The Tarkine was officially recognised in May 2013. According to Wikipedia “The name “Tarkine” was coined by the conservation movement and was in use by 1991. It is a diminutive of the name “Tarkiner”, which is the anglicised pronunciation of one of the Aboriginal tribes who inhabited the western Tasmanian coastline from the Arthur River to the Pieman River before European colonisation.”
The Tarkine is an environment containing mountains, endless hills, rivers, old growth native forests, amazing fungi, a diversity of native flora and fauna, beaches, rocky foreshores, some access roads that are suitable for standard cars and others for four wheel drive vehicles, and bushwalking tracks to reach otherwise inaccessible locations. The remnants of the social history of Tasmania’s aboriginal communities pre-European settlement still exist, and various vintages of social history including mining activities over the past 150 years are evident.
The Tarkine contains the largest cool temperate rainforest in Australia, and covers about 10% of Tasmania with most within the Tarkine boundaries. Specific information about the forests is offered by Parks & Wildlife Service Tasmania. The WWF details the differences between the 4 categories of temperate rainforest in Australia and how Tasmania’s forest is unique.
Touching the Tarkine 