Aboriginal connection

We acknowledge that kunanyi always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

The kMR team’s vision is that runners and spectators will learn, be humbled, experience the energy, and better understand their own, and the communities’, connection with kunanyi. We wanted to pay our respects, and celebrate this incredible mountain, which is why we commissioned Sharnie Read and Jye Crosswell to design this unique artwork.

The story behind the design:

Designed by indigenous artists Sharnie Read and Jye Crosswell, this design shows the beginning of palawa (Aboriginal Tasmanians) and of time. The symbols are representative of palawa and their culture, and show the bringing of water and fire which flow through lutruwita, keeping it healthy.

Withi and punapiri (the moon and sun) are seen rising beyond palawa and above kunanyi as they are the givers of all life, and an important element of cultural stories. The plants of kunanyi are represented by the waratah, and its animals through the tracks that wind across the design.

This work celebrates the shared values of palawa and the wider community, including our love of kunanyi, a place of deep spiritual connection. The mountain is seen from two viewpoints to highlight its many aspects and its beauty from every angle. It represents the ways people connect to country and the many ancient stories of the great mountains.

The design is now featured on our tech tees, hoodies, trucker caps and buffs, allowing runners and others to take the palawa stories to the trails of the world!

Diversity of landscapes

Climbing from close to sea level up to 1271m and spanning a huge 139km around its park boundary, kunanyi is host to many diverse landscapes and ecosystems, each prolific with Tasmanian endemic species. Windswept alpine fields, dry eucalypt forests, sunless rainforest gullies and imposing dolerite cliffs all have their place on this incredible mountain.