Mountain souls

09 April 2024

By Ryan Slater
If the kunanyi Mountain Run had a collective soul, it would be made up of the hundreds of volunteers who make this incredible event possible. Ryan Slater, a newly-arrived Hobartian, has been one of those volunteers, an experience he says has shaped his view of the city, its people, and the mountain he has come to love.

It's a cool, early autumn morning. The sun is casting magenta and orange hues across the sky and gradually lighting up the Organ Pipes on kunanyi/Mt Wellington.

I'm at Wellesley Park in South Hobart where I've just attended a smoking ceremony by Linton Burgess, a proud Truwana man. The ceremony is genuine and sincere, it feels good to share a connection with the traditional land owners of this country and with what locals call "the Mountain", kunanyi / Mt Wellington.

It's a fitting way to start a full day of volunteering on the Montague Thumbs for the kunanyi Mountain Run, an epic mountain running and community festival that began in 2022.

Third year on the run

It's the third year in a row that I've been one of the hundreds of volunteers who make the kunanyi Mountain Run tick. It is a grassroots running festival that focuses on all aspects of the mountain – adventure, culture and the natural environment.

As an amateur photographer who enjoys being immersed in nature being part of the kunanyi Mountain Run fills me with pride and joy. It is a unique event that touches everyone involved – entrants, volunteers, organisers and spectators.

I moved to Hobart with my partner just over two years ago after experiencing an epiphany on an earlier trip to Tasmania while driving up kunanyi / Mt Wellington seeking sunset photos.

I had lived in a number of states across Australia, but at no point did I feel truly at home. But driving up the mountain, late in the afternoon and with a low-slung sun filtering light down through the forest canopy, I knew I'd found my place.

Of course, it's one thing to fall in love with a place while on holidays, quite another to move there, settle in and call that place "home". Relocating to a new town or city and making connections and friendships with like-minded people can be tough.

Exactly how I became aware of the kunanyi Mountain Run, and made a connection with Lincoln Quilliam and Catherine Graue, the brains trust behind this event, escapes me. But they needed volunteers, and I was one of many locals who put their hands up.

Being part of the kunanyi Mountain Run has helped me find a place in my new home, Hobart. It gives me a feeling of community, a sense of place and of belonging.

The events team, mostly volunteers, all share my passion for the outdoors and a connection to and love for Hobart's mountain environment and everything it gives us. It is a connection to the natural world I had lost touch with since emigrating to Australia from Scotland more than a decade ago.

It's good to be home.

Proud sponsor of this event

The City of Hobart has been a proud sponsor of the kunanyi Mountain Run since its inception, contributing $115 000 over three years.

This article was written by Ryan Slater. To see more of Ryan's photography from wild places in Hobart and across Tasmania visit ryanslaterphotography.com or follow him on Instagram @ryan_slater_images.