Mick Quilliam

Rock Island Bend is an iconic landmark on the Franklin River. It is a powerful place and is almost at the end of the Franklin River journey. On my first trip, the water was raging. Just beyond the rock our raft flipped – the force of the rapids holding me under and thrashing me around like I was in a washing machine. The second journey, the water was calm with a gentle flow, the weather was hot…hot enough for us to swim. This place holds 2 very different memories for me. It is a place where on both occasions I had time for reflection. A place where the true magnitude of why people fought so hard to protect. A place where our ancestors called home.