Extreme Art @ South
Hello and thank you for visiting South. My name is Ben Wilkinson of Wilkography and I am the photographer behind the images you see throughout this fantastic venue.
All the canvases are for sale. They have been made and priced so you can purchase one right now and take it home to hang on your wall. Please talk to one of the staff if you are interested.
The theme of the exhibition is inspired by the owners of South, Jeremy & Kath Waterhouse who have always supported me and the stories about what I go through to capture them. My brother, a talented painter and artist, coined the term many years ago and I always thought it represented my work well.
I love capturing any part of Tasmania, be it the people, places, or events. However, I really love taking pictures of our wilderness areas, especially ones that take significant effort to reach. There is something that excites me about battling the elements, going through physical and mental challenges and taking risks to reach remote locations while hoping for the correct weather conditions that allow me to capture a single image.
Most of the time people do not realise or comprehend what takes to capture images such as these. Thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment. years of learning and researching to be a good photographer, let alone the physical effort required to set out on an adventure in the hope of bringing back a single photo. The failed attempts, injuries, risks, broken equipment, bumps, bruises, scrapes and annoying weather that can make or break a photo. Bringing home the gold takes a massive undertaking and that’s what I love about it, not many people can or will do it because it’s bloody hard. What you see on these walls are my successes, behind them are a plethora of failures and I am proud of them all.
My appreciation of the Tasmanian outdoors began as a youngster where I spent a lot of time on my grandfather's farm in Fern Tree. I am fascinated by the works of people like Peter Dombrovskis because I find inspiration in the work he contributed to a cause we both believe in, the preservation of Tasmania's wilderness. The lengths he went to create images that were instrumental in the conservation of Tasmanian wild places, including the prevention of the damming of the Franklin River, gives me great motivation to also contribute to the ongoing need for awareness of how valuable our wilderness areas are. Tearing them down is not the answer.
Exploring Tasmania gives me a deeper understanding of who I am and what I should do with my life. The wild places have rejuvenating properties and an element of magic that is infectious for those lucky enough to experience them. For these reasons and many more it’s important to protect the island for future generations, other than the immediate benefit of our own.
I hope you get as much enjoyment from my images as I do capturing them. I also hope they inspire you to get out there and experience it for yourself.
If you are interested in purchasing a print or canvas different to what you see here, please visit my store or contact me
Tasmania - God's Country.
Ben Wilkinson
Oberon
After 2 days of hiking and climbing through the driving rain and wind, which included a slight case of hypothermia on the first day, I arrived as a sore, sodden but exulted witness to Lake Oberon.
I remember the first time I had really taken notice of the original photograph of this place which was made famous by the legendary Peter Dombrovskis. I was in another life, a darker unhappier stage that Im happy to forget. Looking upon that original image I made a decision to change my lifestyle and start to live life to its fullest, I vowed to visit this area.
3 years later I achieved my goal and it was everything I had hoped for and more. I was a different person and most importantly I was happy within myself. I spent 5 days in the area and of them 3 were almost a complete white out, with visibility very low I really wanted to witness sunrise over the area and the chance to capture it in my mind and on my camera seemed to be slipping out of my reach.
On the last day I was bunkered down in my tent and the wind and rain were unrelenting. There was one morning left for the weather to pass and I was hoping with all of my worth that it would magically clear and the God's of photography would shine upon me.
It took a few moments but late in the evening I realised that my tent wasn't being folded in half by the wind. I poked my head outside and it was dark but low and behold I could see the stars, the weather had passed and it was clear ! I scrambled about and grabbed my camera gear stumbling out into the scrub in my thermals, it was cold but amazingly visibility was 100%. After capturing some beautiful night images of the area I went back to bed feeling confident that the morning would be what I had hoped for..
5am and the alarm went off, I cleared the sleep from my eyes and poked my head out of the tent to be treated by amazing pastel tones you see in the image, IT WAS ON !! I called out to my friend Francois with excitement urging him to get out of bed. We hastily grabbed all our gear and scrambled over rocks and scoparia finally making our way to the end of a massive quartzite ledge that hung out over the area. It was hundreds of feet up and my vertigo was on fire but nothing was going to stop me from capturing this shot. I had dreamed of this moment and it was happening.
I’ll never forget sitting there watching this scene unfold in front of me. The exultation of achieving my goal, the effort it had taken to get there, the fact that on the last day the weather had cleared and the pure power of nature putting on a display that is only witnessed by a few people each year made it an overwhelming experience.
This image means a lot to me personally and I hope I have shared its story with you. My intention is to inspire you to get out there and realise your goals no matter what they are. I will always look on this photograph with the knowledge that if you dream and believe in yourself then nothing can stop you
Raging Reynolds
From the 4-6 August 2023 I went on a 3 day solo mission to find the impressive Reynolds Falls.
It was an epic journey covering 50klm and around 2200m of elevation. The temperature didn’t get over five degrees and nights were closer to zero. The rain was solid for 2.5 days and everything I had, apart from bedding and thermals, ended up drenched.
However, all the rain meant the waterfall was pumping!! It was such a powerful place to experience in those conditions. The forest you traverse to get there was old, vast and absolutely stunning. It was quite the experience being in there alone with the rain and mist swirling around me, I won’t deny that I got a little nervous at times but that added to the excitement of it all.
The walk was challenging because there wasn’t a trail for a lot of it, just taped trees that you had to follow. In many parts the tape had been claimed by the forest with trees falling over, so I lost my way and had to use the gps a fair bit. It was also very steep and slippery, I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners.
After visiting the falls on day two I had a big feed and lay down in my tent, rugged up trying to keep warm. Emotions were pretty high so I used notes on my phone to write the following:
“Lying in my tent listening to the rain bounce of my tightly strung tent I have to admit that it’s been a big coupla days.
After a turn of events, I find myself with the opportunity to go camping by myself for the first time. Cruise in to Reynolds Falls alone I thought, 13ml of rain forecast and sub 5 deg celsius, better get it done I guess!
Next minute I’m hiking through the rain up in Cradle country. Let’s set the picture, it was pissing down and I don’t care how waterproof something says it is, when you get 13ml rain in a Tassie rainforest or highlands ya getting wet. Plus it was bloody cold and within 30min I was completely soaked, only the heat I generated from walking hard was keeping me warm
Holy Moses it was pretty though, Tassie rainforest doing its thing is my kind of thing and I love being around it let alone capturing it on my trusty Nikon. The contrast and colours just pop and the sound of all that water churning through the forest is a feast for the senses. After setting out from Cradle Mountain lodge carpark the first climb up to the plateau got my heart pumping and kept me warm but once I hit the plateau the wind kicked in and it was chilly. Of all the nasty weather we get in Tassie I don’t like walking in the wind when it’s wet, you just get so cold and it’s really uncomfortable and dangerous.
After a while I crossed the open plains and entered the scrub. There’s an old 4wd track that’s pretty easy going and couple of creek crossings to get the adrenaline going and feet wet before you enter the forest. This is a place I’ll come back to visit, but on this day I was intent on finding my camp for the night, safety first 👍
The track gets a bit tricky in a few places and I had to pull out the gps a couple of times but eventually I found the first campsite. Being in the open it was flooded and not suitable for camping so I trudged on, a slip in the creek and a couple of face plants later I found the start of the old myrtles and things started to get steep. I decided to find a spot with as little overhanging branches as possible and setup my tent so I could get dry and warm. There’s no way I’m carrying my pack down, and more importantly back up that hill I thought.
The mist on evening 1 was swirling up from down below and I spent a little while taking pictures before dinner. The conditions were perfect, it would clear, mist up and clear again, photographers heaven.
This whole trip, apart from when I was in bed, I’ve been drenched from ear hole to ass hole. It’s been freezing cold but there are a few items worth mentioning that kept me cosy and saved my ass from shivering through an uncomfortable night.
Hot water bottle - I must have reheated the water a few times but having this tucked into my puffer jacket made a huge difference.
Ocooma hand warmers. One of these nestled next to my nasties was very nice to say the least
A good sleeping bag - my sleeping bag review is here
An insulated sleeping mat - so important! If you loose your heat through the ground you will freeze no matter what you do. An insulated mat with a proper R rating is vital.
Slippers - yep I took an old pair of uggies
Thermals - I have a pair for every day just in case.
Puffer Jacket and beanie - no need to explain these.
Nothing stays warm all night down here apart from fire and that is a big no no. I was a little cold towards morning but it was freezing outside and I slept ok, so I was very happy with how my sleeping system held up.
I got up, had a big brekkie to keep me fuelled and set off around 9am, probably a bit late but it was what it was. From my camping spot to Reynolds was tricky and if you got lost out there, in that forest, in this weather, you dead. It would be a terrible way to go, so if you’re reading this and thinking of heading out, make sure you’re prepared and have a gps plus tracking.
That’s big, old forest in there, absolutely stunning but totally unforgiving. It’s so lush and green with the canopy reaching high up into the sky above you capturing every ray of light available. There is shit falling apart everywhere. Rotten debri, ferns, waterfalls, cliffs, creeks, boulders and all the good stuff you need for an epic hike. Tell ya what though, and I repeat myself, I’d recommend making sure you have a good gps and tracking system🤙
After what feels like ages of punching through the scrub, scrambling up and down hills, through creeks, waterfalls, over logs and all the while paying attention and following the tape you arrive at the second campsite. This spot is a beauty, If I had a week to spend in there I might consider it but carrying a pack back up that hill would be shithouse.
The moment comes when you start a big descent, after all the rain it was more like a big mud slide. I went down on my ass but as soon as I started I knew I’d arrived because I could hear the power of the falls. I had to slide down the muddy bank bracing myself where possible but a bit of froth came out when I made it to the waters edge and saw the water gushing out of the chute into the river below. I made it and a big ‘Fuck Yeah, Yieeew’ bellowed forth.
All the rain we had was smashing down the hill and funnelling out the shoot like a raging torrent. The sound and sight of it was very impressive to say the least. I took my pics and with a bit of disappointment made the decision to leave. I did my maths and knew I wouldn’t have a heap of daylight left by the time I got home. These are the moments you have to make smart decisions, even though I had to rush and could have spent another hr or so exploring, if it took me longer to get home or I hurt myself on the way I would be out here in the dark by myself.
Worth mentioning now is the mistake I made that day. If it got dark the only option I had to navigate through that scrub was the phone torch or my Garmin torch, why? Because I stupidly left my headtorch behind, dumb. If you go out in the woods today, take a torch just in case, things go wrong and you must be prepared. I had my first aid kit, battery pack, epirb, space blanket, water, food and a dry top in a waterproof bag but no headtorch.
That made me a bit nervous so I scrambled, squelched, dragged my wet ass back up them hills. I’m pretty fit but that was a decent hike, big hills and descents, the final climb smashed me.
However, after a massive climb through the greenest ,misty, fungi, mossy, epic forest I got back to my tent wet to the bone and a little tired to be fair haha.
But very pumped.
I pulled warm dry clothes on and had myself a little 2 min noodle feast before laying back to relax. Man that was a big day, I was nervous a couple of times but this comes from a healthy respect of the dangers around me. I spent so much time focusing on the trail I didn’t take many pics of it, ill have to come back again.
Man it’s pissing down and wet out there, I hope my tent holds up and doesn’t leak! True to form, the Mont Moondance didn’t miss a beat, it’s a sweet, solid lightweight tent.This was a great camping trip and dayum I had fun. It was an Epic walk in a nice storm, all the challenges I’d overcome paid off and I’m pretty happy I got to see that thing in full action.
Tucked up in my sleeping bag with a hot water bottle, Ocooma hand warmer, beanie, mittens, puffer, explorers and slippers on I can say this one took a bit of effort. Being alone was different, there were more moments I enjoyed the solitude than not and I’m definitely going to do it a lot more. I feel like this is the start of something new for me.
There’s a different feeling and a stronger connection with nature when you’re alone. I wouldn’t say I’ve neglected my photography over the last few years because I’ve spent time in the wild places with friends but this trip made me realise that it’s time to double down and get shit done.
Extreme art, I love it and I’m going to do a lot more of it. Shout out to the old tree whose face looked in at me every time I looked out my tent. I appreciate you keeping me company old timer, listening to my concerns and not talking too much.
Reynolds, thanks for the memories, I’ll be back.
Geryon
Anne
This was the hardest day walk I have ever done, it took 10 hrs of walking muddy plains and then bashing through the thick scrub up a mountainside to finally arrive on the plateau. It was gruelling and I did it at a time when I was pretty fit but holy moses was it worth it.
You start off walking through buttongrass and eucalypt plains, these change into stunning green myrtle beech rainforest with horizontal, sassafras and leatherwood. It’s a pain in the ass to get through with a pack on.
The area is extremely sensitive and what you see in the front of the picture is called a cushion plant. Apparently these are some of the largest and oldest of their kind in the world. They can take up to 30 years to recover from and imprints or damage from humans so even though the name is deceptive, if you go there do not sit on them or touch them at all.
Cradle Country
To see these walkways so wet takes a lot of rain. On this trip a friend and I spent 3 days exploring the Wet West Coast. We went to old mine sites, waterfalls, rivers, old growth Tarkine forest and just had a good time taking pictures.
Hobart Town
This image is a favourite because it’s a classic image of my home town. While it wasn’t extreme to capture it has been included because I like to remind myself of how extremely lucky’ we are to live on a beautiful island like, Tasmania.