The Cover Shot - Wild #198

Reynolds Falls on the Vale River issues from a slot canyon and falls free for more than 60m, one of the most spectacular settings of any waterfall in Tasmania. Since my first visit in the early 1980s, I have returned to the falls several times and explored its environs seeking imagery for conservation campaigns; despite advocacy by The Wilderness Society and others for more than forty years, the protection status of the entire catchment remains poor.

Upstream of the falls, the river flows through a deep and steep gorge. I had only poked around the edges of the inaccessible gorge on foot, but when, some ten years ago, Mark Oates shared his dream of a descent of the entire river using packrafts and canyoning gear, I was immediately hooked.

The journey itself would be challenging, and fulfilling if we pulled it off, but the free-hanging abseil beside the falls would clearly be a highlight. And indeed it was; we dangled next to the powerful stream at the falls’ lip; standing beside its base, wind and spray buffeted us, and the roar was thunderous. In keeping with the spirit of our journey, and because it was bound to be photogenic, Mark undertook his abseil with his packraft inflated.

You can see more of Grant’s imagery, and read about this trip down the Vale River, in the accompanying photo essay ‘Unfinished Business’ starting on p60.

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