Bass Strait is the stretch of water separating Tasmania from the Australian mainland. It's a treacherous stretch of water, about 240km wide. These two guys just kite-surfed across it in 12 hours. (Pre-crossing forum discussion.)
posted by awfurby on Sep 9, 2009 - 8 comments

Off Planet Films makes stuff with cardboard. [more inside]
posted by Rhaomi on Apr 3, 2008 - 2 comments

Gould's Book of Fish (full contents of Chapter One) by Tasmanian author/historian/Rhodes Scholar Richard Flanagan is a critically lauded 2002 novel that is the most interesting and accomplished work of fiction I've read in years. Set in the 19th century on a penal colony off the coast of Tasmania, the book is narrated by William Buelow Gould, a convict, charlatan, and possible madman. Here is an audio interview with Flanagan; here's an audio clip of the author reading from his book. (.ra files) Yes, the book is a few years old, but it somehow passed under my radar; and, anyway, a good book is timeless. (Picking up the piscine gauntlet thrown down by Plutor.)
posted by Dr. Wu on Nov 30, 2005 - 15 comments

"The onslaught of destruction wrought upon the thylacine by the early settlers of Tasmania came about largely as a result of fear, ignorance, and misunderstanding." An extinct carnivorous marsupial.
posted by interrobang on May 4, 2005 - 16 comments

The Tasmanian Tiger or thylacine [Thylacinus cynocephalus], a marsupial, was thought to have become extinct when the last known animal died in captivity from exposure in 1936. There have been numerous alleged sightings since. A German tourist supposedly photographed one recently (free reg.). Now there's a reward out for producing a live specimen but with prohibitive conditions requiring a permit that won't be issued. The thylacine cloning project has just been abandoned because the pup (from 1866) was kept in alcohol and not formalin - degrading the DNA.
posted by peacay on Mar 27, 2005 - 16 comments

The big bird race. Will they survive the long-lines? Will I get a return on my investment? Not the first use of the technology but a worthy effort.
posted by johnny7 on May 5, 2004 - 1 comment

State Library of Tasmania, Heritage Collection Image Library.
posted by hama7 on Jan 15, 2004 - 3 comments

The Thylacine Museum is a true labour of love. Everything you could possibly want to know about the thylacine (AKA "Tasmanian tiger" or "Tasmanian wolf"). Able to open its mouth incredibly wide, sit upright on its hind legs like a kangaroo, and a foremost example of convergent evolution (extremely similar to placental mammals like wolves, yet marsupial), the thylacine was a fascinating animal. Hunted to extinction in less than a hundred years (or not), a cloning project is underway to try and resurrect it. This site has everything: videos, Java-riffic skull diagrams, pictures of mummified thylacines who died over 4,000 years ago, and pictures of Benjamin, the last captive thylacine who died in 1936.
posted by biscotti on Aug 1, 2002 - 24 comments

A safe getaway If the excrement REALLY hits the oscillator What's your thoughts on a safe haven??
posted by johnny7 on Sep 22, 2001 - 25 comments