Connection to Nature with former Gunns Plains Hops Farmer Mick Dudgeon
Coast to Cradle Wild Country
Mick grew up in Tasmania’s Midlands as the eldest of six children, in a sheep farming family. He then went on to study accounting in Hobart, but through a series of events he soon ended up leaving the accounting office and taking on an assistant manager role at Bushy Parks, the then largest hop farm in Australia.
After four years as the assistant manager, in 1985 Mick was offered the manager position at the hop farm. For Mick, life in the valley was closely intertwined with the landscape. He lived in a house built by the company about 25 metres above the valley floor, where he would sit and enjoy the views.
“We had stunning views out across the valley, across the hops, to Loyalty Peak and the hills on the other side”, Mick says.
“Being a southerner, I particularly enjoyed being there in winter after the rain, when the air feels so fresh. There was just a peace about it. Compared to the dry climate in the Midlands, that humidity and everything being so green was just lovely.”
Mick also recalls the beauty of the drive into Gunns Plains.
“The road winds down through this beautiful forest, comes out into the valley, and then the valley opens up as you head south. It was just a lovely forest, just so nice to drive through.”
The Leven River runs through Gunns Plains, supporting a productive agricultural landscape where dairy and beef cattle, potatoes, and at times poppies, have been grown.
“You can grow anything there,” Mick says.
However, returning to Gunns Plains in recent years is not only warm memories, but it also brings Mick a slight sense of unease.
“I'm a bit alarmed about the deforestation since I left, noticeably a bit taken here and a bit taken there, and that worries me”, he says.
“I see Gunns Plains moving in that direction a little bit, and I don't like that. I think it's the wrong way to go. We've got to preserve our country.”
When asked what his vision would be for this landscape if everything was done right, Mick’s answer is simple.
“I would certainly preserve all the forest we've got. I think that's really important.”
“It's really important that we get out into nature. I think we feel more at peace when we're in nature.”
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Gunns Plains is an important part of the Coast to Cradle Wild Country, stretching from the Central Coast through to Cradle Mountain.
Do you want to have your say on how the Coast to Cradle Wild Country should be managed into the future? Fill out the Community Survey here: https://kuno.earth/articles/community-survey-coast-to-cradle
Tilde Bergström
Conservation Stories Editor
Mick grew up in Tasmania’s Midlands as the eldest of six children, in a sheep farming family. He then went on to study accounting in Hobart, but through a series of events he soon ended up leaving the accounting office and taking on an assistant manager role at Bushy Parks, the then largest hop farm in Australia.
After four years as the assistant manager, in 1985 Mick was offered the manager position at the hop farm. For Mick, life in the valley was closely intertwined with the landscape. He lived in a house built by the company about 25 metres above the valley floor, where he would sit and enjoy the views.
“We had stunning views out across the valley, across the hops, to Loyalty Peak and the hills on the other side”, Mick says.
“Being a southerner, I particularly enjoyed being there in winter after the rain, when the air feels so fresh. There was just a peace about it. Compared to the dry climate in the Midlands, that humidity and everything being so green was just lovely.”
Mick also recalls the beauty of the drive into Gunns Plains.
“The road winds down through this beautiful forest, comes out into the valley, and then the valley opens up as you head south. It was just a lovely forest, just so nice to drive through.”
The Leven River runs through Gunns Plains, supporting a productive agricultural landscape where dairy and beef cattle, potatoes, and at times poppies, have been grown.
“You can grow anything there,” Mick says.
However, returning to Gunns Plains in recent years is not only warm memories, but it also brings Mick a slight sense of unease.
“I'm a bit alarmed about the deforestation since I left, noticeably a bit taken here and a bit taken there, and that worries me”, he says.
“I see Gunns Plains moving in that direction a little bit, and I don't like that. I think it's the wrong way to go. We've got to preserve our country.”
When asked what his vision would be for this landscape if everything was done right, Mick’s answer is simple.
“I would certainly preserve all the forest we've got. I think that's really important.”
“It's really important that we get out into nature. I think we feel more at peace when we're in nature.”
-----------------------------------------------------
Gunns Plains is an important part of the Coast to Cradle Wild Country, stretching from the Central Coast through to Cradle Mountain.
Do you want to have your say on how the Coast to Cradle Wild Country should be managed into the future? Fill out the Community Survey here: https://kuno.earth/articles/community-survey-coast-to-cradle
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