A Night for Takayna: Why protecting Tasmania’s ancient rainforest matters
Trail runner Chris KIine is inviting everyone to see 'Takayna – The Heart of Lutruwita' at a fundraising night at Coledale Community Hall on 13 February
By the event organiser, Chris Kline
On the evening of 13 February, we are presenting a special fundraising film night celebrating one of Australia’s last great wild places: Takayna, also known as the Tarkine Rainforest.
The film, Takayna – The Heart of Lutruwita, explores the extraordinary ecological, cultural and spiritual significance of this ancient landscape in Tasmania’s northwest. The screening will take place at Coledale Community Hall, starting at 6pm, with proceeds supporting the vital conservation work of the Bob Brown Foundation.
Takayna is not just another forest.
Covering more than 400,000 hectares, it is one of the largest temperate rainforests remaining on Earth and a place of profound Aboriginal heritage. Its rivers run clean from rainforest to reef, its button-grass plains stretch to the horizon, and its ancient trees and mossy gullies have evolved over tens of millions of years. Many of the species found there exist nowhere else.
Yet despite its global significance, Takayna remains under constant threat from logging, mining and road development. Large areas are still not formally protected, leaving ecosystems, wildlife and cultural heritage vulnerable to irreversible damage. Once these landscapes are fragmented or destroyed, they cannot be restored within any human timeframe.
The film night offers more than a chance to learn – it is an opportunity for our community to stand in solidarity with those working to protect places that define who we are as Australians. The Bob Brown Foundation has been at the forefront of efforts to secure permanent protection for Takayna, using peaceful advocacy, science, and community engagement to defend wild places across Tasmania.
This event also has a personal dimension. I am raising funds through this screening as part of my participation in the Takayna Trail Ultra, an endurance run that passes through landscapes directly connected to the forest we are seeking to protect. Running through these places brings home what is at stake: clean air, living rivers, intact ecosystems, and the simple but increasingly rare experience of true wilderness.
Protecting Takayna is not just about preserving trees. It is about safeguarding biodiversity, respecting First Nations heritage, maintaining climate resilience, and passing on something meaningful to future generations. In a world facing accelerating environmental loss, places like Takayna remind us that some things are worth standing up for – together.
Tickets for the screening are available here.
Everyone is welcome, its great for kids to learn about the power of these special places and what we need to do to save them. Come along, bring a friend, and be part of a local community choosing to care for something much bigger than ourselves.
Takayna — the Heart of Lutruwita will screen at Coledale Community Hall at 6pm on Friday, 13 February.
