Raft used by Paul Smith and Bob Brown on the Franklin River in 1976

This raft was used by Bob Brown and Paul Smith on Brown's first trip down the Franklin River, Tasmania in 1976. Smith and Brown were among the first people to raft the river on a trip which took 11 days. The experience led to the formation of the Tasmanian Wilderness Society. Dr Bob Brown, a medical doctor, became one of Australia's most outspoken and high-profile opponents of the Tasmanian Hydro Electric Commission's plans to flood the Gordon and Franklin Rivers in Tasmania's southwest.