Nostalgic visit to the Huon Valley

Left, bins of golden delicious apples waiting to be picked up










Frankcomb's hop kiln - an oast house




Narryna, in Battery Point, Hobart








I wanted to show Max the Huon Valley, where I lived (again in another life) for about 6 years. My first husband and I, together with a friend and our two children, had decided it was the alternate life for us - this was back in the 1970s, when flower power was all the go - not that we were tree hugging hippies I hasten to add (altho I did my share of tree hugging), but we wanted that simple life, free of the rat race hassles that so many yearn for still. So we bought 113 acres of almost virgin bush in the backblocks of the Huon Valley, at Lucaston. It had a one room cabin, no electricity, running water which consisted of a creek dammed high above the hut and a polythene pipe which ran down beside the creek. Not Max's idea of heaven, I can tell you! After a couple of years my ex & I left Misty Mountain (as we had named it) and bought 4 acres and a small house in Ranelagh, much closer to civilisation, and it was from there that we went to Zeehan.

So I had lots to show Max, but first I wanted to visit Narryna, an old colonial home built in 1836 and housing a wonderful collection of 19th century artefacts. Included in its collection are articles which belonged to my 3rd great grandfather, William Hartley Wilson and his wife Margaret, who arrived in Hobart Town in 1820 - if you are interested, check out our family history website http://www.bonniewilliam.tps1.com.au/ . Sadly, I had neglected to advise the management of Narryna that we would be visiting, and were unable to view the articles, but were assured if we give them notice, they will retrieve the articles from storage and that we should regard them as 'helping us look after our heritage' - isn't that nice?

From Battery Point we headed out along the Southern Outlet to Huonville - my how the road has improved since my time! We were there in no time at all, and lunched with friends Ray and Nancy again, this time at their lovely home.

After lunch Max was taken on a tour of inspection, up the North Huon Road to see the little house I lived in, which to my surprise is undergoing some major renovations! And very attractive it is too, what was once just a couple of houses has mushroomed into quite a little settlement, with land being developed on the other side of the road - what we called the turnip paddock! Then it was out along Baker's Creek Road to the very end, and up the hill as far as what we used to call the chimney paddock - because of the chimney left standing after a house had burned to the ground there, probably during the 1967 bushfires. Now a very upmarket home stands there, amid lovely green lawns - electricity which we had connected during our stay there has meant a lot of development that otherwise would probably not have happened.

Wending our way home through the orchards, we stopped and I took a photo of several bins of golden delicious apples - a nostalgic photo, as I spent many an hour among the apple trees picking, and later on packing the apples. Picking has just begun, so it will be full on in the orchards for the next few weeks. Sadly, there are not many orchards left in the Huon - once it was almost wall to wall orchards, now, just a few isolated diehards. Many paddocks with huge piles of grubbed out apple trees bear mute testimony to the death of the apple industry.

Hops used to grow prolifically too - I saw that Frankcomb's hopfield is now no more, but the old hop kiln still stands opposite St James's Church at Ranelagh, where I attended regularly during my Christian Era.

Max's opinion: Very nice, but he wouldn't want to live there! Well, it was once upon a time .....

Hobart - Arguably Australia's most beautiful city

Left: Hobart and the mountain from the Eastern Shore.

Left: Wrest Point Casino tower.

Left: Jamie's tree.

We left the West Coast on Saturday morning and travelled via Queenstown (my, that road out of Queenstown is scary!) across the mountains to southern Tasmania and the city of Hobart, Tasmania's capital. By the time we got to Derwent Bridge it was raining in fits and starts - we stopped there at Greg Duncan's curious attraction 'The Wall in the Wilderness'. Have a look at the website http://www.thewalltasmania.com/ Greg is certainly a master craftsman and we were very impressed. The weather deteriorated from then on, but we were not begrudging them one drop - when we left the forest country and saw the state of the farmland around Gretna and environs, we realised they had a drought on their hands every bit as bad as the mainland.

We passed a road called 'Clarendon Road' near Gretna, and I have a fair idea that might lead to the old homestead 'Clarendon' built by 3rd great grandfather William Borrodaile Wilson in the 1830s, but sadly lost by him in the 1840s depression. He'd underwritten some friends bad debts - it left deep and painful wounds in the family for many years. We're going to go back and explore further, see if we can find the house.

Our camp is on the River Derwent, at Berriedale. Very pleasant, considering it is in the heart of suburbia, and only 10km from Hobart. Sunday was spent with friends, and today we visited Jane Franklin Hall, a hall of residence of the University of Tasmania, where my son James died 23 years ago. The students planted a tree and erected a plaque in his memory, so every time I visit Tasmania, I make sure I go and see how the tree is. After all these years, it hasn't grown a whole lot, it grows in the shade of a monster oak and a liquidambar or somesuch, so it probably doesn't have much of a chance. But it's hanging in there, I'm pleased to say. We called in to the office to thank them for their kindness to my sister, who visited last year, and were shown the same kind of hospitality and caring concern they extended to Anne & her husband Maurie - lovely people, and the students who are calling Jane Franklin Hall home while they study are lucky indeed.

Lunch with friends Ray & Nancy was next, and we had a sumptuous repast at one of the Wrest Point Casino's many restaurants. Afterwards we wandered through to the original gaming room on the ground floor of the tower, and then strolled along the boardwalk outside. We said goodbye to Ray and Nancy and then we took a drive over the Tasman Bridge to view Hobart from Rosny Hill, and further around - the afternoon threatened showers again, so a lot of Mount Wellington was wreathed in mist as it often is when rain is about.

A quiet day in Zeehan

My friend the snake

Crocoite - Tasmania's mineral emblem

The Gaiety Theatre - When I lived in Zeehan I was a volunteer at the art gallery which is on the ground floor.

I spoke to my sister Anne today, she was incredulous that we were staying in Zeehan. 'Most people keep driving!' was her comment. It's true - Zeehan is a sad town. The mine (Renison Bell) has closed once again, for good this time a woman told me yesterday, and if the mine closes, Zeehan has absolutely no reason for its existence. All it has is its past - and it is capitalising on that for all its worth! In the 25 years since I lived here, the museum (which used to be The School of Mines) has grown enormously, local people have got together and lobbied for funding obviously, and there is now a large complex which includes the lovely old Gaiety theatre (in process of being restored as funds become available), the magistrates court, the police station, a wonderful virtual underground mining experience - and the mineral collection has to be seen to be believed! The old steam train collection is still there, but much better to have them working, as we experienced yesterday.

I asked at the museum about the percentage of Cornish people in the mining population during the boom days - they didn't have a clue of course, nice young women who were able to give us info about the layout etc, but who had no historical knowledge of the district at all. They did give me a name tho, of a chap who used to live in Zeehan and who ran the Family History society - now defunct in Zeehan, and removed to Launceston with the gentleman. I was sad to hear St Luke's Church of England had been sold and the congregation now meet in a private home. Mind, restoration of St Luke's would have been a formidable task, I'll get a picture before we leave and post it tomorrow.

I went for a walk this afternoon, found that St Luke's church may be sold off, but it has an Op Shop which presumably is thriving - it was closed at 3pm tho. The shop next door was also closed, with a note advising that anyone interested in purchasing an item should enquire at the service station up the road .... Numerous shops and homes for sale - the future is looking bleak again for Zeehan. Walking down the road behind the Gaiety I saw a 3ft black snake crossing the road in front of me. I greeted it politely and gave it right of way!

We'll be leaving Zeehan tomorrow - I wish it well, it's a brave little town.

Thinking about the environment ....

The King River and the delta which has been created.

The King River

The Queen River

We had planned to go on the Pieman River cruise today, but decided to give it a miss - it meant driving 80km North to Corinna, getting the ferry across the Pieman River, and back this afternoon - sorry to miss it tho, we'd had glowing reports from another couple in the Park - the boat is built of Huon pine, back in the 1930s .... Very different to the huge, hi tech 'Eagle' which took us to the Gordon River.

Have been thinking about the terrible damage to the environment that mining has caused over here - how greedy we have been, how very long overdue our newly developed conscience is. How arrogant humans have been - and still are. How hard it is to balance our needs as humans with the impact on the environment - how it seems that it is impossible for our society to live in harmony with nature, the way the original inhabitants of this country did. Imagine, they lived in this land for 30 or so thousand years, without any detriment to the environment - mind, I'm not advocating we adopt their way of life! I like my comforts as well as the next person, I just hope we can find a way of having our cake and eating it too.

The King River is a tragedy on a mammoth scale - here is a pic of the Queen River, which feeds into the King (the King River's banks have been built up with the tailings, see pic) - the Queen was used as an industrial drain for all the mining tailings, containing all sorts of terrible things, and that is how the King and Queen River have both become dead rivers - nothing lives in them. The tailings have created an enormous delta where the King River enters Macquarie Harbour - see picture.

The Gorgeous Gordon River

I got a bit carried away with reflections! The Gordon River, in common with all the rivers on the West Coast, is a dark river, its water is coloured by the button grass tannins from its catchment areas, not muddy I hasten to add, quite clear, which makes it an ideal reflective surface when the weather conditions are right. We were lucky, and struck a beautiful day, ideal for photographers. I clicked away to my heart's content!

Looking across Macquarie Harbour makes you realise how huge it is - as an Australian harbour it is second in size only to Port Phillip Bay and it is 6 times the size of Sydney Harbour.

The shame of Sarah Island

Approaching Hell's Gates on our Gordon River Cruise. So-named by the convicts who regarded Sarah Island as hell on earth. We were on a lighthearted tourist cruise, but others who came before us were not so lucky ....
The lighthouse at Hell's Gates. It was very sobering to imagine how the convicts felt as they passed these portals. Barely 70 metres wide, it opens up into huge Macquarie Harbour, wherein lies Sarah Island, penal settlement between 1822-1833, and designed as the last place of punishment for repeat offenders. It was abandoned in 1833 in favour of Port Arthur, a brand new hell on earth.
Infamous Sarah Island in 2009 -
As it was ...There were no trees. There were hundreds of people. Small buildings of stone, brick and weatherboard were crowded together. Towering Huon pine fences separated the buildings, isolated the convicts, and stifled the winds that roared up the Harbour. A network of well-built roads linked all points of the island. Any remaining space was turned into gardens. This was Sarah Island.

Exploring the West Coast

Max enjoying a cappucino this afternoon.

'The Eagle' the boat which will take us on a cruise of the Gordon River tomorrow (the one in the background, not the cray boat!)

Max heading into the Mt Bischoff Hotel in Waratah.

Waratah then and now .... there are lots of buildings still in Waratah, but many of the old building have been pulled down.

We decided to head for Waratah, a small mining town on the West Coast, where Max's mother was born - along with her 13 siblings! Waratah, it seems, is famous for saving Tasmania from being annexed by Victoria. It was the discovery of tin at Mt Bischoff by James 'Philosopher' Smith that saved their bacon! It's star shone brightly for a mere 25 or so years, and the sputtered and all but died out ..... like so many towns in Australia, victims of the boom and bust years. We found the small council camp park behind the Post Office, and were given a key to the amenities, costing us $20 for the night. We had a walk around the town, and finished up at the grand old pub - I asked Mine Host if they had a beer garden, he answered drily that since it rains 330 days a year and snows the other days, they don't get much call for one!

Next morning (today, Tuesday 10th March) we set off for Zeehan, another boom and bust town. I actually lived here myself in a previous life, for 6 months with my first husband who was a diesel mechanic working for the Renison Bell tin mine. I can't say I got all nostalgic on seeing the town again after 26 years, life is tough on the West Coast -very isolated, and a climate as described above! Tourism has given the town, in fact the whole West Coast, a huge boost - I was pleasantly surprised to see how the major historic buildings have been spruced up and restored to their former glory, eg the Gaiety Theatre, scene of many enthusiastically received productions in the golden days. If you're interested, try googling Zeehan Tasmania, there's plenty to find.

We set off to have a look at Strahan, 40 km away, this afternoon. Found it bustling, fairly bursting in fact, with tourists. The big attraction is of course, the Gordon River cruise. We've booked on the morning cruise tomorrow, and looking forward to seeing for ourselves the site of the convict settlement at Port Macquarie, and Sarah Island, notorious prison for the most desperate of the convicts.