Van Dieman's Night - Woollarawarre Bennelong Ink - 30 ml

Van Dieman's inks pay tribute to the Australian island of Tasmania, where they are produced. The inks are handmade in small batches using a minimum of 95% Australian ingredients. Each series is inspired by Tasmanian fauna, flora, history or extraordinary landscapes.

Woollarawarre Bennelong is an exceptional ink that embodies the rich, multifaceted journey of an extraordinary man. Bennelong, of the Wangal clan and the Eora people, an Indigenous group of tribes and clans of the Port Jackson area around what is now Sydney, stood as a significant figure in the early history of colonial Australia. He bridged two vastly different worlds, being the first indigenous Australian to grace the shores of England.

This exquisite ink captures Bennelong's story, mirroring his life's vibrant complexity and his unique role as an interlocutor between the British colonisers and his people. In the bottle, it appears a harmonious blend of instant coffee and dark forest green, but its true magic unfurls once it meets the paper.

Upon contact, the ink blossoms into a deep eucalypt green, reminiscent of the lush bushland of Bennelong's homeland. This verdant hue whispers tales of ancient gum trees, under whose shade Bennelong first learnt the ways of his people.

As the ink dries, it unveils a mottled tapestry of colors. Rosy pink blushes in the wetter areas, evoking the vibrant Australian sunsets that painted the skies of Bennelong's youth. Where the ink is thinly spread, an earthy brown emerges, symbolising the very soil of his native land that nurtured and sustained the Eora people.