Tasmanian Bush Heritage
On 28 May 1882 a woman died on Tasmania’s West Coast and was laid to rest nearby. No doctor attended her, no police constable, magistrate or registrar was notified.1 No priest officiated at her funeral. None of these positions existed on the Heemskirk Tin Field. There was nothing but a scattered population of mostly Cornish … Read moreDigging up Mrs Williams, or the phantom of the Heemskirk tin boom
Recently a little piece of unexplained history solved itself. Decades ago, I saw a fern-shrouded water-filled hole in the bank of Douglas Creek near New Pelion Hut. It was full of small branches and leaf litter. However, boards around its square sides showed that it was not natural. It intrigued me and I wanted to … Read moreThe Mine Shaft near New Pelion Hut
It looks like Dr Phibes, Vincent Price’s manic Hammer horror movie character, paid Waratah a visit. Over the bank from Main Street old stamper rods poke at the sky like organ pipes rearranged by one of that madman’s solo performances.1 Further evidence of Waratah’s 150-year-old love affair with tin mining rests nearby. Rusting skips and … Read moreThe pontoon: or desperation and destruction in the North Bischoff Valley
The old man’s voice sounds cultured but distinctly Australian, like an interwar ABC news reader. It is the voice of a man who grew up in a British colony and is still slightly wearied by fighting for the Empire at Gallipoli and in France. However, the place that affected Major Ron Smith (1881–1969) most was … Read moreThe Fury Hut and Tom Perry’s Hut, Fleece Creek