miners" rings a sort of bell...!

[Nungulba]

Thanks MickyB, I'll do a bit more research on this, and if successful I'll post the details here. "The Piners, The Miners" rings a sort of bell...!

Well, I had some luck: it seems that the DVD is available from here:

http://mindfulmedia.com.au/the-oldest-living-tasmanian

("The oldest living Tasmanian" is, of course, the Huon Pine!!!)

[Nungulba]

Down in Hobart town Drifting. Does one need to contact the ABC directly about it? Like I said, I really haven't looked that hard, just a cursory web search!

This is probably three years too late, and you probably already have a copy, since you live in Hobart (I saw several copies at the Wilderness Society Shop in Salamanca Place - about ten years ago!).

Anyway, it seems that you can order "Wildness" from:

http://nfsa.gov.au/collection/film-aust ... m/?sn=8571

There's an interesting study guide online, as well.

[Mechanic-AL]

Three years later(!) I'm chasing a DVD made by an ABC film crew a few years ago, based on the Huon piners who used to work on the Gordon River, back 100 years or so, last century. Some impressive scenery and several interviews/film footage featuring legendary West Coast timber-getters.

Does anyone know the title of this film and whether (or how) it is still obtainable???

I think there is another doco called something like 'The Piners, The Miners' but can't find any info on it. I'm sure it was about the mines on the west coast and the loggers who cut the huon pines.

I think " The oldest Living Tasmanian " is the one you are thinking of Nungulba. I bought a copy from the Specialist Tasmanian Timber Centre in Geeveston. It has interviews with some of the Morrisons, Abels and Grinnings as well as others and has some beautiful footage of the Gordon River.
It was written by Paul Scott and Gary Kerr and produced by Paul Scott Films in association with Garry Kerr, Screen Tasmania and the ABC.

[Nungulba]

Yes, thanks mate. See my earlier post

Will order DVD today!

[MickyB]

Earlier in the week I watched a two part doco called 'Hunt For The Tasmanian Tiger' which I had recorded on Foxtel in December. It was like watching Titanic - I knew what the ending was going to be. Some of it was very interesting but other parts I thought their ideas were laughable. The thing I did enjoy was seeing footage of parts of Tassie I have never seen before. I think one of the three guys 'hunting' the tiger used to work for Trowunna Wildlife Park in Mole Creek.

[tas-man]

I have just discovered on Youtube the complete 1977 film "The Last Wild River" featuring Bob Brown, Paul Smith, and Amanda Stark. I only found out about it a few years ago when helping to sort the Launceston Walking Club's archives for lodgement with the Queen Victoria Museum's Community History Collection. I came across correspondence about club member Bob Brown seeking financial support from the club to make a movie about the Franklin River. I subsequently found details of the film in the National film Archives, but there was no easy way to view the original film that had been deposited there. So discovering that the Wilderness Society have posted a copy on their Youtube Channel was a lovely surprise!

Information about the film from the YouTube page:

A party of four using rubber rafts take a summer journey down the undammed and unpolluted Franklin River, Tasmania.

The film 'The Last Wild River'—shot in 1977—documents Paul Smith and Bob Brown's trip down the Franklin River in Tasmania. At the time, the Hydro Electric Commission had not yet released plans for dams on the Lower Gordon and Franklin Rivers. By looking at the 1:100,000 topographical map, Paul surmised that the Gordon below Franklin Scheme would be next in line for damming. The likely sites for this were on the Lower Gordon, at the Great Ravine, and the Irenabyss—which would inundate the Franklin upstream, beyond the Lyell Highway. The Pieman hydro-electric scheme was already well advanced, but Paul believed there wasn't enough time to save this river. He thought it was best to focus on the Franklin, so that there was enough time for a campaign to develop and build up the necessary momentum to be successful. This was a lesson learnt from the Lake Pedder Campaign—which, in 1971-2, was gaining the necessary traction but needed more time... maybe two more years. Lake Pedder was flooded in 1972. Paul asked Bob to go down the Franklin with him, saying that no one else would do it—so Bob agreed.

In the early years of the campaign, Bob Brown showed 'The Last Wild River' whenever he spoke to groups of people about the campaign to save the Franklin. As a result, many people were inspired to see the river for themselves, embracing the adventure of the journey and the lure of wilderness. The Tasmanian Wilderness Society actively encouraged people to experience the Franklin. A booklet was produced—'A Guide for Franklin River Rafters'—that detailed all aspects of negotiating the river. Maps, equipment, rafts etc. were on sale at The Wilderness Society's retail outlet in the Hobart CBD.

Paul Smith’s film inspired several more films about the river, including 'Franklin River Journey' (1980) by Anne Whitehead and Bob Connolly, and 'Franklin Wild River' (1980) by Chris Noone, Stacey Gavrily and Michael Cordell. 'The Last Wild River' was one of the first ‘shots’ in the battle to save the Franklin—this was where the campaign really kicked off. After this, everything was possible. Ultimately, the movement that led to the dam's cancellation became one of the most significant environmental campaigns in Australian history.

Creators: Paul Smith and Amanda Stark.

[north-north-west]

I have just discovered on Youtube the complete 1977 film "The Last Wild River" featuring Bob Brown, Paul Smith, and Amanda Stark. I only found out about it a few years ago when helping to sort the Launceston Walking Club's archives for lodgement with the Queen Victoria Museum's Community History Collection. I came across correspondence about club member Bob Brown seeking financial support from the club to make a movie about the Franklin River. I subsequently found details of the film in the National film Archives, but there was no easy way to view the original film that had been deposited there. So discovering that the Wilderness Society have posted a copy on their Youtube Channel was a lovely surprise!

Thanks for that. I remember this from back during the battle for the Franklin and have always wanted to see it again.

[taswegian]

Not sure if this has been posted.
Nor if this topic is best place for such.

The government of the day decided a place of such unbelievable beauty needed recording before it disappeared....
Took me back a few years and raised a bit of a lump in the throat
https://youtu.be/Rtj_PrQcCLs

[bogholesbuckethats]

Not exactly a documentary but this YouTube channel has some really nice aerial imagery from all over the state.

The latest clip is of some snow clad mountains in the reserve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsaThsqpnTo

[Wollemi]

When I was a child, I recall watching a commercial TV program about a three people who circumnavigated Tasmania on windsurfers. There was one woman in the group. Clunky One-Design boards. Any ideas ? Yes, I am both a windsurfer and bushwalker

[stepbystep]

The last films I made for the ABC were a suite of educational films for teachers and students themed around immigration to Tasmania.

The full suite can be found here, it's in the form of a multi-chaptered digibook, with several films in each chapter covering themes of assisted passage, mining rushes, adventurers, the white Australia policy, child migrants and modern migration.
https://education.abc.net.au/home#!/dig ... mmigration

For those interested in bushwalking folklore in Tassie I made a couple about Olegas Truchanas and Gustav Weindorffer, they are here.

Olegas
https://education.abc.net.au/home?fbcli ... l-movement

Gustav
https://education.abc.net.au/home#!/med ... e-mountain

Hope you enjoy and share with your teacher friends.

[hutfinder]

Just wanted to pop in a link to Wildness from YouTube - in case anyone like me is feeling a bit couped up and want to watch some Tassie content https://youtu.be/DAfE5SIdFh0

[headwerkn]

FRANKLIN had its premiere yesterday afternoon and should be in general theatre release by the time you read this. Most definitely worth the price of admission and an overpriced choc-top. Beautifully put together and very moving.

https://franklinriver.movie/screenings

[tas-man]

I saw the film "Franklin" last night and found it incredibly moving, bringing back memories of those days of angst about the future of our vanishing wilderness areas. The archival footage that has been restored to help tell the story is wonderful, and Bob Brown and others that were pivotal in the protests are allowed to share their feelings freely. A must see!