Mawanna, Tasmania

The more I see of Tasmania, the more I understand that their heritage is centred around trees and still is for that matter, judging by the amount of logging trucks I see racing around the countryside.

And it's plain to see that John, who has been running the Timber Heritage Tours here at Water Wheel Creek for three years, is passionate about trees. He's attempted to give us an insight into just how things were done in the early days and I think he's done it very well.

John squaring off a beam by hand.

He gave a demonstration of how to winch a log from 50 metres away, load it onto a log hauler and carry the log back down the railway tracks to its original position. The tracks are also made out of wood, only the curves in the track have a short span of steel for reinforcement.

Winching the log

I marvel at how our ancestors found a way to cut down and transport these huge trees so efficiently, it's a testament to their ingenuity and skill.

Rolling it onto the log hauler

Taking it back to its original position

It gets cold and wet here in the winter so the pioneers would often be wet all day and have to work in mud up to their knees. The women folk would also have to be strong in mind and body to survive such a hard life.

Interesting fact: There are no white ants in Tasmania