The Land Downunder: South-West Tasmania

[Poisson Du Jour]

Speaking with people in Tasmania prior to a visit next month, we were bouncing ideas off about photography in certain locations. I got a referral to one of Australia's better known wilderness bushwalking writers, David Noble and his quite impressive collection of photographs. One referral had me land on two of his pages chronicling walks to the Eastern and Western Arthurs (an ancient, very rugged and remote range of mountains in the south-west of Tasmania) from 1975 to 2006; all the more remarkable is that in the 1970s, no easily navigable tracks existed! The area is now a little more walker-friendly (though the range gives nothing away as to weather hazards, rugged terrain and exposed camps) as to have tent platforms, pod toilets and even track markers. The Arthurs are well-travelled — a clear track has been reported as easily followed without difficulty from east to west — as a week-long destination and many other photographs have been located coming from lots of predominantly Tasmanian bushwalkers.

Overseas APUGers might be forgiven for thinking the views bore a semblance to the highlands of Scotland, maybe even Ireland, but no, this is what draws walkers from around the world to Tasmania's tempestuous mountains, and David has photographed them in all seasons. I've made a link to David's atmospheric photographs for interest here (2 pages).

[Mick Fagan]

Interesting to say the least, certainly rugged stuff.

Mick.

[sharperstill]

I've walked the Western Arthurs with my brother some years ago. Spectacular scenery. Be prepared for ANY weather at any time of the year. It was basically 10-11 days in to a certain point over the range, then 2 days back along the valley floor. Gives you some indication of the terrain.

[Ross Chambers]

"Land Down Under" I hope you paid Larriken's rights :-)

Ross

[Poisson Du Jour]

Ha, ha!
I often refer to Australia as the land Downunder, Ross, as many, many of us do. Speaking with a Kiwi today, he corrected me and said "you're across the ditch, not downunder!" He's right.

For those a bit mystified, it follows the title of a song from 1981 sung by Australian band, "Men at Work", the first two verses of which are:

Travelling in a fried-out combie
On a hippie trail, head full of zombie
I met a strange lady, she made me nervous
She took me in and gave me breakfast
And she said—

Do you come from a land Downunder?
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover.
Yeah—!"

Unfortunately they did plagiarise a flute hook that was the same as Marian Sinclair's 1937 Girl Guide's song, "Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gumtree" and to which evidently many of the lyrics neatly fit when sung to that tune. All the same, a memorable song that had lawyers on both sides of the bar toe-tapping and grinning as the two songs were played out repeatedly for comparison!

You know, I think somebody actually wrote a song about South West Tasmania, too! Who, and when??

[Mick Fagan]

I think a more correct line would be:-

"where women glow and men chunder!"

At least that is what quite a lot of people think the lyrics are

Mick.

[Poisson Du Jour]

That line is also included in the verse, Mick (!) in bold:

Buying bread from a man in Brussels
He was six-foot-four and full of muscles
I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"
He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich
And he said,

"I come from a land Downunder
Where beer does flow and men chunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover."

Lyin' in a den in Bombay
With a slack jaw, and not much to say
I said to the man, "Are you trying to tempt me
Because I come from the land of plenty?"
And he said,

"Do you come from a land Downunder?
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover."
Yeah!

Living in a land Downunder
Where women glow and men plunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover!

[Mick Fagan]

Gary, yep that's the line.

Funny how I couldn't think of it, but once I saw it written, it all came back.

Mick.

[Poisson Du Jour]

Mick, I really enjoy the song and on my first overnight long-distance bicycle tour we sang it around the campfire at Melville Caves, at Kooyoora State Park west of Bendigo on the night of the Queen's Birthday weekend in June 1982 in teeming rain. Photos from that era show us looking a bit different to what we do now. Strange. I don't feel that old...

[Krzys]

I love the 'lake reflections' photograph. Thanks for sharing.