by Pen Tayler Sunset over kunanyi Living in Lindisfarne near the waterfront, I get to see some spectacular sunsets. In fact, I can become blasé about them and have trouble summoning the enthusiasm to get out and take another photo. On this occasion, however, the unusual cloud formations overcame any lethargy and I sprinted to the water's edge before the colours disappeared ..read more

“I was frightened when I came here first. I thought, I’m a foreigner and they won’t like me. But we’d been in the house only 10 minutes and someone came with some firewood. Then someone else came in with some milk. They all smiled and offered to help some more, and I knew I didn’t have anything to be frightened about.” ~ Dr Charles Matysek, Penguin, 1955 It is a long way from the landlocked Central European country of the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia) to the quiet Tasmanian coastal town of Penguin. And yet, for more than 30 years, the people of Penguin turned for their medical nee ..read more

Unpack, re-pack, unpack, re-pack. Let it become rhythm.    Each time smoother. Don’t forget the lesson of the surfboard. One distraction, one loose knot was all it took and it was gone, broken-nosed on the highway. It is important to be careful, to have everything aligned and secure.    Drive away again, someplace new.    The sweet cleft of a southern bay, ice green gums.    Silent beach carpark, creamy sky and squeaking sand.    Abandoned Doll Museum and Book Exchange.    Roadside pullover littered with wet wipes.    Forgot ..read more

Domestic violence is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or intimate partnership. It is often called intimate partner violence. The abuse is committed by one person in the relationship against the other person and can take place in current relationships or between former spouses or partners. Domestic violence is also referred to as domestic terrorism. In its broadest sense, domestic violence also involves violence against children, parents, or the elderly. When violence against other members of the family, rather than abuse directed solely against a ..read more

by Gary Sims Adventure Bay, South Bruny Island, sunset, April 7, 2024 ..read more

In an earlier article in response to Peter Grant’s lovely piece on the Australian landscape and especially gum trees, I talked about the difficulty early European settlers had in seeing the Australian landscape objectively, and in depicting the genus Eucalyptus. The underlying idea is that both the landscape in general, and the eucalypts in particular, were so alien that they were impenetrable to the colonial observer. The great Tasmanian artist, Max Angus, had a bit to say on this topic, and he was well qualified to do so, depicting the Tasmanian landscape, in watercolour, as well as it has e ..read more

photographer TERRY MULHERN We get on well with the farmers whose property wraps around our seven hectares of paradise. Theirs is a family affair. The aged parents live in the old farmhouse, along with one adult son. Two other sons live and work elsewhere, but come back regularly, especially when a big job is on, like baling hay. We have a mutually beneficial arrangement with the farmers – they cut, bale and take the hay from our paddock and in return for keeping an eye on our place when we’re not there. They also generously help with the jobs beyond this city boy, such as anything involving a ..read more

photographer JASON BATEY It’s Saturday morning and I am wandering through Salamanca Market, past countless stalls selling everything from pottery to produce, nestled between 19th century sandstone buildings and the Hobart waterfront. Moving slowly through bustling crowds, something catches my eye. I turn, find myself standing in front of a booth containing a series of tapestry-like paintings with joyful colours and flowing floral patterns. It reminds me a bit of Norwegian folk art, the kind I saw on decorative plates in my grandmother’s house, except the shapes are bigger, colours more vibrant ..read more

Of course others claim to adore you but I need some time together, alone. Born of some distant continent you took lovers, lived a stormy life and aged whole ages before what- ever I may be happened along. And what do I have to impress you besides a clutch of words, promises I may not be able to keep? I land too far away and despite knowing you don’t heave any sighs in my direction, believe you will still know me when I return to your weathered shore, quiet airport. Dear island north of emptiness/ south of madness, dear detached, somber rock where I will lay my head, while murmuring an archaic ..read more

writer and photographer PETER GRANT Walking and thinking go hand in hand – as Rebecca Solnit put it, when you walk you move at the speed of thought. My regular walks in The Patch, the large area of bush behind our place, bear this out. My mind, transported by my legs, wanders wherever it will. But today, of all the things I might think on as I walk, I am thinking about the act of walking itself. Birds fly, lizards scamper, butterflies flutter and dragonflies hover, so why do we humans get around on two legs? In the broader animal kingdom, creatures that move primarily on two legs are quite rar ..read more