Arthur River, Middens and Petroglyphs

The Arthur River, and the associated areas of the Tarkine is the only major river system in Tasmania that hasn’t been logged, dammed, farmed or mined. It’s mainly quartzite, so the soil is poor and stony, so it’s bad for farming. This area didn’t have glaciers, so it’s not suitable for dams. Huon Pine doesn’t grow here, so logging wasn’t terribly profitable, and there weren’t many minerals. So it’s pristine wilderness. Of course, the Aborigines lived here for 40,000 years, including through the last ice age, and practised firestick farming, so there are many more areas of eucalyptus and button grass than there may be if man hadn’t inhabited the area.

Roads are all on the outskirts of the Tarkine, so to visit the middle, we took a boat tour with the red boat (there’s also a white boat).

First you go through coastal heath, then the eucalypts start. They’re very twisted because of the winds. That’s also why the sea eagle nest in the photo is below the canopy.

Further on, the trees become straight as they don’t get the coastal winds.

Finally, you come across pockets of rainforest. We stopped at one, had a walk through the forest, and a nice lunch. In the picture, you can see logs that have been carried down the river in the winter floods, high up the bank.

We saw an eagle and its nest.

It was a fantastic trip.

Before we went on the boat, we found out how to get to the Aboriginal site in the area, so we went there afterwards. You walk through coastal vegetation.

Then you come to the middens.

If you continue along the track, you reach a stream.

And finally find the petroglyphs.

Seeing such precious things is amazing. On our way back we saw a wombat on the beach.