Our map suggested that this crossing was just that , a crossing , nothing more . A location to cross a river and continue north . As the punt banked on the other side , we discovered a world vastly different to expectations . Cottages dotted the hillside , a tavern offered welcomed food and drink , whilst people spoke in hushed tones of what they ’ d discovered .
This was Corinna , a former mining town now a community of sort offering a wilderness experience amongst this incredibly unique part of the world . On the banks of the Pieman river , Corinna marks the southern boundary of the Tarkine , Australia ’ s largest temperate rainforest . Corinna is also the northern most location where the famous Huon Pine grows .
Corinna sits amongst a landscape that has a history greater than humanity , a landscape that harks back to the ancient continent of Gondwanaland , trees here predate European settlement of Australia by a few thousand years , some as old as the Great Pyramid of Giza . The landscape is beautiful , rugged , and unforgiving . Why did Corinna exist ? Aboriginal people have lived in this region for over 30,000 years , understanding the uniqueness of this land , respecting what it offered , providing an existence unique to Australia and the wilder world , perhaps common for Tasmania .
European settlers discovered this area when they pushed south from the township of Waratah searching for riches , they ’ d crossed a river and amongst its tributaries discovered gold . Corinna was settled . At its peak Corinna hosted a population of around 2,500 , the unearthing of a 7.5-kilogram gold nugget drew the prospectors and opportunistic settlers . Steam and sailing ships were a common sight passing
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