The ORIGINAL Lake Pedder

[tas-man]

There are also remnants of the old Lake Pedder Track from the Gordon Road to Lake Pedder via the Coronets still visible in Google's sat photos. Parts of the track south of the Gordon Road were exposed when some of this area was burnt out in 2010, and the LIST's 1:25,000 map still shows the old track. I would be interested to know if anyone had attempted to use this track in recent years. The closed scrub sections will now be well overgrown I imagine, but the more open areas and button grass sections may still be able to be followed.

Old Lake Pedder Track still visible climbing the Coronets.

Old Lake Pedder Track visible after bushfires in 2010.

Old Lake Pedder Track still marked on some 1:25,000 topo maps on LIST but no longer on newer maps.

[tas-man]

I would be interested to know if anyone had attempted to use this track in recent years. The closed scrub sections will now be well overgrown I imagine, but the more open areas and button grass sections may still be able to be followed.

DOH!, just did site search and found that stu had done it as a mega 9+ hour day walk back in 2008! His comments are here - viewtopic.php?f=3&t=504&p=3236#p5725

[tas-man]

Here's a special offer for anyone interested in obtaining a pre-publication copy of Peter Sims's new book about the Save Lake Pedder campaign and how this event shaped the future of the conservation movement in Australia leading to political action and the birth of global "green" politics. This special offer is for orders received by 30th September, after which the books will be available in selected Tasmanian bookstores. It is a limited production by the Tasmanian Conservation Trust of 250 copies, so get your order in early if you would like a copy.

[tas-man]

Fri 27 Aug, 2010 10:07 am
Hi All,
Some of you may remember Short's Service Station, the Ampol on Davey St Hobart. Anyway When my grandfather and uncle were not running that, they (and the family) were keen bushwalkers. I'm recently become one of the family custodians of all the photos
I've put together all the Lake Pedder ones I could find. And put them in an album for your enjoyment.
http://gallery.me.com/chageaus#100307&b ... &view=grid
Cheers
Ben

Hi Ben, with the closure of Apple's "MobileME" web service (which was replaced by iCloud), the link in your post above to your families Lake Pedder photos is broken. If you have a new link to the photo album, it would be great to have access to them again.

[stepbystep]

Some fabulous photos in this album http://www.flickr.com/photos/7272097@N0 ... 111018505/

[tibboh]

Thanks for the link SBS. I just can't get enough of these old pics....so nostalgic
I have read hundreds of topics on this forum but this has been my favourite by far. Thanks to all the contributors.

[stepbystep]

Anyone interested in Pedder and it's possible draining(!!!) there is an event this afternoon at Mona.

http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/we ... w_comments

Nothing on the Mona website

[biggbird]

And to add to SBS's post above, there is a Facebook group for those who are interested, which can be found here. After having just watched Wildness (thanks SBS!) I definitely have a much better appreciation for what I've missed out on. Very jealous of those who had the chance to see it as nature intended it to be. Hopefully one day we can bring it back.

[creeping_moses]

Recent Lake Pedder news:

ABC News Online: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-07/p ... um/4804364
ABC TV News: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-06/p ... sh/4803836
ABC Local Radio/Radio National (The World Today program): http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/conten ... 798062.htm
The Age: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/ne ... 2pivf.html
The Age: Editorial “And another thing…” p12, July 7, 2013 http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-ag ... 2pivg.html
The Tasmanian Times: The Restoration of Lake Pedder http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/we ... ke-pedder/

[GPSGuided]

What an incredible and ideal geologic feature! No wonder it got damed during that mass dam construction phase of our history.

[stepbystep]

On iView for now

http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/view/41644

[creeping_moses]

Aphra Magazine: http://www.aphramag.com/#!lake-pedder/coo2

Disclaimer: I wrote this one.

[tas-man]

Came across this article from 2009 and thought it worth linking to this thread for future reference.
http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/we ... ns-future/

[iandsmith]

Wow, somehow I overlooked this one. What amazing and interesting stuff. Thank you to all the contributors.
Cheers, Ian

[beardless]

Met an amazing volunteer at the cradle visitor centre. She gave us some advice on the walks. Later in mid afternoon we saw her again at dove lake. She had walked at last from Ronny Creek and picked up a shopping bag of rubbish. Sometimes she picks up three bags full. She is a true conservationist. And so very nice. She began talking with us about lake pedder. She described this beautiful sandy beach which sometimes stretched for hundreds of metres wide around a square lake. She also said she bush walked around it in the early 1970s, just when the dam was filling up and that they had to hold their packs above their heads as the water rose and they walked with tears at the loss before their eyes.

[beardless]

Just saw a picture of Capricorn in the Game, and looked for some more photos online and found this link which has some photos of the Western Arthurs, and South West Tasmania including of relevance, Lake Pedder from 1969/70. Amazing place. (To avoid any doubt, the photos are not mine. I was not even born.)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/garratt3/sets/72157630838440200

[creeping_moses]

Excellent photos I hadn't seen before thanks Beardless.

[tibboh]

I wish I had a time machine.

[icefest]

How do they plan on resurrecting the lake and keeping all the collection area?

I like how easy the Frankland ranges were to get to.

[tas-man]

Just saw a picture of Capricorn in the Game, and looked for some more photos online and found this link which has some photos of the Western Arthurs, and South West Tasmania including of relevance, Lake Pedder from 1969/70. Amazing place. (To avoid any doubt, the photos are not mine. I was not even born.)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/garratt3/sets/72157630838440200

Thanks for posting the link to these photos . . . fantastic!

[geoskid]

I wish I had a time machine.

I get what you are talking about, but why don't we hanker for the times before the original Lake Pedder was there.

Of course we can't hanker for things too far back because the atmosphere was mostly Methane (we can thank bacteria for that) and we were not here. .

So we hanker for what we remember fondly? An ideal remembrance? I do get it.
I did not see the original, and think what is there now is beautiful.
It won't be drained - that's nonsense.

[stepbystep]

It won't be drained - that's nonsense.

That's what they said about motor cars and aeroplanes and moon landings. Only this is heaps easier

[geoskid]

It won't be drained - that's nonsense.

That's what they said about motor cars and aeroplanes and moon landings. Only this is heaps easier

[geoskid]

It won't be drained - that's nonsense.

That's what they said about motor cars and aeroplanes and moon landings. Only this is heaps easier

I feel the need to make amends lest I seem flippant. I don't think it is possible to get back the original Lake Pedder.
Simply draining the water does not get it back. What vegetation would colonise the bare dirt? I bet It would'nt be what was there - we'd need the input of an Ecologist or Biologist to paint a picture of what would happen if the water was drained.
It's not possible , and it's a folly to try .

@ Tasman, thanks for the info about the old track - that's just the sort of thing I could plan a little excursion around.

[north-north-west]

It won't be drained - that's nonsense.

That's what they said about motor cars and aeroplanes and moon landings. Only this is heaps easier

I feel the need to make amends lest I seem flippant. I don't think it is possible to get back the original Lake Pedder.
Simply draining the water does not get it back. What vegetation would colonise the bare dirt? I bet It would'nt be what was there - we'd need the input of an Ecologist or Biologist to paint a picture of what would happen if the water was drained.
It's not possible , and it's a folly to try.

Regrowth would take hundreds of years to achieve something like the original vegetation, and it would look appalling until that was well underway. Might be necessary to clear a lot of the drowned timber and do some planting, along with long-term monitoring.
Doesn't mean we shouldn't try, though. With proper input and assistance from the scientific community and volunteers, I see no reason it couldn't be done.

[doogs]

Hydro are undertaking a smaller scale project at the moment in the Central Highlands http://www.hydro.com.au/lagoon-of-islands
I don't think that draining Lake Pedder would be as simple as pulling the plug out, more a slow reduction over several years to allow planting of vegetation etc.

[Nuts]

That is interesting doogs, a good achievable project to reinstate a unique habitat.

I wish I had a time machine.

I get what you are talking about, but why don't we hanker for the times before the original Lake Pedder was there.

Of course we can't hanker for things too far back because the atmosphere was mostly Methane (we can thank bacteria for that) and we were not here. .

So we hanker for what we remember fondly? An ideal remembrance? I do get it.
I did not see the original, and think what is there now is beautiful.
It won't be drained - that's nonsense.

It may be drained, it wouldn't then take 00's of years to be appreciated, as it follows, just a new generation I do like your pragmatism though.

[north-north-west]

Hydro are undertaking a smaller scale project at the moment in the Central Highlands http://www.hydro.com.au/lagoon-of-islands.

I wondered what was going on up there. Thanks. That's interesting.

I don't think that draining Lake Pedder would be as simple as pulling the plug out, more a slow reduction over several years to allow planting of vegetation etc.

Yes, that makes more sense. I'm wondering how much remediation work would be required - there'd be a fair bit of silt in some places, plus all the dead trees. Not a short-term project, but definitely worthwhile. Give all us greenies something practical to do rather than marching and listening to speeches.

[tibboh]

If/when Pedder is drained it will take generations to regenerate right? Unless the world's people stop pumping CO2 etc into the atmosphere, global warming will cause sea levels to rise................. reflood Pedder yeah I know it's 300m asl, yatta yatta yatta

[geoskid]

If/when Pedder is drained it will take generations to regenerate right? Unless the world's people stop pumping CO2 etc into the atmosphere, global warming will cause sea levels to rise................. reflood Pedder yeah I know it's 300m asl, yatta yatta yatta

What would happen Tibboh, if the plug was pulled, would be entirely natural. The same existing (albeit drowned) contours of the ground would give us a body of water of the same shape as the original Lake Pedder .

That is where the similarity would end. The trouble is , we would'nt be happy with what happens naturally, even though, by all accounts, what happens to re-grow is what is best suited to the conditions.

The arrow of time has ticked on. There is no reversing the arrow of time. The best we could do is manufacture a cardboard cutout of the visual appearance. There is no regaining the experience of being lucky enough to visit the original.

Edit - An analogy - The favourite Aunt dies, and instead of grieving ,reflecting, learning, gaining wisdom - it is proposed to dig her up, dress her, put a bit of lippy on her , prop her in the corner and pretend she didn't die.