A CELEBRATION OF THE HISTORY, CULTURE, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF RECHERCHE BAY
CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Auditorium Hobart, Tasmania
26–28 February 2007
Rediscovering Recherche Bay – the book presenting outcomes from the symposium
Edited by John Mulvaney and Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe
 The attractive 160-page paperback features numerous colour figures, including maps, photos and historic prints. RRP $24.95. Order forms for the book are available here. |
Beautiful Recherche Bay, in south-west Tasmania, came to prominence only recently, but its significance for Australians goes back more than two centuries. It was there in 1791–1793 that many of Australia’s unique plants were collected by botanists for the first time; a joyous encounter occurred between visiting French explorers and the Tasmanian people; and critical experiments on the Earth’s magnetic field were conducted by French scientists. Long forgotten, the place hit the news in 2001 with the discovery of remains thought to be from the French expedition. A public campaign to save the site from logging was resolved through the generosity of businessman Dick Smith, who underwrote its purchase by the Tasmanian Land Conservancy. To celebrate that outcome a symposium was held in 2007 in Hobart with experts in several disciplines exploring the historical, scientific and cultural significance of Recherche Bay. This book is the outcome.
It begins with a review of the historical context of the French expedition, followed by assessments of its scientific contributions to cartography, botany and zoology. The French encounter with the Tasmanians is examined and its significance to later studies on archaeology and the origin of language discussed; these are followed by a review of the subsequent history of Recherche Bay as a centre of whaling and its economic importance. The remaining chapters deal with contemporary matters. A report on the current archaeological assessment of the stone structure purported to be the French garden is followed by examinations of the concept of place, the basis of public versus private values and the legal aspects of the controversy over Recherche Bay; the final chapter looks to the future: how best to conserve the several values represented at Recherche Bay.
The contents of the book are as follows:
1. Alan Frost, From the hills of Provence to the coast of Van Diemen's Land: The Expedition of Antoine-Raymond-Joseph Bruny d'Entrecasteaux, 1791-1793
2. Michael Pearson, Nothing Left Undone': The Hydrographic Surveys Of Beautemps-Beaupré.
3. Gintaras Kantvilas, Labillardière and the Beginnings of Botanical Exploration in Tasmania.
4. Stewart Nicol, J'étais convaincu qu'il dormait' European views of a unique Australian mammal.
5. John Mulvaney, Meeting the Tasmanians.
6. Iain Davidson, Tasmanian Aborigines and the origins of language.
7. Ian Rae, The Technology of Whaling: Why They Did it, and How.
8. J-C Galipaud, The Lost Garden of Recherche.
9. Joan Domicelj, A land mapped by stories.
10. Aynsley Kellow, Right Deeds and Wrong Reasons: The Politics of Nature, History and the Preservation of Recherche Bay.
11. Tom Baxter, Legal Lessons from the Recent History of Recherche Bay.
12. David Lindenmayer, The conservation and management of ecological communities.
Published by The Academy of Social Sciences in Australia on behalf of the National Academies’ Forum.
Book review by Dr Edward Duyker FAHA.