Gordonvale

The Tasmanian Land Conservancy (TLC) is a not-for-profit environmental organisation. We raise funds from the public to protect irreplaceable sites and ecosystems by buying and managing private land in Tasmania.

We have achieved an important conservation win by securing the wild and remote property of Gordon-vale as a strategic addition to Tasmania’s network of private protected areas. Gordonvale is our twelfth permanent reserve and a very important addition to the TLC’s reserve portfolio.

Eleven of our reserves complement existing protected area, providing permanent refuge for a total of 51 threatened animal and plant species and 889 hectares of threatened vegetation communities through this acquisition system. The TLC currently has a network of twelve permanent reserves across Tasmania, protecting globally significant values on ecosystems ranging from estuarine wetlands, coastal woodlands and wet forests to high altitude grasslands and sphagnum peat lands.

The TLC acknowledges the Tasmanian Aborigines as the traditional owners of the land now known as ‘Gordonvale’. It is the traditional home territory of the Pangerninghe clan of the Big River nation.

This small parcel of land is a place of global signif-icance. When the opportunity arose to acquire the 80 hectare property, we knew instantly it fitted strategi-cally into our overall, long-term conservation science goals.

The TLC has long identified Gordonvale as a World Heritage gem, one of only a few private properties included in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heri-tage Area (TWWHA), completely surrounded by the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. Securing Gordonvale for conservation makes a very important contribution to protecting the integrity of the TWWHA as a whole.

By acquiring the freehold title to Gordonvale and entering it into the National Reserve System, the TLC has ensured ongoing integrity of the TWWHA.

Gordonvale is flanked by the spectacular vistas of Great Dome and Wylds Craig. Vegetation at Gor-donvale is predominantly buttongrass moorland with emergent shrubs, surrounded by patches of rainforest with elements of old-growth forest. This environment is habitat for some of Tasmania’s iconic fauna, includ-ing the threatened Tasmanian devil and Tasmanian ground parrot.

We were presented with the opportunity to buy Gordonvale when the Polin Estate became available on the open market. Martin Polin bought 23 properties across Tasmania, including Gordonvale. He enlisted real estate agents to purchase remote wilderness properties that came onto the market in the 1980s and Gordonvale was the only one of his Tasmanian properties that he never set foot on.

When setting foot on the property now, it is clear that the site has strong cultural and heritage values. For 18 years it was the home of legendary Tasma-nian, Ernie Bond. Its unique history of post-European settlement qualifies the property for registration in the Tasmanian Historic Archaeological Sites Catalogue. Though the remnants of Ernie’s settlement have largely been reclaimed by vegetation, heritage values include ruins of the main house, office, bunk house, cement pad and bakery as well as remnants of floors and footings.

The incredible history of Ernie Bond’s years at Gordonvale was brought into focus through people’s accounts during our efforts to raise funds for this reserve. We heard some ripping yarns over a cup of tea about the enigmatic Ernie Bond, who shared his hospitality (including wallaby stew, homegrown vege-tables and brew!) with bushwalkers passing through.

We have made some very special new connections over the past months with family members of Ernie Bond, bushwalkers and descendants of Gordonvale enthusiasts. They have generously shared diary excerpts, historical newspaper clippings, images and stories with us. These anecdotes have made the journey to protecting Gordonvale so much richer and some can be found on our website at www.tasland.org.au.