Morning mist, Rock Island Bend, Franklin River, Tasmania
Few photographs have had the power to move a nation quite like Rock Island Bend by Peter Dombrovskis. This now-iconic image became the defining symbol of the campaign to stop the damming of Tasmania’s Franklin River—a movement that reshaped Australia’s environmental consciousness forever.
In the lead-up to the 1983 Federal Election, Rock Island Bend appeared as a full-page advertisement in major Australian newspapers beneath the striking caption: “Could you vote for a party that would destroy this?” The photograph captured the untouched majesty of the Franklin River, which flows through the rugged Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park in Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area. Named after Sir John Franklin, the island’s governor from 1836 to 1843, the river became a rallying point for one of Australia’s most important conservation victories.
The campaign to save the Franklin began in 1978 when the Tasmanian Hydro Electric Commission proposed a massive dam project. At first, the plan was welcomed for its promise of economic growth—but a growing number of Tasmanians, inspired by the earlier Lake Pedder protests, began to push back. Through the lens of photographers like Peter Dombrovskis, the public saw, often for the first time, the breathtaking wilderness that stood to be lost.
By 1980, the movement had gained extraordinary momentum—10,000 people filled the streets of Hobart, at the time, the largest political rally in Tasmanian history. When the federal Labor government was elected in 1983, the conflict came to a head. The Tasmanian state government defied federal laws and pressed ahead with the dam, leading to a High Court showdown that ultimately sided with Canberra. The decision marked the end of the Franklin Dam project—and the end of an era of large-scale hydroelectric dam building in Australia.
Today, Rock Island Bend is more than a photograph—it is a symbol of courage, activism, and the enduring beauty of Tasmania’s wilderness.
Each remastered Rock Island Bend print has been carefully restored from high-resolution National Library scans. Every speck of dust and scratch has been meticulously removed, with colour accuracy verified against prints personally overseen and signed off by Liz Dombrovskis, the images are printed by fine art printer Simon Olding, exclusively for Full Gamut Gallery.
Produced with pigment inks on Canson Platine Fibre Rag—a 100% cotton archival paper—these prints are made to last for over a century. The result is a faithful, museum-quality reproduction of one of Australia’s most powerful and enduring images.
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