Magic Dirt Tour Diary

From: Official Magic Dirt Website

October 14th & 15th, The Republic Bar, Hobart

Oh we were very excited this morning. We hadn't been to Tasmania in a long time and we're looking forward very much to getting back there. We found the venue easily and instantly it just felt good. This was going to be our home for the next 2 shows and the next 3 nights. So I was in a very "nesty" kinda mood and bunkered down for the weekend. I could just tell that this was gonna be a lot of fun!!!!!
And we'd also found out, just before we left Melbourne, that we'd been invited, by The Greens Party, to come and visit a protest camp out in the Weld Valley to meet the activists and play some songs for them. So, it was an extremely important time for us in Hobart on many levels.
We got to the Republic and loaded our gear and I had a little look around. I think it's been around since the late 1800's and has changed owners many times. It used to be a big bikers bar and a brothel too. The current owners are absolutely awesome!
Thank you to Tony, Jim and Heath. Such great guys and they were so interesting to talk to and were so lovely to us. Around the pub there were heaps of great pieces of art, for sale, by local artists. There were a couple of fireplaces and lots of couches and a nice beergarden area. The bar itself reminded me very much of the ye olde English type bars. And they had cool little picture collages stuck on the walls here and there and a big painting of Keith Richards and a giant Aboriginal Flag hung over the bar which we all thought was very cool. Did soundcheck and then we hung out until dinner. The meals were so good. It was going to be a very fun time here at the Republic Bar. After dinner we checked into our hotel which had amazing views of Hobart. Put all our bags down and relaxed before the show. When we got back to the Republic we heard that it was sold out. That was a great feeling. Our first show back and it was going so well already. I don't think we were prepared for th!
e energy and reaction of the crowd that night, I was overwhelmed walking out on stage. I couldn't believe it. Everyone was going absolutely mad. We were so bowled over. We had such a great time on stage and when the show finished we bailed into the dressing room and started jamming on glasses and boxes and singing. It was one of those nights! Little did we know that the next night would be exactly the same. Sold out and the Tassies just going crazy! It was such a great weekend that we have deemed it to be absolutely one our favourite shows of the whole year. Thank you so much Tony and co. for making us feel so welcome and thank you to all the Tassie crew that came out and made it such a special and unforgettable weekend.
As well as the 2 shows, we were off to the famous Weld Valley on Saturday morning. Adam, the Greens pr guy, met us in Huonville and then a convoy of cars started the drive to the protest camp. We all felt very excited and part of something big. It felt good to be going to see what was happening there and what we could do. It didn't take long until the little quaint towns turned into magnificent high forest country. After that it didn't take long until we saw the devastating effects of logging and clear-felling. In many parts of the land, the trees were gone and in their place was browny/black land with grey sticks and trunks and yellowy stumps protruding out of the ground. It looked like a meteorite had hit. It looked like a graveyard. It made me really sad. We started getting closer and closer to the protest camp and I was getting really excited. We were told that there were quite a number of people making their way to the Weld to come and see us and to show their support. !
A sign pointed the way and finally we parked the cars and got out. Here, the trees were enormous. The air was so fresh and a very light rain was falling. It felt so peaceful and grand. I was loving it. We walked down with Adam to meet with the protesters. There were around a dozen or so main protesters who shared duties at the camp and who had been there for some time. One of the guys, Rob, was great. He was like a nice pirate and funnily enough, and to our amazement, they had built a special pirate ship deck for us, jolly roger and all, to stand on when we performed. It was quite a surprise. I'd never been to a protest camp in a rainforest before, although I had heard and read heaps about them. But once you're there, it's so much more real and mind-blowing. I was just thinking how these people are putting their lives at risk to protect this beautiful forest. At the entrance there was a giant tent set up with a small information board and pamphlets laid out. Then further up!
was the pirate ship deck, set-up infront of the road block they had b
uilt. Further up was the tree sit system they had set up. Basically, they sit in these tree lofts, in case the logging company come and try to chop down any of the trees. That way they are putting their bodies in between the logging company and the forest. Then Rob took us for a walk up into where the proposed logging route is set out for. We went deep into the forest and Rob talked us through some of the basics as to why they were there and what was at stake.
Basically the Weld Valley is under threat of logging from Gunns (who are a massive logging company) and Forestry Tasmania. They want to cut down the old growth giant eucalypts, mince them up into woodchips and then sell them for around $10 a tonne to mostly Japanese paper companies. The Tasmanian government and Forestry Tasmania agree that this is okay and it will generate jobs as well. In actual fact, around 10,000 people are employed in forestry based jobs but around 22,500 people are employed in the tourism industry in Tasmania, with an overwhelming percentage of that belonging to eco-tourism!!!!!!!!!!
Between January and April of this year, the activists successfully conducted a community blockade at Eddy Spur Road, which is the entrance to the Lower Weld Valley, which is where we were that day. As a result of this blockade, the community action group successfully negotiated a 6 month moratorium. But time is up now. There are still a few dedicated and courageous people at the blockade who value the future of the forest to leave. (These are the marvellous people we played to!!!)
The goal is to keep stalling Forestry Tasmania and Gunns so that comprehensive studies can be carried out in the Weld Valley area and hopefully this could then help to classify the Weld as a conservation area. It is such a breath-taking place. About 5,000 hectares of pristine eucalypt old growth forest. Some of the worlds tallest trees grow there. The state and federal governments have ignored the significance of the Weld Valley and are doing nothing to protect it. The Weld Valley has been recognised by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and even by the World Heritage Commission. But the Tasmanian government won't do anything to help with its conservation. The Weld Valley is the last remaining ecologically significant area in Tasmania. It is home to many species of plants and animals including the endangered wedge-tailed eagle. It also has cultural significance, with the discovery of stone artifacts and tree markings from early indigenous peoples of Tasmania. It has gre!
at potential to make a positive impact on the local economy through tourism. If the logging goes ahead, then the Weld will be destroyed. And believe me, the shit we saw as a result of clear-felling and fire-bombing is devastating. I cannot believe that the Weld may be cut down. It is just so incredibly beautiful there. And the animals will suffer too as they're homes and tucker will be destroyed. This is such a desperate situation in Tasmania. Time is of the essence. Write letters, make donations, become informed. Every little bit helps. This is your forest too. Not just the businesses and governments to do what they want with it for profit. We can make a difference and what is happening to these magnificent forests is wrong. Anyone can see that. Logging in old growth forests must stop now. If anyone out there reading this would like to help with the cause, please contact Save The Weld Action Group: savetheweld@planet-save.com
or write to PO Box 122 Franklin, Tasmania, 7713. These special and brave people are at the forefront of this campaign and will be able to tell you how best to help.
After hearing about the plight of this magnificent valley, we got on top of the pirates ship and played some of our songs acoustically. It felt so nice singing amongst the trees and the forest was all around us. And the protesters were all getting into it and clapping along and smiling. It felt wonderful to be part of the day and to help out our beautiful forests. I really felt glad that the protesters were enjoying our songs. When we finished they all cheered and Rob gave us all a huge hug. It felt really good. Then we all went up to the front of the protest camp and Adam's wife cooked up a tofu-burger-storm on the barbie. Everyone had a good feed and a good chinwag about the politics of the environmental issues and various other topics. The children of some of the people there were running around and having lots of fun. It felt very peaceful and warm. And I felt like we were all there, to share in a goal and to help support eachother in our vision for a better world. It wa!
s a great day and one I'll never forget. Thank you to Adam and his wife and to Rob and all of the concerned community who welcomed us so warmly. And thank you to Bob Brown and the Greens for giving a damn about our wilderness and in wanting to care for it, not only for ourselves and the animals that live there but for future generations too. Well done to all of you!!!!!! VIVA LA OLD GROWTH FORESTS!!!!!!