Piner’s Archive

Logged by horse and by hand, that very special timber, Huon Pine, was harvested from the rainforests of Western Tasmania for 160 years. The Piner’s Archive comprises four hours of memories from five men directly involved in the industry from 1930 until 1950. These were amphibious loggers for their transport was by row-boat, the unique piner’s punt. In these little boats they hauled tools, supplies and horse feed to remote areas above the rapids to supply gangs in the upper Gordon, Franklin and Denison Rivers. Typically spending three months at a time in isolated and rugged bush camps, these resourceful men selectively logged in the wilderness of what is now the Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. Their like will never be seen again.