Christobel Mattingley: King of the Wilderness - the Life of Deny King (2001)
Following on from my discussion of Geoffrey Blainey's book The Peaks of Lyell, I must mention this fantastic biography of Deny King who spent 50 years living self-sufficiently in the rugged Tasmanian south-west and became internationally renowned for his exploits on land and sea.
Born in 1909, King made his home at Melaleuca in Tasmania's remote South-West, one of the most spectacular and rugged terrains in the world. By the time of his death in 1991 he was truly the king of his remarkable wilderness, and internationally celebrated for his unique lifestyle. There seemed to be nothing Deny King couldn't do. He was a tin miner, an environmentalist, a painter and a collector who had species named after him. He built his own airstrip and regularly sailed round some of Australia's most treacherous coast. He served in New Guinea in World War II and it was during the war that he met Margaret Cadell, the nurse he would later woo by letter in a courtship as touching as it was unconventional. King of the Wilderness is an inspirational story about a great Australian.
Again, a must-read for anyone intending to visit the South West area and intending to any hiking in and around Melaleuca. I also have South West Tasmania by John Chapman (2008 - 5th edition) - the definitive book on walking in SW Tasmania.
The 85km South Coast Track runs between Melaleuca and Cockle Creek and is one of the most wonderful bushwalks in the world. There are no roads to Melaleuca, so walkers must either fly, sail or walk in and out. You can read more about this walk at http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=2265.
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