Article October 26, 2009 Issue

WATER FROM THE ROCK

BY DELIA THOMPSON

WE LIVE ON FARMLAND on the beautiful, heart-shaped island called Tasmania. It's often described as a Noah's Ark because of its unique plants and animals, such as Tasmanian devils, paddymelons (small wallabies), bandicoots, and quolls, just to name a few.

Even as a young child I wanted to be a farmer and to create a place where native animals could live unharmed, free from conflicts that arise through land increasingly devoted to agriculture. Yet without adequate water, neither goal could be realized.

When I first moved to the property on my own, it was evident that the climate was changing. For one thing the rainfall became less and less. Then over the next 25 years or so, a seemingly endless drought cast a shadow of despair over our home state. For 12 years now my husband, Mick, has worked full time off the farm because of its gradual drop in income.

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