Convict Coal Mine historic site - Tasman Peninsula

Convict Coal Mine ruins at Saltwater River

The main Convict Precinct

 
Excavated in 1833, the coal mines were used to punish the worst convicts, who worked here in extremely poor conditions.
 
Developed to limit the colony’s dependence on costly imported coal from New South Wales, as well as serving as a place of punishment for the “worst class” of convicts from Port Arthur, the mine was operational for over 40 years.

The main section of the site with the car-park upper left

 Coal Mine Walks

There are ten walks in the area - each with its own specific interests, including:

1. Convict Precinct - a 30-minute return walk of 800 metres which covers the main buildings and ruins in the convict precinct. 

2. Tramway and Beach Walk - a one km, 40-minute walk to inspect the area where the tramway ran down to the beach and where the coal was loaded.

: "Along the shore you can see small lumps of red and black material. The red material is coal slack, burnt by fires that smouldered for many years after the Mines were closed. The black material is coal that fell into the water during loading at the jetties. There were four main jetties. Two were near the Settlement, a third serviced the inclined plane, and the fourth serviced the Commissariat Store."

3. Plunkett Point - a 2 km return walk taking around one hour on a gravel road to Plunkett Point.

The Commissariat Store was built here in 1842. It could contain provisions for 2,000 men.

4. Inclined Plane - a 3 km return walk taking around 105 minutes and reaching the clifftops at Plunkett Point, north of the convict precinct. This took the coal from the shaft to the jetty.

There is a contemporary description of the process: "a windlass arrangement for hoisting the coal, a full box going up and empty one going down. A platform was built to the mouth of the shaft, and the boxes of coal were landed and placed on a tram, which ran out to a screen above the rails of the inclined plane... The [screened coal then] went into wagons underneath, which were run down the hill to the jetty." The system worked in such a way that the heavy coal-laden wagons rolling down the hill helped to pull the empty wagons up the hill. Not surprisingly it required "careful treatment to safely bring the wagon to the jetty. We used to stand on the brake behind, and guide the wagon to keep it on the road. The jetty was built so that [ships] could lie underneath; the wagons above, with flap arrangement below, could then quickly discharge their load into the hold of the boat."

5. Signal Station - a two hour, 3.5 km walk around past the Inclined Plane and the Shaft to the location of the old semaphore signal station.

The signal station was part of a system designed by Captain Booth at Port Arthur which allowed communication to occur between Port Arthur and the outstations in fifteen minutes.

6. Military Precinct & Gardens - a 4 km return lasting 2 hours and 30 minutes to the Military Precinct, which lay beyond the convict precinct

7. Military Precinct to Convict Settlement - which is a short 15 minute, 500-metre walk.

8. The Quarry - a 90 minute, 2.5 km return walk.

In a detailed contemporary account of this large shaft which was 92 metres deep. It was constantly flooding and William Thompson, one of the workers in the mine, has left us this description of the working "At the bottom of the shaft there were three roads. One was called the Double Road; it lay right in front of you and ran steeply down for about 40 or 50 yards... at the bottom there was a pump which was continually kept at work pumping the water up to the bottom of the big shaft. At the mouth of the pit was a pump to drain the water that collected at the bottom, and this was continuously operated by about eight men or more.
The coal was extracted by "sending the men down was for one man to sit across the short iron bar, holding onto the chain which was attached to its centre, and another man sat on the opposite side across the first man’s knee. They were then lowered by the windlass to the bottom. One miner got the coal from each face..."

9. A Heathland Wander - a pleasant 3 hours, 4.5 km return through the surrounding heathland from the Main Shaft to the Air Shaft.

10. The Air Shaft - a 5 km return, 3 hour 30 minutes walk through the heathland to the air shaft.

There are signs and displays to guide you around and inform about the history of the Site

A great place to explore on foot, with a number of tracks and paths around the extensive site, the Coal Mines offers visitors the chance to discover, among the ruins and scenic vistas, a different perspective on Tasmania’s convict history.

The site is managed by the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority and is one of the Unesco Australian Convict Sites World Heritage properties.

Getting There

Take the signposted turn-off  at Old Trading Store on Nubeena Road, Premaydena and travel around 13km north-west to Saltwater River Coal Mines Historic Site. Entry is free.

Turn off Nubeena road for the Convict Coal Mine at the Old Trading Store

 

 

 

  Lime Bay Camp ground 
Located at 181 Coal Mine Rd, Sloping Main, this beautiful isolated, National Park, campsite is located right near the water’s edge is suitable for both tents and caravans and  is approximately 7km north of the Convict Coal Mines.

Facilities include toilets, some picnic tables and fire places, but you need to  bring your own water and firewood.

 FEES & BOOKINGS
Camping Fees:
$13 per site based on 2 adults – Unpowered Site
Children – 4 and Under Free
5-17 years $2.50
Family Rate – $16 per site
Bookings are not taken.
 National Park entry fees and conditions apply. 
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Taranna & Norfolk Bay - Tasman Peninsula

Taranna

Taranna is a tiny hamlet on the Arthur Highway, on the way to Port Arthur, around 10km from Eaglehawk Neck, with an estimated population of 277 residents.

It is believed that 'taranna' is the local Aboriginal word for 'kangaroo'.

Taranna's main attractions are the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park, Unzoo, the Tasman Historical Museum & Coffee Shop, and The Norfolk Bay Convict Station.

Its real claim to fame, however, is that it was the terminus for the infamous human 'railway' which ran between  the jetty at Little Norfolk Bay and Port Arthur and was powered by four convicts pushing the carriages along the crude 7 km of track.

Norfolk Bay and Port Arthur Tramway

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NOTE: Clicking on 'coordinates' will take you to the appropriate Google map.
The Norfolk Bay Convict Station 

Norfolk Bay Convict Station, originally the Commissariat Store, was built in 1842.

It is a red and white-roofed building on a side road and was built by convicts with bricks that were were brought to Taranna from Port Arthur.

Historic Bed & breakfast accommodation on the Tasman Peninsula,

The building has had a chequered history, with some of the details on a plaque near the jetty.

The jetty site at Little Norfolk Bay - opposite the Norfolk Bay Convict Station

It was originally the Commissariat Store, which was specifically built to hold stores that were landed at the Little Norfolk Bay jetty and pushed along the tramway to Long Bay, Port Arthur.

When Port Arthur closed in 1877 the store was converted into the Tasman Hotel

The Norfolk Bay Convict Station is located just off the Arthur Highway at
5862 Arthur Highway in Taranna

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Old Convict Tramway

When a ship coming down Port Arthur from Hobart entered Storm Bay, it was exposed to the prevailing westerly winds and swells coming all the way from Antarctica.

In good weather a passage to Port Arthur might be accomplished in less than a day, but when the wind blew hard South-West, a sailing ship could be held up for days, sheltering under Bruny Island.

In 1836 Charles O'Hara Booth, then commander of the penal settlement at Port Arthur, oversaw the construction of the tramway to resolve this problem.

The tramway was created to replace the hazardous sea voyage from Hobart to Port Arthur, meaning  ships no longer needed to enter Storm Bay to reach Port Arthur:

A section of the tramway with a convict powered truck at the Norfolk Bay Convict Station

Sometimes called Australia’s first passenger railway it was, in reality, a tramway with wooden rails and trucks pushed by convicts and was a clever adaptation of timber-getting technology that required a great deal of maintenance and large manpower to run.

At the bottom of the Derwent, they could turn to port and stay in the sheltered waters of Norfolk Bay till they reached its southernmost point. 

The gangs of men who pushed the trucks were housed in a camp half-way along the track, and about fifty were needed to work the trucks in relays.

Three or four convicts were used to push the railway the 7 km from Port Arthur to the jetty at Little Norfolk Bay.

One description of travel on the railway, by a Col. Mundy,  reported that the occasional derailings may not have been all accidental, but used as a chance to pick the pockets of the passengers.

Mundy also describes the discomfort of the ‘quality’ (especially the ladies) brought into much too close contact with the convicts when the men jumped aboard the trucks to free-wheel downhill “and the d . . .. l take the hindmost”.

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Tasmanian Devil Unzoo

 Arthur Highway, Taranna
Coordinates: -43.060637, 147.864232

Website: Unzoo

 

Tasmanian Devil Unzoo is a four-in-one wildlife nature experience that combines up-close animal encounters, wildlife adventures, a Tasmanian native garden and original art.

The Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park, also known as The Taranna Wildlife Park, is working to rescue the Tasmanian devil species from the edge of extinction and teach people about this unusual marsupial.

The park is home to a small population of the devils, as well as a number of other Australian native animals, some of whom are unique to Tasmania.

The  Park is all about bringing wildlife to the visitors, and the entire park has been built with this in mind.

Visitors can wander the park and interact with the animals, be involved in feedings, and hear the expert keepers talk about Tasmania’s native animals while viewing the animals in their natural habitat.

Much care has been taken to allow visitors to see the animals, without limiting their lifestyles, including the placement of viewing domes inside the Tasmanian devil enclosure.

A Wombat

Visitors can also wander along the park’s nature trail and view the on-site botanic garden with iconic Australian native plants, and local birdlife.

 In the welcoming visitor reception area you’ll find information, good coffee, light refreshments and gifts, including quality Tasmanian books, clothing and souvenirs.

Pick up your guided map, bird and plant checklists at the reception desk, and chat to one of their knowledgeable guides to find out about the Unzoo or to book your place on the presentations and Devil Tracker Adventures.

You can also find out more about their journey as the world’s first Unzoo and efforts to save the endangered Tasmanian devil through the support of the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Project.

Tasmanian Devil

Young visitors are also welcome to play and explore in the Little Devil’s Playground, which offers an interactive display with information about Tasmanian devils and Tasmania’s prehistoric mega marsupials.

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Eaglehawk Neck ~ Gateway to the Tasman Peninsula

Eaglehawk Neck

 

Versicherungen

Eaglehawk Neck marks the start of the Tasman Peninsula, sitting around 20km south-east of Dunally and in the 2016 Census had around 385 residents.

Prior to European settlement, the area around Eaglehawk Neck was occupied by people from the Nuenonne Aboriginal language group.

Eaglehawk Neck is a bar made of sand carried by currents and waves from the floors of Pirate’s Bay to the east and Norfolk Bay to the west.

It ties Tasman to Forestier Peninsula in a narrow run of land which is less than 100 metres wide.

This quiet fishing village comprises clusters of tiny holiday retreats which are surrounded by spectacular coastal cliffs.

The waters around the coast are some of the finest temperate dive waters in the world.

Forming a natural gateway between the Tasman and Forestier Peninsulas, it was used by the British in the 1830s, when a line of dogs was chained to posts across the neck to warn of any convicts attempting to escape the Port Arthur prison.

A sketch of the Eaglehawk Neck Dog Line

The area was heavily patrolled by soldiers, and the guards' quarters still remain as a museum.

Doo Town

Beyond Eaglehawk Neck, on the way to Tasman's Arch and the Devil's Kitchen, is the holiday village of Doo Town -  comprising mostly of huts, shacks and holiday homes.

The locals have named their houses often with clever puns on "Doo", including Doodle Doo, Doo Nothing, Love Me Doo, Doo Us, Doo Me, Doo Nix, Wee Doo, Xanadu, This'll Doo Me, Rum Doo and, the house which reputedly started the fashion, Doo Little.

Tasman's Arch

Tasman's Arch is a natural arch which was produced in the sandstone cliff by waves action.

It is an enlarged tunnel which runs from the coast along a zone of closely spaced cracks and extends inland to a zone which is perpendicular to the first.

The roof at the end of the tunnel has collapsed, forming the arch.

Devil's Kitchen

The Devil's Kitchen is a gash in the coastline which has been formed by a similar process to Tasman's Arch.

 The sandstone rocks are Permian in age (about 250 million years old) and were deposited as silt and sand on the floor of a shallow sea.

Geologists believe that ice probably floated on the surface and that the pebbles caught in the ice floes dropped into the silt and sand as the ice melted.

The Dog Line

 

"These out of the way pretenders to dogship were actually rationed and borne in the government's books and rejoiced in such soubriquets as Caesar, Pompey, Ajax, Achilles, Ugly Mug, Jowler, Tear'em, Muzzle'em ... There were the black, the white, the brindle, the grey and the grisly, the rough and the smooth, the crop-eared and lop-eared, the gaunt and the grim. Every four-footed black-fanged individual among them would have taken first prize in his own class for ugliness and ferocity at any show." wrote Harden S. Melville in 1837.

These dogs were part of the Dog line, a line of eighteen dogs which stretched across the narrow isthmus at Eaglehawk Neck and was designed to stop convicts escaping from Port Arthur and the other convict settlements on the Tasman Peninsula.

Lieutenant John Peyton Jones, from the 63rd Regiment, devised the "natural" prison wall.

He later wrote "It occurred to me that the only way to prevent escape of prisoners from Port Arthur in consequence of the noise occasioned by the continual roar of the sea breaking on the beach and the peculiar formation of the land which rendered sentries comparatively useless, was to establish a line of lamps and dogs."

So, in 1832, a cutting was dug through the full width of the dunes to form a broad passage from one side of the Neck to the other. 

The floor of the cutting was covered with white cockle shells which, with the light from the lamps, illuminated the site at night. 

Initially, nine dogs were chained along the length of the cutting, creating an impenetrable, ferocious blockade. 

Anyone approaching Eaglehawk Neck by land or water would activate the alarm - a cordon of vicious, barking mongrels ... 

The system worked. 

Throughout its 45 years [it was not abandoned until Port Arthur closed down in 1877] of operation, only a few prisoners succeeded in passing through the barrier."

The system was greatly assisted by a series of 22 semaphores.

Once a convict escaped the soldiers on duty at Eaglehawk Neck could be alerted in a matter of minutes.

A report recalls one unsuccessful escape attempt at Eaglehawk Neck that became famous as follows:

 "Only now and then did a touch of macabre comedy come to Eaglehawk. 
A convict named William Hunt, listed on the records as a former strolling actor, attempted to escape in the skin of a kangaroo. 
Two guards on picket duty saw what seemed to be a 'boomer', a big old man kangaroo, hopping determinedly across the Neck and heading for the scrubland on Forestier's Peninsula. 
One for the pot, they reckoned, but as they raised their muskets the kangaroo stopped in its tracks and in the impeccable accents of Drury Lane called out, 'Don't shoot! It's only me - Billy Hunt!''

Evandale, Tasmania

Visiting Evandale

 I can't help but smile whenever I am in this beautiful village because I need do nothing more than to walk/drive around taking in the architecture and the atmosphere to feel fully satisfied.

Pflege-Vorsorge

Heritage Walk Booklet

To add some depth and colour to your visit, you can pick up a Heritage Walk booklet (available from the Evandale Tourist Information Centre and spend half a day walking around this magnificent heritage listed village, or visit on a Sunday and include a couple of hours at the large weekly markets.

Throw in a meal or two at any of the local eateries, or a picnic lunch in one of the pleasant parks and you have a fulfilling day done.

The Tourist Information Centre is at 18 High Street, Evandale

 Along with its history and preserved architectural beauty, Evandale is also known for its long-running Sunday market and as host to the annual World Penny Farthing bicycle Championships - held annually in February.

There is a primary school, churches, parks, pubs, shops and a fire station, cafés and antique shops - nearby locations include Nile, Deddington and Perth.

Evandale has been a centre of agriculture and pastoral activity since 1820, when grazing licences and location orders were replaced by firmer land titles.

The area consists of the central plain of the South Esk Valley and tributaries, skirted by the foothills and mountains of Ben Lomond Range.

These uplands have yielded considerable timber resources and the municipality is noted for the production of wool, fat lambs, sheep, cattle, dairy products, peas, barley, wheat and oats.

Overnight camping at Falls Park at Evandale

Evandale Markets

 

Caravans and motor homes may stay free overnight (with council permit), but must vacate every Saturday to allow set up for the Sunday Market.

Black and grey water to be contained.

You must obtain a permit to stay overnight.

Permits are FREE for up to 48 hours and are available 24/7 via a form on the https://www.northernmidlands.tas.gov.au/community/facilities/rv-friendly-towns#camping-permits website, with your permit number emailed to you immediately.

 

Tourist Information Centre
18 High Street, Evandale 7212 - Ph: 61 3 6391 8128

RV Effluent Dump Point
Morven Park, Barclay St, Evandale
Located behind main building at rear of sports oval. Difficult access for big rigs

Emergencies
Police, ambulance and fire dial 000

Toilet Facilities
Russell Street, Evandale - Open 8:00 am to 6:00 pm

Doctor/Medical Centre
Norfolk Plains Medical Pty Ltd, 73 Main Rd, Perth - ph. (03) 6398 2295

Police Station
3-5 Scone Street, Evandale - non-emergency ph. 131444

 The Evandale area was first used [by Europeans] by shepherds seeking new pastures for their flocks in the early 1800s. It is now a small, National Trust classified, Georgian village, sitting on the banks of the South Esk River, around 18 km south of Launceston and 182 km north of Hobart.

The town has a population of around 1,100 (2011 census)

 Evandale was named Honeysuckle Banks by Governor Lachlan Macquarie, who camped on the river-bank below its current site when passing through the region in 1811.

It was also known as Morven before being named Evansdale (1829) and finally Evandale in 1836 after the surveyor and painter George William Evans, who spent much of his later life in Van Diemen's Land.

 Evandale's People

John Batman, the founder of Melbourne, and landscape painter John Glover lived near the town with Glover memorialised in an annual art prize and a statue at Falls Park, while John Kelly, father of the bushranger Ned Kelly, once worked in the township as a convict.

A Scottish mariner, Captain Andrew Barclay, was granted 500 acres (202 ha) of land on the South Esk River in 1816, and another 300 acres (121 ha) the next year when he built 'Trafalgar' - the earliest surviving building in Evandale and one of the oldest farmhouses in Australia.

Barclay continued acquiring land in the surrounding district and by 1828 was considered the largest owner of good land on the island

 

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Four-Wheel-Driving In Mt Field National Park, Tasmania

A guest post - by Luke Hine-Haycock

Saw Back Track Disappointment

Blue line marks the Saw Back Track

 

 

 

Having been told that the Saw Back Track was an extreme 4wd experience, a few mates and I decided to give it a go.

Sadly the track was a little disappointing for me, as I only found two challenging parts - the first one was a clay hill with a washed out step up in it and the second one was a muddy water hole.

Although the Saw Back Track was a little disappointing the Mt Field National Park area has a lot to offer and see.

Results of the clay step-up

Entry Requirements

From Bothwell we drove approx. 71km to the Mt Field National Park visitor centre, where we got the key and permits for the Saw Back track - a $300 refundable deposit was charged for the key.

Mt Field National Park visitor centre

 We had to fill out some permits to be able to get the key which required our licences and rego. numbers.

 A park's pass is also required to enter into Tasmanian National Parks.

The Camp

After we got our permits sorted, we headed to Lake Pedder where we set up camp for the two nights.

There were a few good camping spots here with shelters and old BBQs, some fire wood was also supplied by parks and wild life, although we had taken our own.

There were also long drop toilets there and although they were clean, they were a little smelly.

The first thing we did once we picked out our camp site was set up the swags in the shelter because it had been raining on and off all day.

Dustin then got the fire going while Luke set up his Webber to cook everyone a lamb roast for tea.

Getting the fire going

While the roast was cooking we decided to go for a drive around Lake Pedder for about an hour and when we got back we had a couple of beers while we waited for the roast to finish cooking, then it was time for tea.

Exploring Mount Field National Park

It was lucky there was a shelter as we got some more rain overnight.

 Saturday morning was a much nicer day and we were all pretty keen to go and do the Saw Back track and explore the old 1920s mining township of Adamsfield, where gold & osmiridium were mined. 

Old Mining Huts

Some old mining artefacts can be found scattered around the huts.

After having a look at the ruins of the old mine township of Adamsfield, we came across a new timber shelter that looked to only be a few weeks old.

This was the perfect place to stop for lunch as it was that time of day.

There was a little creek with running water and a nice big grassy area with enough room to park all the vehicles.

Not long after lunch we had completed the Saw Back Track and were back on the Gordon River road, so we decided to take the drive down to the Gordon dam and check out the impressive concrete dam wall that is 140m tall.

Gordon Dam Wall

On our return back to camp, we stopped in at Pedder Wilderness Lodge for a few beers and a game of 8-ball.

Things You Should Know

If you are planing on doing the Saw Back Track, I would recommend that you book in advance, as this is a popular spot and the maximum number of vehicles in each group is six, although our group only consisted of five vehicles.

I am told that the Saw Back track is closed annually from June to October to prevent damage to the fragile mudstone soils.

You must ensure that all vehicles are free of mud before entering Adamsfield Conservation Area to prevent the spread of weeds and fungal diseases.

Vehicles including motorbikes and quad bikes must be registered and stay on formed tracks.

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Carving Out A Lifestyle

East Beach Tourist Park

 I popped in yesterday to meet the owner of the East Beach Tourist Park, at Low Head, and discovered a delightful lady whose husband passed away around a year ago, leaving her to carve out a lifestyle with their developing caravan/tourist park.

East Beach Tourist Park at Low Head has a unique facade which attracts tens of thousands of visitors per year.  

The striking Macrocarpa wood carvings are the work of Eddie Freeman and was commissioned by the late Kenneth Plumstead, the previous park owner, and is the largest privately owned collection of its type in Australia.

 With these exquisite tree carvings at the front door and East Beach and the Bass Straight at the rear, this park is the ideal place to spend a day, or a month, exploring the region.

East Beach, Low Head

East Beach, looking to the east

The Western end of East Beach, overlooking the Low Head lighthouse precinct.

 

 

 

Just 40 minutes from Launceston, East Beach Tourist Park is located right on beautiful East 

Beach, at historic Low Head. It is only 5 minutes from all the facilities and attraction that George Town and Low Head offers, but far enough away to enjoy the peace and tranquillity in a natural setting - perfect for the tourist to set up base and explore the historic region and further afield, while also ideal as a weekend escape for locals


The park's website contains dozens of photos of the park and surrounding region and is packed with information to both excite and guide you on your journey.

Their Website

Get Your FREE PDF Guide to Tasmania's freedom camping sites and caravan parks HERE

Is The Dementia Really Setting In?

At 81 years of age, I have just discovered that getting older doesn't necessarily mean getting wiser.

"Catalogue Tasmania's freedom camping sites and caravan parks in a light to download, easy to use format", he said.
"There can't be that many of them - it will be fun", he said.

Ideal for use with the FREE downloadable route map, this guide (in PDF) offers information on freedom camping areas and van park locations, pet friendliness and facilities.

Each guide is loosely based on routes in the downloadable map and run sequentially (as you travel), rather than alphabetically, for greater ease of use.

 

Download Campsite and Caravan Park List 

 

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Hobart Convict Gaol: A family connection

James: From Chartist to Supervisor of the Treadmill

Remainder of the gaol still stands

 

 

 

 

 

I recently took the opportunity to visit my brother - Keeper of the Family History - south of Hobart, spending a few inspiring days with him and his lovely wife.

We had to make the 40 km plus trip into Hobart and given that I have had little to do with much of the south of the state, was excited that we were going to visit the Old Convict Gaol where our Great, great-grandfather had been the supervisor of the treadmill.

It seems quite strange to me that, having been heavily involved as an organiser with the Chartist Movement in England - an act similar to today's terrorism that was punished by long prison terms or transportation to Australia - he was able to secure a position as Supervisor of the Treadmill in Hobart and then Launceston.

Hobart Convict Gaol Layout

Hobart Convict Gaol Layout - click to enlarge

 

 

 

The Penitentiary Chapel and Criminal Courts are situated on a Hobart site occupied for penal uses from 1821 to 1983.

The complex, containing one of the most beautiful church towers in Australia, is of national importance.

By the late 1820s increasing numbers of convicts were placing stress on Hobart's convict accommodation, and a penitentiary, 'The Tench', was built (1827 /28) in Campbell Street - remains of which still stand today, along with some of the cottages across the road.

Penitentiary Chapel: Hobart

Penitentiary Chapel can be found at the Corner of Brisbane and Campbell Streets

Overcrowding also affected Hobart's only Anglican church, St David's, and Lt-Governor Arthur directed the Colonial Architect, John Lee Archer, to design a second place of worship.

Archer designed a building to serve both convicts and free citizens, with 36 solitary confinement cells underneath as an adjunct to the penitentiary.

His design was cruciform, without a sanctuary, but with a nave, while the east and west transepts had floors tiered or sloped towards a central pulpit, visible to all three wings.

This clever arrangement allowed the free citizens to use the nave for worship, hidden from 'the uncouth gaze' of the (640) prisoners in the wings.

A prisoner looks at convict behaviour in Church

 

It is from the 'educated writings' of Linus W. Miller, a twenty-two-year-old American lawyer who was transported to Van Diemen’s Land as a state prisoner from Canada after becoming involved in the 1838 Canadian rebellion that we can gain a first-hand insight into daily life of the convicts.

The following is just a small part of his description of convict attendance at Divine Service in the Penitentiary Chapel.

‘On looking about me, I could not discover more than twelve, among twelve hundred prisoners [sic], who appeared to be taking any notice of the service. Some were spinning yarns, some playing at pitch-and-toss, some gambling with cards; several were crawling about under the benches, selling candy, tobacco, &c., and one fellow carried a bottle of rum, which he was serving out in small quantities to those who had an English sixpence to give for a small wine-glass full. Disputes occasionally arose which ended in a blow or kick; but in these cases the constables, who were present to maintain order, generally felt called upon to interfere. If any resistance was offered to their authority, the culprit was seized by the arms and collar, dragged out of the church and thrust into the cells beneath.'

The Treadmill

 

The treadmill or 'everlasting staircase' was a penal appliance introduced in 1818 by the British engineer Sir William Cubitt (1785/61) as a means of usefully employing convicts.

The device was a wide hollow cylinder, usually composed of wooden steps built around a cylindrical iron frame.

My brother informs me that 'The Launceston Treadmill'  [where James also worked]  could accommodate up to eighteen men, who trod up and down on the spot, grinding wheat for the Government store. 

On the machine, the prisoners had to keep moving.  Every sixty seconds, a bell would signal the prisoner at the end of the line to break. When the bell rang again, he would rejoin the line at the other end for a further eighteen-minute’s treading.'

Gold, gold, gold! Fossicking at Lefroy

Lefroy: The six pub town

I have always found it rather interesting that the population and wealth of Australian historic mining areas seem to be always measured by the number of pubs (hotels) it had.

Lefroy sits around 15 km south-east of the cottage and 58 km north-east of Launceston. Originally known as Nine Mile Springs it was changed to Lefroy in 1881 after the visit by the Acting Governor, Sir Henry Lefroy.

It was a bustling town, which is said to have contained 5,000 people in its peak boom period of 1890-95. It was the fourth largest town in Tasmania,.

Gold was known to exist in the hills around Lefroy in the 1840s, but exploration was discouraged because of a fear that the convicts would find out and rebel.

Though now only a sleepy rural town with no retail activity at all, Lefroy had a race track, rifle club, cricket club and brass band. There were six hotels, three churches, a state and private grammar school, a masonic lodge and mechanics institute. The town had several shops, two butchers and a cordial factory. In 1907 the headquarters of the George Town Municipality was located there, remaining there until the 1930s.

Gold Mining At Lefroy

Mining endeavours at Lefroy were a series of booms and busts. The alluvial gold lay in the creek gullies and under the basalt rock on the eastern side of the field. But most of the gold lay in scattered reefs in the quartz rock which formed the base of the area.

 In the upper levels the gold was quite rich, but it was quickly exhausted and as shafts were dug deeper, the amount of gold diminished. Extraction was expensive because of water seepage, which required pumps, and the quartz rock had to be crushed in batteries of stamping machines, and then washed in sluices to extract the gold from the crushed rock.

In all, the Lefroy mines yielded £750,000 in gold, making the gold field the second richest in Tasmania, after Beaconsfield.

 Gold Fossicking at Lefroy

A tailings dump we have been picking through

 

 

 

Once commercial mining ceased, Lefroy slowly declined, its school and last church closing in 1954. Many of the houses were removed to George Town and Beaconsfield. Even so, prospectors continue to mine and fossick for gold in and around the old mine shafts, often finding enough to make it a profitable hobby.

My sons grew up in the Lefroy area and spent many hours picking through the tailings dumps and mine sites with limited, though exciting results including a number of smallish nuggets.

So What Did We Find?

With many hectares of scrub surrounding the mine and tens of thousands of tonnes of well worked tailings, finding gold is about as easy as striking a lottery win - a few small payouts but an extremely elusive jackpot.

From a material point of view, the total find during our four-hour search consisted of an tiny sliver of gold in a fissure in a chunk of basalt. Cash value - zero.

The real payout, however, comes with the health giving beauty of the silent embrace of the surrounding forest. Real Value -  priceless.

Be assured that the gold is there, and taking the time to have a look is well worth many hours of your time.

 The Rehabilitation of Abandoned Mining Lands

The capping on one of over fifty shafts in the region

 

The Rehabilitation of Abandoned Mining Lands Trust Fund commenced a
remediation program in the 2005/2006 budget period to address public safety risks posed by abandoned mine workings on Crown Land at Lefroy, north-east Tasmania.

Over fifty open shafts and two adits were either capped or fenced during
this time for an approximate cost of $140,000.

 The Chinese In Lefroy

Chinese miners first arrived at Lefroy in 1870, originally brought in to work the mines at Back Creek. 

At Lefroy they panned for alluvial gold, and later picked over the tailings from the crushing batteries. They also made money from the other diggers through their market gardens and gambling dens, where fan tan was the main game. 

They were slower but steadier workers and were tolerated by the other diggers. In 1877 they opened a Joss House in Little China Town, which was in Powell Street. It remained there until 1904, when it was dismantled and removed to an unknown location.

You may also be interested in two items I have published in my site, Dear Grandpa Pencil, including:

'MV Parsifal' visits the Tamar River

Giant delivers Tasrail's new locomotives

'MV Parsifal' the largest car carrier in the world and the largest ship ever to call into Bell Bay, today navigated the winding Tamar River delivering Tassie's new Locomotives.

The 265-metre long 'MV Parsifal' spans nine decks with a cargo deck area the size of eight soccer fields with a draught of nearly 9 metres.

Just 35 metres shorter than the Eiffel Tower, with a ramp that can handle the weight of 100 elephants she has an anchor that weighs 9.2 tonnes and  an engine which has the horsepower of 180 cars.

Despite her gigantic size, the Parsifal will actually use 15 to 20% less fuel per transported unit compared to her predecessors due to her optimised hull shape and other energy saving features like the streamlined rudder design and duck tail which make her one of the most environmentally friendly ships in operation today. In addition, electricity will be produced from the exhaust heat on board thanks to an advanced turbo generator which has been installed in the engine room.

'MV Parsifal

One of TasRail’s 17 new TR class locomotives

Unloading at Bell Bay