I just binge watched ALL your videos. Because, they are excellent! Well researched, fascinating archival imagery, beautifully filmed, succint and focused commentary, yes, the dog helps. Thank you for doing what you do.
Thank you. Glad you've enjoyed them all. I want to post for frequently. I'm aiming to get to 1000 subs so that the channel can start to become sustainable. If you feel inclined don't be afraid to share any of my content. It helps a lot.
Thanks for this great tribute to one of Australia's boldest acts of environmental vandalism. In 1982, I was the junior research officer on the Senate Select Committee for South West Tasmania, which had been established by Don Chip as part of the effort to stop the Gordon below Franking dam. Sadly, I didn't get to go to Tassie then (the Committee, Secretary and Senior Research Officer took a helicopter flight over the whole area, landing on Frenchman's Cap, and hovering over the famous Kutikina cave on the Franklin River), but I was co-author of the Committee's report that helped highlight the issue. Finally, 40 years later, I was in Strahan (on my motorbike) and was able to go on a boat tour up the Gordon River. I've always been proud to have been a small part of the movement that helped save the Gordon River from being dammed, and it was wonderfull to finally see it.
I flew to Lake Pedder many times before the flooding. In fact I have flown the first two aircraft shown in this video. We used to land just south of where Maria Creek flowed into the lake nearly always landing to the south. That way you could get a better visualisation of your height above the sand to begin the flare to land the aircraft. To arrive and experience the intense silence of the place after the noise of the aircraft was blissful.
My husband and a couple of mates dived Lake Pedder a few years ago. They found the beach and brought home a small bag of sand. The water was so dark with tannins they couldn’t even see their hands in front of their faces!
A dear friend of my late parents was one of the senior engineers for the Hydro back in the flooding of Pedder days. He mentioned to me a few years ago that, in hindsight he felt that the flooding was a terrible wrong doing.
@@666theninja The gentleman was a Michael Fitzpatrick. Was about 10 years ago, he was over here in the west visiting my mum. His health was slipping, I was helping him out of the car and he was complaining about this terrible noise coming from the car . A quick peek under revealed a sizeable branch stuck under it. They had driven half way around Perth with it there. We all had a bit of a laugh and I had a dig at him about how an engineer of his standing had managed to run over such a thing without noticing. The discussion went on how life catches up with us all and what we may or not have achieved and our regrets. Then he popped the comment about Pedder among other things.
This must be the final video in the YouToob algorithm, because I've also come here to say that I just binged all your videos and the content is gold. Keep up the good work, buddy.
Lake Peddar is beautiful now as it is, new beaches are forming everywhere & it’s spectacular & such a beautiful place to visit, those who say drain it are completely narrow minded & need to go there & experience how beautiful it is & it’s size makes it even more a special place to explore & the huge amount of marine & bird life is amazing, these would all disappear if it was drained, it’s beautiful as it is now, a magical place
100%. People need to move on. What’s happened has happened. It now has a new eco system formed and there’s nothing wrong with that. Drain it for what: destroy the habitat that’s now formed for the current crop of fauna and flora? And commit the sin twice?
Of course it better than before and making pollution free energy, the franklin river would still be there if the dam was built and everybody could of gone and looked at the Beautiful Franklin Dam and river. Look at Lake Burbury on the west coast, tourist think it's a natural lake but it's a man made lake with a Dam on it making pollution free energy. So people should see the beauty of dams and the franklin river needs to be Re-booted to become the Battery to the Nation. Times are a changing and Energy as in Power for Electric Cars and peoples needs will demand more power. Hydro and Premier Robin Grey were ahead of there time back in 1982 and so sad the Franklin Dam is not meeting the needs of the Australian People that it was Designed to do. Shame on the High Court of Australia and Closed mind Greens back in that time frame.
The biggest takeaway from this needs to be that to visit Lake Pedder before flooding you needed to be financial enough to hire a plane to get there. A place only for the rich and elite. Same in many ways as the Franklin.. yay.. it’s pristine and untouched.. but no one fkn goes there now.
@@666theninja Do you actually believe that if the franklin dam went ahead then we would now be paying cheaper electrical costs then you certainly do not understand the big picture. Get your head out of the sand the last thing those maggots that you so naively support is to provide cheap power to the masses. I'm very glad the Franklin river was saved.
Would be cool to see it again, although if they drained the current lake, I imagine muddy empty land would be left and rains would probably wash a lot of it into the original lake making quite a mess. Also the high altitude vegetation would probably take ages to recover. It might be better if they slowly drained it over many years so as the level dropped the vegetation could follow the new shorelines and recover.
@@betula2137 Yeah in the video they said divers went down and they even saw the last tire tracks from the final planes which left before it was flooded.
You mention Tony Abbott in a somewhat derogatory way, yet no Labor government, either state or federal, has moved to drain the enlarged Lake Pedder to regain the original beach and surrounds, when they have had plenty of opportunity to do it.
And it's still happening. With a government that acts like a third-world country -- Tasmania's rainforest (the 4th oldest in the world, and the 3rd largest temperate rainforests), trees (highest comcenration of tall trees on Earth, and 2nd tallest trees up to 101 m), animals (fastest parrot on Earth, largest eagle by wingspan, extinct largest carnivorous marsupial, largest barn owl, largest wattle bird, largest freshwater crayfish), and far more. Logging employs around 500 people, and instead of a Just Transition, their jobs are treated far more importantly than health workers, even when the entire industry runs at a loss (has lost over $1 billion over the past decades), and the woodchips that are milled are worth far less than from existing plantations. This is how Tasmanians are convinced to abhor the Greens and BBF (who, at times are ill-informed themselves, but are far more ethical in general than the foreign companies) -- when the peaceful protest of these jobs is treated as obstruction of all of Tasmania, and anti-protest laws are proposed over and over. Then there are the foreign, sometimes foreign state-owned mining companies, who leach off local communities' need for support and jobs, and end up contaminating the pristine waterways and forests and creating boom and bust towns where wealth is extracted and sent overseas without any local value-adding.
Amusing when everything you’re using including the computer to type that on was mined for its raw materials: seems like it’s fine as long a my life is not compromised and it’s in someone else’s backyard?
@@xr6lad As a nation we still need timber. For building and for furniture. Woodchips is high volume low labour low margin. Sawlogs are high value, high labour and low volume. It would be better to ban the woodchip industry than to ban logging. That way you cut fewer logs while employing more people and getting a greater earning. But done properly selective logging can enhance a forest without destroying it. Why did we turn away from that?
I’ve just discovered your videos, fantastic work. Wonderful images & commentary. Flooding Lake Pedder was just so misguided, arrogant and tragic. I remember the Save Lake Pedder campaign very well. And yes the Lake should be drained and restored. Thank you 🙏
It was the best thing ever, remember that when you turn on your light switch or heater and it's called Progress and not doing it for Tasmanian people would of been misguided, arrogant and tragic. So glad Electric Eric stood by the Hydro and got it done.
I love playing with water elevations, have played with dams and explored beaver lands. Planing a canal in my lawn and I already have permanent dams in my house. Have thought of a border Canal too, with the fill being used for and eastern contental brake wall of fresh water seas and new land along it, similar to the thin strips along the mid Atlantic. A sellable calm fresh water way all the way from Toronto to L.A.
such a terrible loss, and of course - no new industries ever came! The power of the HEC (scuse the pun) was extraordinary during the majority of the 20th century...
No loss it was a Gain, Tasmania is the Best State in Australia as we don't have any Coal Power Stations like the mainland has. Lucky for Tasmania the Hydro pushed it agenda for the better of Tasmania as we would not enjoy the Pollution free energy we have in Tasmania.
Lake Pedder does not contribute much extra water to Lake Gordon (via a canal) as it's operated within a very tight band of max/min water levels. Its primary purpose is to provide a spillway for the Gordon dam by letting Gordon water flow into Pedder which can discharge into the Gordon river at Serpentine dam as Gordon dam has no spillway of its own. A little fish called the Galaxia in Pedder has messed up that plan though.
The Gordon Power Station has a maximum generating capacity of 432 Megawatts - i.e. when all of its three turbines are spinning. The Gordon scheme’s actual sustained output (this is based on average water inflows in any year) is approximately 140 Megawatts average, which equals about 10% of the state’s hydro-electric output. Of this, the Huon-Serpentine impoundment supplies 40 percent of water inflow. Lake Pedder’s flooding thus provides 4% of the state’s hydro-electric output. This translates to 3.2% of the state’s total electricity demand (from all power sources).
Worse this is: The Tasmanian Wilderness was World Heritage listed, not only that, but it was rated 7/10 on the criteria, making it the world's highest rated heritage area. Abbott proposed delisting the entire area, in order to allow deforestation, mining, and foreign companies to take ownership of it. How egregious! Obviously, UNESCO rejected it after just a few seconds of deliberation -- no way could this globally important, incredibly rare Australian icon be destroyed for quick money, which has existed for over 5 million years, with some of the oldest organisms (up to 50,000 year old trees) that are worth far more than a human could fathom in a single lifespan.
Does the hydro still run Taswegia?? They sure used too. I explored by car the area while being built in the later 70s. All fairly rough and dodging big construction equipment And have done a Gordon cruise from Strahan a couple of times.
@@666theninja yes we heard you the first time. Back when houses were made of a cheap native timber cladding and thick corrugation, with no insulation. And now we are part of global energy pricing and standardised domestic insulation, oh the simpler times.
Am old enough to remember Pedder at its peak as a trout fishery. I met people at that lake from all over the world, there to catch the massive trout that were a result of the flooding. I have fond memories of our trips there, from extreme weather, massive trout, meeting people from all over the world, and enjoying the still breathtaking scenery that is Lake Pedder. It’s funny you mentioned Tony Abbott doing nothing with a little vitriol, yet pass over Whitlam with little fanfare. Hopefully in the near future, the destruction of Australia as a democracy by Whitlam will be revealed, and the mere fact Tony Abbott didn’t drain a lake will seem inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. And I’m no fan of the Libs or Labor. They are both, in their current form, not political parties, but criminals pretending to be the servants of the people of this great country. Hopefully that all changes soon.
When I was young and the Franklin protests were on I heard a story that if the Great Lakes hydro electric station was run at 90% to full capacity it would drain the lakes quite quickly. Is there any truth to the story that you are aware of? I do enjoy your calm and pleasant narrative, thanks and keep up the good work.
@@angusthornett it would be interesting to find out because as I understood the reason for the Franklin dam was to make up for the error made with the Great Lakes. Maybe I'm just interested in conspiraces but there was, as I recall, no particular reason for the Franklin project. None that made sense anyway.
@@seanworkman431 The Franklin Dam was been dammed for future power needs and now look, Australia has future power needs. Hydro was ahead of there time and the High Court of Australia has errored in Judgement going off power needs in 2022 lol.
@@666theninja I have no idea why you would be laughing, although I was quite young at the time I do recall that the High Court's decision was based on the environmental concerns, chiefly being that a unique habit would be destroyed should the dam go ahead. It was much later that I heard from an engineer that the great lakes could not support the power station below. He based that on his own calculation of water volume available and water volume required. The current energy crisis has come about by dissuading companies from investing in coal and gas or nuclear because they won't be welcome contributions and we do not have a substitute, wind and solar are unrealistic.
@@seanworkman431 I worked for the Hydro on the Franklin Dam the Crotty Dam and the King Dam, States Rights was the Real issue over the Dam as far as Tas Government was concerned and the only Issue, the Dam had nothing to do with the Federal Government and they should of stuck there nose out of the issue. Bob Hawke used the Franklin Dam for Political Gain: Why he stuck his nose into the Dam Issue in the first place. States Rights Issues were Raped and Destroyed over the Wrong Choice by the High Court of Australia, the High Court never looked at Future Power Needs for Australia and that was part of the Court Case in a way it's why the Dam was been built by the Hydro, i lol cause now look at the Power Demands Australia is under right now in South Australia and Victoria. The Franklin Dam would be Adding 180 Megawatts into Bass Link to the Mainland to help this power demand if it had of been built. Any Tasmanian that flicks on a light switch in Tasmania needs to remember where that power comes from in Tassie, Oh that be our Hydro Dams :)
The Hydro didn't Destroy Lake Pedder, it turned it into a Pollution Free Energy making Dam that all Tasmanian's get to enjoy when they flick on there light switch or Electric Heater. It's called PROGRESS people. The Franklin Dam is a Tragedy it was never built as it's 180 Megawatts would be very handy right now in this Power Drought that Australia is in right now. Only people with a Plane could visit Lake Pedder back before it got the Dam, so it's not like everybody got to see it anyway. You have to have Progress or what go back to oil lamps and candles and horse and cart. Look at the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River will generate 22,500 megawatts and get rid of a heap of Coal power stations in China.
@@vandemonian5412 Not killing Rivers-it's turning them into Pollution Free Energy Makers. Lake Pedder nobody could visit it before unless you owned a Plane, useless lake it was now it serves a purpose :)
@@shaundouglas2057 Yes, 185 megawatts of pollution free power. You can't get to the Franklin unless it's a raft or chopper, So it's useless to people anyway.
I just binge watched ALL your videos. Because, they are excellent! Well researched, fascinating archival imagery, beautifully filmed, succint and focused commentary, yes, the dog helps. Thank you for doing what you do.
Thank you. Glad you've enjoyed them all. I want to post for frequently. I'm aiming to get to 1000 subs so that the channel can start to become sustainable. If you feel inclined don't be afraid to share any of my content. It helps a lot.
Me too! Such a fabulous channel
@@Retro-love- Thank you, glad you've enjoyed.
Thanks for this great tribute to one of Australia's boldest acts of environmental vandalism. In 1982, I was the junior research officer on the Senate Select Committee for South West Tasmania, which had been established by Don Chip as part of the effort to stop the Gordon below Franking dam. Sadly, I didn't get to go to Tassie then (the Committee, Secretary and Senior Research Officer took a helicopter flight over the whole area, landing on Frenchman's Cap, and hovering over the famous Kutikina cave on the Franklin River), but I was co-author of the Committee's report that helped highlight the issue. Finally, 40 years later, I was in Strahan (on my motorbike) and was able to go on a boat tour up the Gordon River. I've always been proud to have been a small part of the movement that helped save the Gordon River from being dammed, and it was wonderfull to finally see it.
I flew to Lake Pedder many times before the flooding. In fact I have flown the first two aircraft shown in this video. We used to land just south of where Maria Creek flowed into the lake nearly always landing to the south. That way you could get a better visualisation of your height above the sand to begin the flare to land the aircraft. To arrive and experience the intense silence of the place after the noise of the aircraft was blissful.
Hi Peter, maybe you carried my grandfather there, Norman Laird?
@@benvalentine2534 Hi Ben, sorry but I couldn't say - it's been over 50 years now since I flew there.
My husband and a couple of mates dived Lake Pedder a few years ago. They found the beach and brought home a small bag of sand. The water was so dark with tannins they couldn’t even see their hands in front of their faces!
A dear friend of my late parents was one of the senior engineers for the Hydro back in the flooding of Pedder days.
He mentioned to me a few years ago that, in hindsight he felt that the flooding was a terrible wrong doing.
Instead, we could have built several coal fired power stations and then lamented not having pollution free hydro in the 21st century.
@@xr6lad flooding pedder was not necessary - it just added catchment size to the gordon impoundment -
I doubt a Hydro Engineer said that.
@@666theninja The gentleman was a Michael Fitzpatrick. Was about 10 years ago, he was over here in the west visiting my mum.
His health was slipping, I was helping him out of the car and he was complaining about this terrible noise coming from the car .
A quick peek under revealed a sizeable branch stuck under it. They had driven half way around Perth with it there.
We all had a bit of a laugh and I had a dig at him about how an engineer of his standing had managed to run over such a thing without noticing.
The discussion went on how life catches up with us all and what we may or not have achieved and our regrets.
Then he popped the comment about Pedder among other things.
@@davodavo1782 Well it dose not matter, as the Hydro used the Lake for a useful purpose.
This super local content is what makes TH-cam so positive. Keep it up.
This must be the final video in the YouToob algorithm, because I've also come here to say that I just binged all your videos and the content is gold. Keep up the good work, buddy.
Glad you enjoyed. I'm trying to get subscribers up, so that the channel can become sustainable. If you're so inclined, please share my videos.
I camped on the beach at Lake peddler in 1973 I think was as lovely as described
Great work Angus
Very Informative vid thank you!!
Lake Peddar is beautiful now as it is, new beaches are forming everywhere & it’s spectacular & such a beautiful place to visit, those who say drain it are completely narrow minded & need to go there & experience how beautiful it is & it’s size makes it even more a special place to explore & the huge amount of marine & bird life is amazing, these would all disappear if it was drained, it’s beautiful as it is now, a magical place
100%. People need to move on. What’s happened has happened. It now has a new eco system formed and there’s nothing wrong with that. Drain it for what: destroy the habitat that’s now formed for the current crop of fauna and flora? And commit the sin twice?
That is an interesting perspective.
Of course it better than before and making pollution free energy, the franklin river would still be there if the dam was built and everybody could of gone and looked at the Beautiful Franklin Dam and river. Look at Lake Burbury on the west coast, tourist think it's a natural lake but it's a man made lake with a Dam on it making pollution free energy. So people should see the beauty of dams and the franklin river needs to be Re-booted to become the Battery to the Nation. Times are a changing and Energy as in Power for Electric Cars and peoples needs will demand more power. Hydro and Premier Robin Grey were ahead of there time back in 1982 and so sad the Franklin Dam is not meeting the needs of the Australian People that it was Designed to do. Shame on the High Court of Australia and Closed mind Greens back in that time frame.
The biggest takeaway from this needs to be that to visit Lake Pedder before flooding you needed to be financial enough to hire a plane to get there. A place only for the rich and elite. Same in many ways as the Franklin.. yay.. it’s pristine and untouched.. but no one fkn goes there now.
@@666theninja Do you actually believe that if the franklin dam went ahead then we would now be paying cheaper electrical costs then you certainly do not understand the big picture. Get your head out of the sand the last thing those maggots that you so naively support is to provide cheap power to the masses.
I'm very glad the Franklin river was saved.
Would be cool to see it again, although if they drained the current lake, I imagine muddy empty land would be left and rains would probably wash a lot of it into the original lake making quite a mess. Also the high altitude vegetation would probably take ages to recover. It might be better if they slowly drained it over many years so as the level dropped the vegetation could follow the new shorelines and recover.
@@nalatemma4032 I camped down near Edgar Pond a few years back. Its an amazing area.
I think they found that the pink beach is still intact nowadays.
@@betula2137 Yeah in the video they said divers went down and they even saw the last tire tracks from the final planes which left before it was flooded.
Absolutely loving your content Angus. Such interesting & well made videos. But errr ... stuff the 5min TH-cam crowd, give us some 30 min stories 👍
You mention Tony Abbott in a somewhat derogatory way, yet no Labor government, either state or federal, has moved to drain the enlarged Lake Pedder to regain the original beach and surrounds, when they have had plenty of opportunity to do it.
Really loving your videos so much thank you !!
Thank you.
I wonder if one day we will be able to return Lake Pedder to its former glory. Almost finish watching all your videos Angus. Thumbs up mate.
thanks mate. you've awoken something in me for the preservation of our amazing natural state.
Good to hear, Tim
Wow! I had no idea, thank you!!!
And it's still happening.
With a government that acts like a third-world country -- Tasmania's rainforest (the 4th oldest in the world, and the 3rd largest temperate rainforests), trees (highest comcenration of tall trees on Earth, and 2nd tallest trees up to 101 m), animals (fastest parrot on Earth, largest eagle by wingspan, extinct largest carnivorous marsupial, largest barn owl, largest wattle bird, largest freshwater crayfish), and far more.
Logging employs around 500 people, and instead of a Just Transition, their jobs are treated far more importantly than health workers, even when the entire industry runs at a loss (has lost over $1 billion over the past decades), and the woodchips that are milled are worth far less than from existing plantations.
This is how Tasmanians are convinced to abhor the Greens and BBF (who, at times are ill-informed themselves, but are far more ethical in general than the foreign companies) -- when the peaceful protest of these jobs is treated as obstruction of all of Tasmania, and anti-protest laws are proposed over and over.
Then there are the foreign, sometimes foreign state-owned mining companies, who leach off local communities' need for support and jobs, and end up contaminating the pristine waterways and forests and creating boom and bust towns where wealth is extracted and sent overseas without any local value-adding.
Amusing when everything you’re using including the computer to type that on was mined for its raw materials: seems like it’s fine as long a my life is not compromised and it’s in someone else’s backyard?
@@xr6lad As a nation we still need timber. For building and for furniture. Woodchips is high volume low labour low margin. Sawlogs are high value, high labour and low volume. It would be better to ban the woodchip industry than to ban logging. That way you cut fewer logs while employing more people and getting a greater earning. But done properly selective logging can enhance a forest without destroying it. Why did we turn away from that?
Logging regrowth only.
90% of old growth timber is locked up which you failed to mention.
I’ve just discovered your videos, fantastic work. Wonderful images & commentary. Flooding Lake Pedder was just so misguided, arrogant and tragic. I remember the Save Lake Pedder campaign very well. And yes the Lake should be drained and restored. Thank you 🙏
It was the best thing ever, remember that when you turn on your light switch or heater and it's called Progress and not doing it for Tasmanian people would of been misguided, arrogant and tragic. So glad Electric Eric stood by the Hydro and got it done.
@@666theninja progress...
@@waynedewhurst3051 Yes Wayne, PROGRESS
I love playing with water elevations, have played with dams and explored beaver lands. Planing a canal in my lawn and I already have permanent dams in my house. Have thought of a border Canal too, with the fill being used for and eastern contental brake wall of fresh water seas and new land along it, similar to the thin strips along the mid Atlantic. A sellable calm fresh water way all the way from Toronto to L.A.
I would love to sit and chat with you about how you find and discover all these amazing places and stories
Beautiful ending
Yes please.
such a terrible loss, and of course - no new industries ever came! The power of the HEC (scuse the pun) was extraordinary during the majority of the 20th century...
No loss it was a Gain, Tasmania is the Best State in Australia as we don't have any Coal Power Stations like the mainland has. Lucky for Tasmania the Hydro pushed it agenda for the better of Tasmania as we would not enjoy the Pollution free energy we have in Tasmania.
Lake Pedder does not contribute much extra water to Lake Gordon (via a canal) as it's operated within a very tight band of max/min water levels. Its primary purpose is to provide a spillway for the Gordon dam by letting Gordon water flow into Pedder which can discharge into the Gordon river at Serpentine dam as Gordon dam has no spillway of its own. A little fish called the Galaxia in Pedder has messed up that plan though.
Incorrect
The Gordon Power Station has a maximum generating capacity of 432 Megawatts - i.e. when all of its three turbines are spinning.
The Gordon scheme’s actual sustained output (this is based on average water inflows in any year) is approximately 140 Megawatts average, which equals about 10% of the state’s hydro-electric output.
Of this, the Huon-Serpentine impoundment supplies 40 percent of water inflow.
Lake Pedder’s flooding thus provides 4% of the state’s hydro-electric output. This translates to 3.2% of the state’s total electricity demand (from all power sources).
I can only imagine Abbot thought about draining the lake to promote building a coal fired power station in Tasmania.
Worse this is:
The Tasmanian Wilderness was World Heritage listed, not only that, but it was rated 7/10 on the criteria, making it the world's highest rated heritage area.
Abbott proposed delisting the entire area, in order to allow deforestation, mining, and foreign companies to take ownership of it.
How egregious! Obviously, UNESCO rejected it after just a few seconds of deliberation -- no way could this globally important, incredibly rare Australian icon be destroyed for quick money, which has existed for over 5 million years, with some of the oldest organisms (up to 50,000 year old trees) that are worth far more than a human could fathom in a single lifespan.
Does the hydro still run Taswegia?? They sure used too.
I explored by car the area while being built in the later 70s. All fairly rough and dodging big construction equipment
And have done a Gordon cruise from Strahan a couple of times.
Tas Government owned the Hydro not the Hydro owning Taswegia.
Flooding Pedder can only be described as a massive f-up.
Flooding Pedder can be described as Progress and meeting Tasmania's Power Needs, remember that when you flick on your light switch :)
@@666theninja yes we heard you the first time. Back when houses were made of a cheap native timber cladding and thick corrugation, with no insulation. And now we are part of global energy pricing and standardised domestic insulation, oh the simpler times.
@@666bruv Good, keep hearing it. Long Live Tas Hydro Dams. :)
@@666theninja Yeah keep those energy costs rising "heil hydro"
@@shaundouglas2057 Yes, all Hail the Hydro and remember that when you turn the light switch on.
Am old enough to remember Pedder at its peak as a trout fishery. I met people at that lake from all over the world, there to catch the massive trout that were a result of the flooding. I have fond memories of our trips there, from extreme weather, massive trout, meeting people from all over the world, and enjoying the still breathtaking scenery that is Lake Pedder. It’s funny you mentioned Tony Abbott doing nothing with a little vitriol, yet pass over Whitlam with little fanfare. Hopefully in the near future, the destruction of Australia as a democracy by Whitlam will be revealed, and the mere fact Tony Abbott didn’t drain a lake will seem inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. And I’m no fan of the Libs or Labor. They are both, in their current form, not political parties, but criminals pretending to be the servants of the people of this great country. Hopefully that all changes soon.
Tony Abbott did absolutely bloody nothing for Australia....!
When I was young and the Franklin protests were on I heard a story that if the Great Lakes hydro electric station was run at 90% to full capacity it would drain the lakes quite quickly. Is there any truth to the story that you are aware of?
I do enjoy your calm and pleasant narrative, thanks and keep up the good work.
I don't know
@@angusthornett it would be interesting to find out because as I understood the reason for the Franklin dam was to make up for the error made with the Great Lakes. Maybe I'm just interested in conspiraces but there was, as I recall, no particular reason for the Franklin project. None that made sense anyway.
@@seanworkman431 The Franklin Dam was been dammed for future power needs and now look, Australia has future power needs. Hydro was ahead of there time and the High Court of Australia has errored in Judgement going off power needs in 2022 lol.
@@666theninja I have no idea why you would be laughing, although I was quite young at the time I do recall that the High Court's decision was based on the environmental concerns, chiefly being that a unique habit would be destroyed should the dam go ahead.
It was much later that I heard from an engineer that the great lakes could not support the power station below. He based that on his own calculation of water volume available and water volume required.
The current energy crisis has come about by dissuading companies from investing in coal and gas or nuclear because they won't be welcome contributions and we do not have a substitute, wind and solar are unrealistic.
@@seanworkman431 I worked for the Hydro on the Franklin Dam the Crotty Dam and the King Dam, States Rights was the Real issue over the Dam as far as Tas Government was concerned and the only Issue, the Dam had nothing to do with the Federal Government and they should of stuck there nose out of the issue. Bob Hawke used the Franklin Dam for Political Gain: Why he stuck his nose into the Dam Issue in the first place. States Rights Issues were Raped and Destroyed over the Wrong Choice by the High Court of Australia, the High Court never looked at Future Power Needs for Australia and that was part of the Court Case in a way it's why the Dam was been built by the Hydro, i lol cause now look at the Power Demands Australia is under right now in South Australia and Victoria. The Franklin Dam would be Adding 180 Megawatts into Bass Link to the Mainland to help this power demand if it had of been built. Any Tasmanian that flicks on a light switch in Tasmania needs to remember where that power comes from in Tassie, Oh that be our Hydro Dams :)
The Hydro didn't Destroy Lake Pedder, it turned it into a Pollution Free Energy making Dam that all Tasmanian's get to enjoy when they flick on there light switch or Electric Heater. It's called PROGRESS people. The Franklin Dam is a Tragedy it was never built as it's 180 Megawatts would be very handy right now in this Power Drought that Australia is in right now. Only people with a Plane could visit Lake Pedder back before it got the Dam, so it's not like everybody got to see it anyway. You have to have Progress or what go back to oil lamps and candles and horse and cart. Look at the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River will generate 22,500 megawatts and get rid of a heap of Coal power stations in China.
Nobody can visit lake pedder now so I dont get your point. Killing rivers is not progress.
@@vandemonian5412 Not killing Rivers-it's turning them into Pollution Free Energy Makers. Lake Pedder nobody could visit it before unless you owned a Plane, useless lake it was now it serves a purpose :)
@@vandemonian5412yes we can. It is just not the old one. It is beautiful now as well. Lots of new beaches forming and lots of new ecosystems.
Do you really think we would have been better off if the Franklin had been flooded?
@@shaundouglas2057 Yes, 185 megawatts of pollution free power. You can't get to the Franklin unless it's a raft or chopper, So it's useless to people anyway.
We should of dammed the Franklin also. Imagine the amount of clean electricity we'd have right now.
Great vid and fascinating story Angus. I heard there quite an interesting backstory to the people who also tried to save lake Pedder.