Dave Reynolds, a musician and photographer from Cygnet, Tasmania is one of our generous artists with Tarkine in Motion. Dave was a member of one of the first groups to visit and occupy Frankland River threatened forests in 2016 and returned this year to the camp. His photographs of the Spotted-tailed quoll and the moody river are below.

This year I returned to the Frankland River forests and, as I walked through a stand of magnificent Myrtle trees, I was awestruck by the presence of these ancient life forms. There is a rare chance to directly experience the cycle of life in these forests, where trees of great age stand on a forest floor composed of the remains of their fallen ancestors.

Life springs forth from decaying fibres, fungi light up darkened hollows and a Spotted-tailed Quoll walks silently through the forest.  This creature is completely at home here, of course, an inseparable part of the natural ecosystem.  For a few moments, as I watch the quoll forage in the leaf litter, I am filled with a deep sense of care, both for the animal and this special place. In this momentary contact with the wild, I deepen my own sense of connection with these threatened Tasmanian forests.

Dave Reynolds