Seen at Richmond Tasmania
After leaving Bruny Island & on to mainland Tassie, we headed for Richmond
to book into the Van park there to catch up on some washing. 6 loads in fact!
Richmond lies about 25kms north east of Hobart, a small town
with a population of under 1000.
Such a picturesque little town though, reminded me a little of Hahndorf
in South Australia.
The town is famous for its Georgian architecture, 50 of them in the town.
some of the heritage buildings date back to 1820.
The town also boasts the oldest
& most photographed bridge in Australia, built in 1823
Ducks around the bridge
We called into the wicked cheese factory just outside Richmond.
Great cheeses & choccies, & some interesting liqueurs,
but at $105 a bottle, we resisted the drink, if not the cheeses.
Lunch was nice with a shared platter
Next stop on our travels was Derwent Bridge, where we stayed at the Pub.
We wanted to have a look at the Wall in the Wilderness,
which is nearby.A 100metre long
which is nearby.A 100metre long
wooden sculpture by the sculptor Greg Duncan,
The Wall is a marvellous work of art, carved out of 3m slabs of Huon Pine
which only grows in Tasmania, and is extremely slow growing.
Some of the trees are over 3000 years old.
A lot of the trees were cut down & submerged under water when areas
were cleared for Dams in previous years.
They are fine grained & have natural oils that make them highly resistant
to rot & insect attack, making it ideal for boat building
in the days of wooden hull ships.
There is a ban on felling now & the only source is one stand,
and dead & downed timber to be used for craft wood.
The Wall was started in 2005 & is now almost finished,
He has left some small parts intentionally
in various stages of finish to show the transition from raw wood
to finished sculpture.
It is a truly amazing & unique sculpture, & the attention
to fine detail is exceptional.
We also wanted to take a look at Lake St. Clair while at Derwent Bridge
which is the deepest lake in Australia at 160m, at an elevation of
750m & 45sq kms in area.
This is the old Pumphouse on Lake St Clair, now used as a tourist guesthouse
Looking down at a small part of Lake St Clair
After leaving Derwent Bridge we had to negotiate the road to Queenstown,
which consisted of 99 hairpin bends, both going up, & down
into Queenstown. We made it with no dramas, with only
light traffic on the road.
Queenstown used to be a booming mine town, with up to
10,000 population. Now it is down to less than 2000.
The town gets 2.5 metres rainfall a year, & snow.
It's a very mountainous area, that has a moonscape look in places.
It was a typical mining town with a pub on every corner.
Sadly its past the boom period, with a lot of the pubs closed down,
in disrepair or torn down,
and quite a few of the homes derelict.
However, they are revitalising the town with restorations & tourist attractions
One of the old Pubs still standing(just) & being renovated
The Empire Hotel is still running, & has an old staircase inside
listed by the National Trust.
Made out of local Blackwood timber, which was milled here,
sent to England to be turned & crafted, & then returned here
& assembled. Note the acorns.
The Post Office has been nicely restored
Another restored building which is now an art gallery
The local CWA hall
The gravel Football Oval
Some of the monuments in town are well done.
Tourism is important for the town, & many people come to ride
The West Coast Wilderness Railway.
Now a tourist attraction, but in the past was a vital connection
between Queenstown, & the coastal town & Port of Strahan
for supplies, & the transport of ore & timber for
shipment to the mainland & overseas.
You can ride the train all the way down to Strahan, or do the
halfway journey from Queenstown & back.
We did the half trip. The train uses a rack & pinion drive located
in the middle of the normal tracks, which gives
a positive drive for the train, as the incline is too steep in places
& would never make it up or down the hill.
The train travels through rainforest, & over trestle bridges,
with a 60 metre drop in places.
It's steam driven, but uses recycled sump oil instead of coal.
This is the old Pumphouse on Lake St Clair, now used as a tourist guesthouse
Looking down at a small part of Lake St Clair
After leaving Derwent Bridge we had to negotiate the road to Queenstown,
which consisted of 99 hairpin bends, both going up, & down
into Queenstown. We made it with no dramas, with only
light traffic on the road.
Queenstown used to be a booming mine town, with up to
10,000 population. Now it is down to less than 2000.
The town gets 2.5 metres rainfall a year, & snow.
It's a very mountainous area, that has a moonscape look in places.
It was a typical mining town with a pub on every corner.
Sadly its past the boom period, with a lot of the pubs closed down,
in disrepair or torn down,
and quite a few of the homes derelict.
However, they are revitalising the town with restorations & tourist attractions
One of the old Pubs still standing(just) & being renovated
The Empire Hotel is still running, & has an old staircase inside
listed by the National Trust.
Made out of local Blackwood timber, which was milled here,
sent to England to be turned & crafted, & then returned here
& assembled. Note the acorns.
The Post Office has been nicely restored
Another restored building which is now an art gallery
The local CWA hall
The gravel Football Oval
Some of the monuments in town are well done.
Tourism is important for the town, & many people come to ride
The West Coast Wilderness Railway.
Now a tourist attraction, but in the past was a vital connection
between Queenstown, & the coastal town & Port of Strahan
for supplies, & the transport of ore & timber for
shipment to the mainland & overseas.
You can ride the train all the way down to Strahan, or do the
halfway journey from Queenstown & back.
We did the half trip. The train uses a rack & pinion drive located
in the middle of the normal tracks, which gives
a positive drive for the train, as the incline is too steep in places
& would never make it up or down the hill.
The train travels through rainforest, & over trestle bridges,
with a 60 metre drop in places.
It's steam driven, but uses recycled sump oil instead of coal.
We stopped at various places along the way to walk the rainforest,
watch the railway men turn the engine round on the
turntable by hand, & to pan for gold.
Jan panned, I watched & took pics.
I slipped my gold wedding ring in the pan so Jan
would think she discovered gold, but she was on to me.
We watched an old movie in the Art Deco movie theatre which is being
restored, & will be a multi purpose entertainment centre
to host bands, plays & functions
We went on the night to watch Key Largo, starring Humphrey Bogart
Lauren Bacall & Edward G Robinson.
The owners, Joy & Anthony,
told us some of the history of the Theatre, & Queenstown.
Anthony took us on a guided tour, showing us the old,
original equipment that was used when it first opened in the '30's
We then seated ourselves in very comfortable lounge chairs
& watched the movie.
Later, Joy brought us some delicious desserts
she had made. Joy is a Chef, & has cooked in Europe & Britain.
She also runs the B&B over the road from the Theatre.
Anthony also runs guided tours round the mines & rainforest.
They both spend a lot of time on the Theatre as well.
It was a great night, & would recommend
it to anyone coming to Queenstown.
We resume our trip on Monday down to Strahan,
which is only about 45k away, but again
downhill, & with numerous bends & curves.
That's Tassie roads for ya, lots of hills, twists & turns.
A few pics from the area
In the rainforest
Roof of the Derwent Bridge Pub
Another view of the Hotel staircase
Dream job for this lad
Now that's a hedge!
Gets a bit damp here
A monument to honour 42 miners killed in
an underground fire in the mine in 1912
restored, & will be a multi purpose entertainment centre
to host bands, plays & functions
We went on the night to watch Key Largo, starring Humphrey Bogart
Lauren Bacall & Edward G Robinson.
The owners, Joy & Anthony,
told us some of the history of the Theatre, & Queenstown.
Anthony took us on a guided tour, showing us the old,
original equipment that was used when it first opened in the '30's
We then seated ourselves in very comfortable lounge chairs
& watched the movie.
Later, Joy brought us some delicious desserts
she had made. Joy is a Chef, & has cooked in Europe & Britain.
She also runs the B&B over the road from the Theatre.
Anthony also runs guided tours round the mines & rainforest.
They both spend a lot of time on the Theatre as well.
It was a great night, & would recommend
it to anyone coming to Queenstown.
We resume our trip on Monday down to Strahan,
which is only about 45k away, but again
downhill, & with numerous bends & curves.
That's Tassie roads for ya, lots of hills, twists & turns.
A few pics from the area
In the rainforest
Roof of the Derwent Bridge Pub
Another view of the Hotel staircase
Dream job for this lad
Now that's a hedge!
Gets a bit damp here
A monument to honour 42 miners killed in
an underground fire in the mine in 1912
Loved the old buildings in Richmond and Queenstown. Don't think we'll have time to visit Queenstown when we go to Tassie later in the year, but at least you have given us a great view of it. Thanks B&J
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