Butler Island on the Gordon River, or more precisely, a stunning image of it, played a major role in stopping the construction of the Gordon-below-Franklin Dam in Tasmania’s south west wilderness. Between 1979 and 1983 the Tasmanian state government made several attempts to build a dam here but were delayed by a concerted campaign led by Dr Bob Brown and a long non-violent blockade by protestors. In the end, and in response to public sentiment, the Federal Government saw the light and stepped in. Many believe that the publication of a beautiful Peter Dombrovkis photograph of Butler Island was instrumental in getting the Australian people to support the protest.
Kayaking the Franklin River
The 90km kayaking trip along the Franklin River, and ending it at
the iconic island, is without doubt one of the most challenging but
most rewarding paddles in Tasmania. The journey begins at Lyell
Highway Bridge (A10) on the Collingwood River and ends at Butler Island
on the Gordon River. The Franklin is probably the most committing
river trip available in Tasmania. Though it has been done in 24
hours it is necessary to allow at least a week. For many, 10 days will
allow a good safety margin and also gives the opportunity to explore
the exceptional environment through which you travel. For those
interested in detailed notes on the river, it is recommended that you
contact the Tasmanian Wilderness Society, who produce a copy of
“Notes for Franklin River Rafters and Bushwalkers”, which
gives detailed descriptions of major rapids, possible campsites and a
host of other information. The Franklin is normally commenced from the
Collingwood Bridge, on the Lyell Highway which gives a few hours paddle
to the actual Franklin River.
Otherwise get directly into the river at the Franklin Bridge on the
Lyell Highway (if the river is low be prepared for a very rocky start).
If the river is low, the run down the Collingwood is grade 2 with a
couple of minor portages. If the river is high, a fairly steady grade 3
standard exists. There are numerous rapids once the Franklin is
reached. Before the Irenabyss there are two major hazards. Just
upstream of the Loddon Tributary there is a huge log spanning the
river. Portage is essential, use the left bank. Nasty Notch is about 2
Km. up from the Irenabyss. Portage can be either side. To shoot this at
a low level is impossible, the “Notch” being approximately
50 cm. wide.
There are numerous rapids also in this section which may also need
inspection and possible portage depending on the river level.
The long rapid at the head of the Irenabyss should also be inspected
– from Rocky Crag on the left bank (can be portaged on left bank
if necessary). The Irenabyss speaks for itself. There are many
exceptional areas of this river. Evaluate them as you think fit. They
are all totally unique and irreplaceable. From the Irenabyss to the
head of the “Great Ravine” is the calm before the storm.
This section can take several days and gives some beautiful sights such
as Blushrock Falls. This section is generally about grade 2 but keep an
eye open for logs. Boats have been broken, rafts severely damaged and
lives lost in easier situations.
Saving the Franklin River
“Could you vote for a party that would destroy this?” That was a question asked in a headline on a full-page colour advertisement in the Melbourne newspaper, The Herald, on 3rd March 1983, two days before a Federal election. Below the headline, across the breadth of page five, was Peter Dombrovskis’s (1945-1996) now famous photograph, Morning Mist, Rock Island Bend, Franklin River. The River was at the centre of Australia’s largest conservation battle ever. Whether or not Robin Gray’s Liberal Government should be stopped from damming Australia’s last wild river in Tasmania’s south-west wilderness area had become a hot election issue. Eric Reece, the Premier of Tasmania in the 1970s who first proposed the dam, once said of the area, “There was a National Park out there, but I can’t remember exactly where it was … at least, it wasn’t of substantial significance in the scheme of things.” Dombrovskis’s photograph painted a different picture.
Earlier that summer, the director of the Tasmanian Wilderness
Society, Dr Bob Brown, had been released from a 19-day sentence at
Hobart’s Risdon Gaol. Within a day of leaving prison he entered
the Tasmanian Parliament as an elected representative. So began the
political career of one of Australia’s most dedicated and vocal
conservationists. Brown had been one of 1272 people arrested by police,
most charged with trespass and/or obstruction, of whom 447 were
imprisoned for refusing to accept bail conditions. All were protesting
against the Tasmanian Hydro-Electric Commission’s planned dam on
the lower Gordon River that would flood the Franklin. The battle lasted
four years; the river was eventually saved by a ruling of the High
Court of Australia. “The Franklin blockade did not stop one
bulldozer,” reflects Bob Brown, a former Greens senator in
Canberra. “But it did stop the dam. It allowed the beauty of the
river to speak through TV screens in millions of living rooms to every
Australian. And it elevated the environment to national thinking.”
Lower Gordon Camp, near Sir John Falls, was an HEC workers’
camp in the 1980s. Directly across river is Warners Landing, the
place the bulldozer was put ashore, before it scraped a vast
clearing, and began its push towards the dam site near the Franklin
River until stopped by protesters. The landing itself is still
obvious, large treated pine logs stacked and supported to form an
industrial strength jetty. It is one of the few obvious signs of what
took place here 30 years ago. Only the landing itself can be seen.
Otherwise the forest has reclaimed the clearing, refoliated the
road and obliterated the work site.