Book event

Tasmania: An Island Dream Volume Three | Don Defenderfer in Conversation with Reg Marron

Don Defenderfer completes his trilogy of books about Tasmania with the release of TASMANIA an island dream volume 3, a collection of stories, poems and photographs that capture the magic and beauty of Tasmania. 

“Black Elk, the great Lakota medicine man, said ‘The Holy Land is everywhere’.  Don Defenderfer says it’s here in Tasmania and writes accordingly.”  MARTIN FLANAGAN ~ Author and Journalist.

Writer/photographer Don Defenderfer shares his insights and inspirations about some of Tasmania’s most beautiful areas such as Cradle Mountain, the Tarkine, the Three Capes Track, South West Tasmania and the Blue Tiers.

Through stories about hiking in the wilderness, discovering waterfalls and Aboriginal heritage or contemplating mindfulness at a shack, Don offers up a unique reverence for Tasmania – a reverence that many others share. His stories, photos and poems capture Tasmania at its best – a place far away from the fast-paced urban world, with an abundance of beautiful landscapes, primordial wilderness areas and down-to-earth people. Through delicate words and inspiring photos, this book shows why Tasmania is seen as one of the most beautiful and beguiling places in the world.

Don Defenderfer has been infatuated with Tasmania’s natural environment since first visiting the island in 1982. He moved to Tasmania 1985 where he lived in a remote old farmhouse in Winnaleah Tasmania. He has lived in Launceston since 1988.  For many years Don was the State Coordinator for Landcare Tasmania. In this job, he was inspired by the beauty of the Tasmanian landscape and by the many people who are working to repair and renew it. Don is a regular contributor to Tasmania’s premier magazine, Forty South Tasmania. His previous TASMANIA an island dream books were published in 2019 and 2022 and were highly praised. He has also published three volumes of poetry and co-authored a book on a wilderness area in Alaska.

Reg Marron is a native of Launceston who spent many hours mucking about in boats on the Tamar before embarking on a life of climbing mountaineering and cross-country skiing funded by stints on mining and construction sites around the world. After a gap ‘decade’ spent climbing mountains and exploring the world, Reg returned to Tasmania and embarked on a career in the law.

Join Don and Reg at the Afterword Cafe.