Clarendon and Evandale featured on a recent ABC Backroads program with a theme of rural resilience through the community’s connectedness with its heritage.
An ABC Backroads program on Evandale and Clarendon aired recently. Clarendon looked magnificent, particularly with great camerawork and drone shots. On arrival, presenter, Heather Ewart made the comment, “Wow, I feel like I have arrived on the set of Gone With the Wind”.
The Backroads series reflects Heather Ewart’s view on Australian rural resilience and the role played by social connectedness through community ownership of its heritage. Heather Ewart’s view of heritage is rightly broad and encompasses historic buildings and landscapes, community groups, cooking, the inspiration artists take from their heritage and the role of volunteering (in this episode, the Clarendon volunteer garden team). Embracing change is another of Heather’s favourite themes and the way Evandale leverages its heritage assets through the Sunday Market, the Glover Prize, the Penny Farthing Festival and now Veranda Music is without par.
Clarendon featured in this episode through the Victorian Picnic at the end of the Penny Farthing Ride from Evandale to Nile to Clarendon. Heather got a run for her money with the expansive personality of Neville McKinnell, whose father inherited the property surrounding Clarendon. The program had a real fulcrum with the possible fate of the Clarendon outbuildings with a call for building materials following the destruction of Darwin by Cyclone Tracey in 1974.
At Clarendon we all have a hands-on role in giving history a future. There is a lot to do at Clarendon to set it up for an economically sustainable future through a revived tour and events program, links to Evandale festivals, commercial events such as weddings and use as a film location, rentals from long or short-term accommodation. A lot has been achieved over the past two years and Clarendon is looking better every day. If you can help, by all means drop us a line.
Backroads series 10, episode 26 Evandale, Tasmania is available on ABC iview.
