Citation

Cite this essay as “Peter Macfie, 2014, https://PeterMacFieHistorian.net.au/publications/misleading-maps”

Misleading Maps? :The WHA Extension In The Styx Valley & Florentine Valley 2013

Peter MacFie, historian © 2014

Recent publicity over additions to the WHA – available via the map on the ABC website online – are further indications of the lack of research by organisations involved – on both sides of the argument – into the history of forest practices in southern Tasmania.

The dispute highlights the complete lack of use by the protagonists of the expertise of historians – a deficiency in Tasmanian public affairs which has led to much un-necessary conflict – with inaccurate claims and counter claims. Apart from brief contracts, there are no historians employed by P.W. & H. /DELM – or other government departments – and apparently none during the secrecy surrounding the WHA negotiations.

To my mind, the historian’s role is one of the dispassionate observer, offering informed critiques and insights with empathy but without bias.

Maps & Forests

The area shown in the online map of the WHA indicates extension over supposedly “Old Growth Forests” in the Styx and Florentine Valleys.

WHA Extension In Former ANM Concession

Extract From World Heritage Places – Tasmanian Wilderness Resources

Map 4: Proposed boundary relative to 2013 boundary

These however were once part of Australian Newsprint Mills Concession (1934-1997) and were logged in the 1940s and early 1950s by the Company to provide timber for the Boyer Newsprint Mill south of New Norfolk. Sawlogs were also produced. The Concession was granted by former State Labour Governments as part of an agreement to supply timber to the newsprint mill at Boyer – which began production in 1941. The following map shows the extent of the ANM Concession.

ANM Concession 1938-1990

(Peter MacFie, Maydena Project © 2014)

The extent of ANM’s Concession is also available online – as part of the nomination by Engineers Australia (Tasmania) of Boyer Mill for the National Heritage Register.

(The Boyer Newsprint Mill – Nomination for a Heritage Recognition Award) Based on several years of research, the area in the Florentine Valley claimed as “old growth” is today 60+ year old regrowth, while in the Styx Valley, equivalent forests are 70 year old regrowth forests planted by ANM. Some of the tall trees in the Styx Valley were set aside in small reserves by ANM, and are shown in a plan of the former Company’s 10 ‘tall tree reserves.’

(ANM Library) A 1987 map of logging coupes in the ANM Concession also shows rotational logging operations. These ranged from Wayatinah to the north, the Florentine Valley to the west and Mt Lloyd to the south. These appear to contradict the “Old Growth” claims for areas recently added to the WHA extension. At the very least, their true history needs a full examination.

(ANM Library)

Professional Interest – Peter MacFie & the Maydena Project 1995-99

Working as site historian at Port Arthur Historic Site (1983-91) I became interested in timber extraction, and later conflict over land use/conservation vs utilitarian values. (see website list of relevant published papers.) My 1992 study on Mt Field National Park brought out this dilemma. From this research I was approached by ANM to undertake the Maydena Project.

During the oral history-based Maydena Project I became aware of the above details – and many other aspects of the life of former ANM Concession work-force and its operation in the Concession. I interviewed men who had built the Styx Valley rail spur during World War II, and worked with complex and dangerous machinery there and in the Florentine Valley. A paper based on initial research and interviews was given at the Australian Forest History Society conference at Gympie, Queensland outlining the Maydena Project (Maydena the Logging Town in the Colonised Valley) and subsequently published in conference proceedings in 1999. (available online at Digital Collections: Australia’s ever-changing forests).

The Styx Valley Rail Spur Line. 1941-48

The Styx Valley was logged during World War II using a 16 km rail spur line which branched at Karanja. Former workers I interviewed for the Maydena Project who worked on the Styx Valley spur line lived in a temporary village named Tent City near Cataract Creek. A large trestle timber bridge was built over this deep ravine to carry the 16 km rail line past Diogenes Creek.

Styx Valley Rail Spur Line 1942-49, Cataract Creek Trestle Bridge

(ANM Library)

This was inspected in 1943 by ANM’s chairman of directors, Sir Keith Murdoch, when the line was opened in February 1943. (see attached newspaper report) Later that year, a group of State parliamentarians (including Devonport based H H McFie MHA (my great-grandfather)) also inspected the Styx Valley workings and railway.

(Mercury 17/2/1943, p. 4., via Trove)

With Japan now entering the War, (preventing supplied of newsprint from North America) Murdoch warned that without the Boyer Mill, Australian newspapers would be reduced by half. During the mid 1950s the Upper Styx valley was also logged by road using imported Caterpillar bulldozers.

Logging the Florentine Valley 1948-70

Post World War II the massive stand of 200 year old mature Euc. regnans – Swamp gums – covering over 2000 acres under Mt Field West was logged by ANM. Controversy over the company’s acquisition of this area on the western boundary of Mt Field National Park was first documented in my 1992 study, ‘A History of Mt Field National Park’. Despite a very vocal public campaign against the loss of the Florentine Valley area led by the Hobart Walking Club, the Cosgrove government passed the extension to the Concession.

Max Gilbert’s unique PhD thesis into the life cycle of the wet eucalypt forests found that the 200 year old regnans in the Florentine Valley were the result of a massive natural fire around 1800 – creating an ash bed for the later mature one-generation stand. His research was the basis used for regeneration of the Euc. Regnans stands after logging. (Gilbert as also a founder member of the Hobart Walking Club.)

Instead of a rail line to extract timber from the Florentine Valley post World War II, (due to the cavernous limestone nature of the area) a series of well-made roads were built. In 1952 a series of high quality photos were taken by the Education Departments Teaching Aids depict the logging operation, some showing Mt Field West in the background.

1952 Logging Truck, Florentine Valley Vicinity of Mt Field West

(Ed Dept – Teaching Aids Centre – AB713-1-1040)

1952 Florentine Valley Logging Vicinity Mt Field West

(Ed Dept – Visual Aids-AB713-1-1014)

Reforestation

Once logged, the Styx and Florentine Valleys underwent reforestation – and the large forests now claimed as “Old Growth” are actually regrowth from the planned seeding programme (part of ANM’s policy initiated by Boyer Mill manager Kessell – a trained forester and leading advocate of replanting for the future). ANM became well known for its progressive silviculture program.

(ANM Library)

1952 Florentine Valley Logging

(Ed Dept – Teaching Aids Centre – AB713-1-6881)

1960s Regrowth, Florentine Valley

(ANM Library)

Background History Of The ANM Concession 1934-1997

Peter MacFie

Until the opening of Boyer Mill in 1941, all newsprint for Australian newspapers was imported from Scandinavia. Using North American technology, the new mill was the brainchild of several leading scientists, (especially LR Benjamin) & newspaper owners – among these were Warwick Fairfax and Sir Keith Murdoch of the Herald & Weekly Times group. As a young journalist, Keith had seen the rationing placed on newspaper printing by limited access to newsprint during World War I (As war correspondent, he had also reported secretly on the appalling mismanagement of the ANZAC troops at Gallipoli.)

Forest Surveys Florentine Valley & Styx Valley 1912-60

• Initial exploration of these timber resources began before World War I; early conservators were concerned about the needless destruction by fire.

Pre ANM – Uncontrolled Fires

1920 Settlers Cottage, Florentine Valley (Henry Allport)

(Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts, ADRI: AUTAS001126251214)

• First serious surveys into the timber resource in the Florentine Valley and the Styx Valley stook place in the 1930s for the inaugural company, the Derwent Valley Paper Pulp Co., to which the Tasmania Government granted first areas of Concession.
• The first successful large scale trials of newsprint using Tasmania eucalypts took place in Ocean Falls, British Colombia, Canada in 1934.
• The first edition of an Australian newspaper printed on newsprint made from eucalypt was the Hobart Mercury of 12 May 1934.
• The 1934 Bushfires in the Derwent Valley triggered concern for the new company over the security of the timber resource. From 1936 fire lookouts monitored wildfires in the Styx Valley and at Fitzgerald.
• The re-formed Australian Newsprint Mills Co. (ANM) (1938), as well as establishing Boyer Mill, was given an enlarged Concession and enforceable authority over access.
• Sir Keith Murdoch was well aware of the scope of these assets – of both the Florentine Valley and the Styx Valley – as he and his youthful wife, later Dame Elizabeth Murdoch, trekked on horse-back there in 1937, as a photo in Dame Elisabeth’s biography indicates.
• Initially supervised by Canadian employees, Boyer Mill was opened for production in 1941.

Newsprint For Australia 1941 (Pix Magazine 31.5.1941, P34, via National Library of Australia)

• On 10 May 1941, ten Australian newspapers were all published on Australian newsprint made at Boyer Mill.
• ANM also acquired sawmilling concessions in the Tyenna Valley on the southern flank of Mt Field National Park; former sawmill workers transferred as the nucleus of ANM’s bush workforce.
• The Pioneer Woodware Concession was acquired. This small company based at Kallista from 1926 – begun by a German migrant – had timber reserves from which sassafras was logged for peg making at the New Norfolk Peg Factory – an industry employing over 60 local women.
• The Concession was returned to Forestry Tasmania’s management in 1997.

A WHA Reappraisal?

The Florentine Valley & Styx Valley do have significant heritage values – cultural heritage values – in the form of tramways, train lines, sawmill sites, camps and huts. The potential location of these are documented as a result of the Maydena Project – documented in original maps to be published – and particularly in the wonderful field work undertaken by archaeologist Parry Kosteglou into the forest history of these (and many other similar work sites) for Forestry Tasmania.

These activities should not be regarded as having “degraded” the heritage value of such localities – whatever the outcome of a proposed revue, historians, railway enthusiasts plus former locals whose formative years were spent there – value these sites as “special places” because of working lives spent there which gave them and their families a sense of worth – as well as income .

Working Forests As Well As Wilderness?

In addition to wilderness, there’s a need to include working forests as part of a reservation system- such is the case in Europe, where working forests for logging exist with others for mountaineering & bushwalking, horse & mountain bike riding as well as others for hunting.

Old Skills

Could old skills be kept alive? Could draught horses be used, for example, to extract specialty timbers – as sassafras was hauled out on rail trolleys along the Kallista line northwest of Maydena by the ‘Sassy Kings” I interviewed?

Copyright Peter Macfie ©2014