Tasmania - Australias Green Island
ARTE | Earth Experience | 1 × 43 min | 02.10.2026
Tasmania—the island south of Australia—is a dream destination for people seeking nature and solitude. Only half a million people live on an area the size of Ireland, most of them in the bustling capital, Hobart, and in the port city of Launceston. Western Tasmania is almost completely uninhabited. Here, an impenetrable rainforest thrives—a natural paradise teeming with ferns and giant trees reaching heights of up to 100 meters. The documentary follows a group of people who have chosen to live in harmony with nature—which, in some cases, remains untamed.
Yoav Bar-Ness explores the treetops of primeval forest giants. The eucalyptus trees, some of which are several hundred years old, harbor a multitude of as-yet-unexplored insects. Yoav climbs up to the treetops using a climbing rope and collects soil samples from a branch 30 meters above the ground.
Sarah Woodruff steers a heavy livestock truck along the winding roads of the Tasmanian outback. Her load: up to 400 sheep. The young woman was hired on the spot for this challenging job. Her qualification: she never loses her cool when it comes to herding the stubborn animals from the pasture onto her truck.
Venomous snakes in homes and gardens are a common problem in Tasmania. Volunteers capture the reptiles and release them back into the wild. Sally Wilson was one of them—until she herself was bitten by a tiger snake. The film follows her as she overcomes her fear—by trying once again to catch a venomous snake.
Premiere on October 2, 2026, at 5:50 p.m. on ARTE.
Team
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Ulf Thomas
Author & Director
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Manfred Uhlig
Author & Director
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Anne Kötterheinrich
Executive Producer
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Christian Struck
Line Producer
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Evelyn Hein
Head of Production
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Robert Engelke
Camera
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Jonas Engelke
Sound
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Marvin Kreipe
Film Editor
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Klaus Helmold
Film Editor
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Silvia Gutmann
NDR Editor