REMOTEST IDEAS
Six months on an isolated island provides an adventurous couple with a tale of simple living and plenty of natural drama
It’s strange how you start to measure time in toilet rolls and blocks of chocolate, writes Paul Richardson, who spent six months as a caretaker on Tasmania’s remote Maatsuyker Island with his partner Amanda Walker in 2015. It is one of the many everyday observations Richardson makes in their book, Maatsuyker Through Our Eyes.
If his text evokes a daily life appealingly shaped by simple repetitive chores, meals and activities, Walker’s photographs of the island and the Southern Ocean bring drama, beauty and majesty. They are a good team, both on the island – where they descend into only one big argument during their tenure, towards the end when he falls ill – and in print. Sometimes they swap roles here, with Richardson taking some of the pictures and Walker sharing her diary entries in the book.
“Island life was physically hard compared to home, but we thrived in that environment, living moment to moment,” writes Richardson of their stint with the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service Caretaker Program, which has been running since 1997.
But was six months too long to be out there? Richardson, who has worked on fishing boats and as a diver for 30 years, is used to being away from home, but he begins to wonder at their halfway point. “Our first three months have delivered everything we came to the island to see – so will the next three fly by like the first – or will it drag?” he muses. While he grows restless, Walker, a photographer and artist, would happily stay longer.
One joy for them is exploring the grassy green tracks – when Richardson is not mowing them – of the 186ha island, which is 5km off Tasmania’s South Coast. Forest and ocean, birds, seals and capricious weather all captivate, and fill them with awe.
There are many happy and peaceful days, but they also witness a maritime tragedy and, as winter sets in, experience terrifically frightening electrical and wind storms. In one, a lightning strike hits the lighthouse and other buildings they are looking after, blowing the power.
This beautifully produced hardcover book tells a story of adventure in the sort of quiet detail that will intrigue weather buffs and nature lovers. It also contains more than enough romance for fellow wanderlusters to dream a little and perhaps toy with the idea of applying for such a position themselves. A selection of Amanda Walker’s Maatsuyker images are on show at Wild Island, Salamanca, in a group exhibition. Ocean and Earth, until July 3