Robin Cartledge's Tasmanian Travel Guide

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 Wester...

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 Penite...

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 h...

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 a...

Bass and Flinders prove Tasmania is an island    The Replica of the Norfolk in George Town   The 25 ton Colonial sloop Norfolk was built on Norfolk Island in 1798 and was constructed from Norfolk Island Pine. Flinders had been doing some exploring on his own and believed that he could prove that Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) was an island. Bass and Flinders convinced Governor Hunter that another expedition should be set up with a bigger boat and more men. The Circumnavigation Governor Hunter quickly put the Norfolk under the command of Matthew Flinders to be used as a survey vessel. From the Bass and Flinders Centre In 1798, Bass and Flinders sailed the Norfolk through Bass Strait and round Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), proving that it was an island.   They sailed with a crew of 8  right into the Tamar River and anchored off what is now George Town. This was to be their last voyage together as Bass disappeared mysteriously in the Pacif...

Is There Life After Death? Tree sculpture at East Beach     If the George Town/Low Head area is anything to go by, there certainly is. This is my second Australia Day back in Northern Tasmania and as I enjoyed the experience at the Low Head Pilot Station last year, I decided to do it again. Sadly, despite the weather being near perfect, the event fell far short of last year's, in almost every respect. I did one quick circuit of the precinct and left - the problem was probably the result of the present depressed nature of the region. Discovering East Beach East  Beach overlooking the Low Head Lighthouse   Rather than waste an outing, even though it is only a few kilometre drive, I took a left turn on the way home to look at a beach. I can be a bit slack and although it is only a longish walk from the Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage, I had not seen it. The beach sweeps east, from the point that houses the Low Head Lighthouse, in a 1.5 km crescent fr...

Australia Day 2013 at the Low Head Pilot Station  An impressive day in a most impressive location Low Head Pilot Station is the oldest existing group of Pilot Station buildings in Australia with its ongoing Pilot Service dating from 1805. What better venue, then, in which to celebrate Australia Day? The weather was balmy, the music wonderful, the food plentiful and the crowd, when not taking part in the many events, were in a relaxed and happy mood. . This large, functional and historic precinct was the venue for this year's Australia Day celebrations and for a municipality of around 6,500 people the turnout was excellent. I write and produce a website for our Community Radio Station and went along to the event to grab some photos for its Photo Album section. Just a short drive, or a longish walk, from the Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage, the precinct boasts, along with its ongoing Pilot Service which guides ships through the dangerous entry and journey down the Tama...