Tues, 10th Feb, 2015 Lake King William (The Wall)

6.30am 14.6 degrees in van and 7.3 degrees outside with clear sky. About 9am Leanne and Rick arrived. After a cuppa we headed off. Drove down to the boat ramp to check it out. Because the water level was down there were heaps of area for vans etc. Then we headed back over the Derwent River and bridge.

Through Derwent Bridge to the Wall In The Wilderness. Sculptor Greg Duncan is creating a commemoration to those who helped shape the past and present by hand carving timber panels (3 metres high, 1 metre wide). On completion it will be one hundred metres long. He began working on this project in 2005 and hopes to have it finished by 2016. There is a note as we pay to enter that no photos or videos at all can be taken. He funds this carving and the building it is in, himself by the entrance fee and sale of the books of professional photos of the carvings. I took photos of the entrance banners.

The building is huge. 

We paid our $12 each to enter and we were amazed. We enter a high open area with a bar one side and big fireplace. There is a little trolley on railway lines that brings the timber in from outside. The walls inside the timber lined and there were lots of timber carvings as well as the Wall. There were gloves that you felt you could pick up and put on they were so lifelike. A coat hangs on the wall and looks so soft.

The attention to detail is fabulous. The veins on the hands etc were incredible.

Upstairs to the loft were paintings by Greg’s sister.

We started around the Wall walking very slowly as there was so much to look at. Greg has left bits in the raw state so you can see how he creates the wall from the flat panel of timber. Some panels told of the history of the area and others were plants and animals. Truly amazing.  Definitely a must for anyone touring Tassie.

After a couple of hours we head back to Derwent Bridge Hotel as I saw some carvings in there yesterday.  A couple of kookaburras greet us.

Great info maps about the next stage of our trip along the Lyell Highway and the walks.

Now that looks like a fun way to cross Frenchman’s Gap.

Great big fireplace (double sided) in the middle of the bar/restaurant.

Great carving hanging on each side of the fireplace.

A big poster about The Wall so took a photo of that. We didn’t see Greg working but we saw where he was working as there were shavings, his chisels and ladder.

Inside the bar area had lots of old saws etc on the walls.

Poor possum skin.

Back to the van to get camp oven roast for dinner ready. The march flies were out in force but we had our fly swats and started collecting the dead ones to feed to the trout. Steve found a lure on the edge of the river. Lovely night by the campfire.