TLC's Silver Plains Reserve encompasses 6,595 hectares of diverse habitats, including old-growth peppermint forests, alpine grasslands, black gum floodplains and Lake Sorell to its east. Once extensively logged the reserve's marshes are nationally significant for the Latham's snipe who enjoy the area as part of their annual migration from Japan. Silver Plains Reserve came into TLC's care in 2010 in what, at the time, was the biggest conservation project in Australian history.
TLC has long recognised the power of art to deepen our connection to nature. Through initiatives like The Skullbone Experiment excursion and exhibition (2013), The Weeping Tree film series (2024), and the book Breathing space (2021), TLC has brought artists and scientists together in wild places to create works that stir emotion and inspire lasting connections to Tasmania’s landscapes. These collaborations help translate the reverence and beauty of nature into forms we can feel, see, and share—strengthening the emotional foundation of conservation.
Dr Katherine Tuft CEO, Tasmanian Land Conservancy
This series of prints reflect my ongoing connection to Lake Sorell on Tasmania’s Central Plateau, and for this exhibition, more specifically, to the surrounding Silver Plains. This work expresses a quiet call to tread lightly, listen deeply, and raise an awareness to protect this unique highland landscape.
Melissa Smith, July 2025
