Franklin River
Encyclopedia
The Franklin River lies in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
at the mid northern area of the Tasmanian Wilderness
World Heritage Area. Its source is situated at the western edge of the Central Highlands and it continues west towards the West Coast
of Tasmania
. It was named after an earlier Governor of that state, Sir John Franklin
, who later died searching for the Northwest Passage
.
Although the Lyell Highway
passes through it, the catchment area of the river has never had any significant European settlement. There are some archaeological sites that have identified pre-European activity.
's largest conservation battle of the 1980s - the battle to save the Franklin from the Hydro Tasmania
proposed hydro-electric power scheme.
-Death of a River Guide. The result of a drowning in real life on the river led to stricter guidelines for users of the river.
The main twentieth century access was by piners in earlier decades of the century in the lower reachers. It was in the mid twentieth century that adventurous canoers sought to conquer the formidable challenges. Dean's book about attempts - identifies three tirps in the 1950s.
submitted names for some features - before and since, rafters and canoers have added names for many of the bends and rapids on the river:
Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers is a national park in Tasmania, Australia, 117 km west of Hobart. It is named after the two main river systems lying within the bounds of the park - the Franklin River and the Gordon River.- Location :...
at the mid northern area of the Tasmanian Wilderness
Tasmanian Wilderness
The Tasmanian Wilderness is a term that is used for a range of areas in Tasmania, Australia.The World Heritage Areas in South West, Western and Central are the most well known. However, there are also other areas in Tasmania that have the elements of being known as wilderness areas, the Tarkine...
World Heritage Area. Its source is situated at the western edge of the Central Highlands and it continues west towards the West Coast
West Coast, Tasmania
The West Coast of Tasmania is the part of the state that is strongly associated with wilderness, mining and tourism, rough country and isolation...
of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. It was named after an earlier Governor of that state, Sir John Franklin
John Franklin
Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin KCH FRGS RN was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. Franklin also served as governor of Tasmania for several years. In his last expedition, he disappeared while attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic...
, who later died searching for the Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
.
Although the Lyell Highway
Lyell Highway
The Lyell Highway is a highway in Tasmania, running from Hobart to Queenstown. The name is derived from Mount Lyell, the mountain peak where copper was found in the late 19th century, and the site of the Mount Lyell copper mine, and the sole reason for the existence of Queenstown...
passes through it, the catchment area of the river has never had any significant European settlement. There are some archaeological sites that have identified pre-European activity.
Proposed Franklin Dam conservation battle
The above article describes how the Franklin River become synonymous with AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's largest conservation battle of the 1980s - the battle to save the Franklin from the Hydro Tasmania
Hydro Tasmania
Hydro Tasmania, known for most of its history as The HEC, is the government owned enterprise which is the predominant electricity generator in the state of Tasmania, Australia...
proposed hydro-electric power scheme.
Literature
The focus on the dam and the issues of wilderness experience led to the development of people utilising the river at levels never previously experienced. A fictional account by a writer with an academic and historical understanding of the area - was the book by Richard FlanaganRichard Flanagan
Richard Flanagan is a novelist from Tasmania, Australia.-Early life:Flanagan was born in Longford, Tasmania, in 1961, the fifth of six children. He is descended from Irish convicts transported to Van Diemen's Land in the 1840s. His father is a survivor of the Burma Death Railway. One of his three...
-Death of a River Guide. The result of a drowning in real life on the river led to stricter guidelines for users of the river.
Early access
The upper reaches of the Franklin River was traversed by explorers in the nineteenth century in their attempts to access Frenchmans Cap.The main twentieth century access was by piners in earlier decades of the century in the lower reachers. It was in the mid twentieth century that adventurous canoers sought to conquer the formidable challenges. Dean's book about attempts - identifies three tirps in the 1950s.
Named Places on the Franklin
During his initial journeys, Bob BrownBob Brown
Robert James Brown is an Australian senator, the inaugural Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens and was the first openly gay member of the Parliament of Australia...
submitted names for some features - before and since, rafters and canoers have added names for many of the bends and rapids on the river:
| Livingstone Cut | 42°20′5"S 145°47′49"E |
| The Forceit | 42°20′7"S 145°47′47"E |
| Sidewinder | 42°20′18"S 145°47′41"E |
| Thunderrush | 42°20′27"S 145°47′35"E |
| The Sanctum | 42°20′37"S 145°47′31"E |
| The Cauldron | 42°20′48"S 145°47′27"E |
| Mousehole | 42°21′4"S 145°47′17"E |
| Deliverance Reach | 42°21′4"S 145°47′6"E |
| The Biscuit | 42°21′45"S 145°46′34"E |
| Rafters Basin | 42°21′52"S 145°46′20"E |
| Confluence of Andrew River | 42°21′57"S 145°46′4"E |
| Propsting Gorge | 42°23′25"S 145°45′32"E |
| Glen Calder | 42°24′46"S 145°44′43"E |
| Gaylard Rapids | 42°25′8"S 145°44′49"E |
| Pig Trough | 42°25′21"S 145°44′54"E |
| Rock Island Bend | 42°25′22"S 145°44′58"E |
| Shower Cliff | 42°25′18"S 145°45′7"E |
| Newland Cascades | 42°25′18"S 145°45′16"E |
| Confluence of Jane River | 42°27′32"S 145°46′18"E |
| Flat Island | 42°28′21"S 145°45′37"E |
| Blackmans Bend | 42°31′5"S 145°46′4"E |
| Double Fall | 42°31′27"S 145°45′23"E |
| Big Fall | 42°33′25"S 145°45′16"E |
| Galleon Bluff | 42°33′37"S 145°45′52"E |
| Verandah Cliffs | 42°34′16"S 145°44′59"E |
| Shingle Island | 42°34′59"S 145°44′40"E |
| Pyramid Island | 42°35′26"S 145°44′25"E |
| Confluence into Gordon River | 42°35′27"S 145°44′24"E |
See also
- Commonwealth v TasmaniaCommonwealth v TasmaniaCommonwealth v Tasmania 158 CLR 1, was a significant Australian court case, decided in the High Court of Australia on 1 July 1983. The case was a landmark decision in Australian constitutional law, and was a significant moment in the history of conservation in Australia...
- Gordon RiverGordon RiverThe Gordon River is one of the major rivers of Tasmania, Australia. It rises in the centre of the island at Lake Richmond and flows westward for about 193km where it empties into Macquarie Harbour on the West Coast of Tasmania. Major tributaries include the Serpentine River and the Franklin...
- King River, Tasmania
- Tasmania's Wilderness BattlesTasmania's Wilderness BattlesTasmania's Wilderness Battles: A History is a 2008 book by Greg Buckman. Wilderness areas in Tasmania have been the sites of extensive conflict between government and environmentalists for the past 30 years, also with between environmentalists and extractive business.This history presents a...
Further reading
- Binks, C.J. (1989) Explorers of western Tasmania Devonport, Tas. C.J. Binks ISBN 073167300X
- Dean, Johnson (2002) Shooting the Franklin - Early Canoeing on Tasmania's Wild Rivers ISBN 0-9581744-0-7
- Gee, H and Fenton, J. (Eds) (1978) The South West Book - A Tasmanian Wilderness Melbourne, Australian Conservation Foundation. ISBN 0-85802-054-8
- Griffiths, Peter, and Baxter, Bruce (1997) The ever varying flood : a guide to the Franklin River Richmond, Vic.Prowling Tiger Press ISBN 0958664714
- Lines, William J. (2006) Patriots : defending Australia's natural heritage St. Lucia, Qld. : University of Queensland Press, 2006. ISBN 0-70223-554-7
External links
- http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/wha/wherein/detail.html location within the World Heritage Area