BushwalkBushwalk
Crossing McKellar Saddle on New Zealand's Greenstone-Caples TrackPeter Grant
Peter Grant is a long-time BWA member, and the man behind the “Nature Scribe” blog, which is found at naturescribe.com.
Nature Scribe Blog
Peter Grant
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Why Tasmania's Central Plateau is sometimes called the Land of a Thousand LakesPeter Grant
First of all Peter can you tell us a bit about yourself? Where you live, where you work, etc?I live in Hobart, Tasmania, in the foothills of Kunanyi/Mt Wellington. I’m one of those “Tasmanians by choice”, having moved here in 1980 with my wife. After 37 years we’re almost “naturalised”, and have three adult children and eight grandchildren all living in Tassie. I have an education and writing background, and worked in that field with Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service for almost 24 years. I took early retirement in 2015, so I could spend more time writing, bushwalking … and chasing grandchildren.
What is Nature Scribe all about?The blog covers some of the outdoor activities I enjoy, especially bushwalking, cycling and other forms of self-powered travel. I also have a great curiosity for what’s happening in the natural world, so I often include observations on what I find when I’m outside. My approach to writing is biased towards the personal and reflective rather than the guide-book style.
Why did you start a blog?I love writing. I wrote a book Habitat Garden for ABC Gardening Australia in 2003, and was keen to publish more. I’d also founded a prize for nature writing (The Wildcare Tasmania Nature Writing Prize), and wanted to do some of my own writing in that style. With full-time work making that difficult, blogging looked like a good way of keeping myself writing. Blogging suits shorter forms of writing, and gives you the chance to create content you can adapt and use later. You can also experiment more, and include photographs and other media in the blog.
Do you have an overall goal?When I worked for Parks & Wildlife, we had a slogan that went “Share the Wonder”. And I suppose that’s what I try to do through my blog. While life has trials and difficulties, our planet is also full of wonders. Some of that is hidden from us some of the time, and writing is one way of helping people to uncover and celebrate those wonders for themselves.
“While life has trials and difficulties, our planet is also full of wonders.
“I also have a great curiosity for what’s happening in the natural world ...
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You write about more than just bushwalking, but this is certainly prominent in your blog. Why is that?On the surface of it bushwalking is, literally, a very pedestrian activity. But what seems ordinary has turned out to be hugely significant to me, and I’m sure it is to a lot of others. In one blog post I suggested that walking “hovers somewhere between the pedestrian and the celestial.” Personally I’ve gained significant spiritual and psychological insights from being “out there”, and especially in my two favourite walking places: Tasmania and New Zealand’s South Island.
What are some of your favourite walks, and why?There are so many! But in terms of gaining significant insights, climbing Federation Peak in 1991 was huge. Overcoming my fear of that difficult walk, and especially that
final ascent, helped motivate me to move from unemployment and self-doubt into a meaningful career. There’s more of that story starting here.
I also have a great love for the Walls of Jerusalem and Central Plateau area, and have found many different ways – both on- and off-track – to explore that slightly gentler wilderness. I’m especially fond of the pencil pines you can see in abundance there. To me they have endearingly ent-like characteristics (a la Tolkien), ‘though I fear for their survival as climate change hits the Tasmanian highlands. I’ve written about that dire threat.
Some of my other Walls experiences include Solitary, Blue Peaks and Possums.
An almost-view from the summit of Frenchmans CapPeter Grant
“I’ve gained significant spiritual and psychological insights from being “out there” ...
“The relative intactness of Tasmania’s environment makes it one of those very precious places on a global scale.
“But what a privilege it is to be able to get out there and send back reports as long as I’m able!
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Peter Grant is a writer and long-time bushwalker based in Hobart, Tasmania. Peter writes about his walks in his blog at naturescribe.com.
Peter's photo by Lynne Grant
Winter in the Walls of Jerusalem, looking towards the Overland TrackPeter Grant
In New Zealand I particularly love the walks around the Glenorchy area, including the Routeburn, Rees-Dart and Greenstone-Caples walks.
I find the beech forests of the South Island very familiar to me as a Tasmanian, ‘though the surrounding mountains, with their Alp-like proportions, are something else altogether. That said, NZ’s natural environment has sadly been trashed by human activity and introduced pests. 100% pure it is not!
The relative intactness of Tasmania’s environment makes it one of those very precious places on a global scale. That’s why I’m passionate about its protection. I certainly don’t expect I’ll get to see all of its beauty in this lifetime. But what a privilege it is to be able to get out there and send back reports as long as I’m able!
“I find the beech forests of the South Island very familiar to me as a Tasmanian ...
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