Tasmanian Bush Heritage
The broken wire The weather turned bad in the middle of August 1900. Tasmania was swept by heavy rain and hail.1 Snow fell and covered the mountains and the high country.2 It was said to be the worst weather in five years.3 On the morning of Friday 17 August, the telegraph line between Queenstown and … Read moreThe Frozen Travellers at Mount Arrowsmith – Part 2 – What Happened
We love the beauty and history of the Tasmanian high country. Why else would we brave steep mountains and valleys, difficult scrub and bad weather? We know that every time that we go into the wilderness we risk tragedy. Sudden bad weather, a slip or fall, poor preparation or sheer bad luck could ruin our … Read moreThe Frozen Travellers, Mount Arrowsmith, August 1900
Introduction I’m surprised sometimes by how far our searches take us back in time. This story is about a stockyard built about 175 years ago and is now little more than a ghost in the landscape. Looked for the Mole Creek Track For me, this story began more than 40 years ago whilst I was … Read moreThe Ghostly Stockyard of the Borradaile Plains
Most of the pictures taken on our searches don’t make it into our blogs. This is because a lot of searches are unsuccessful, or at least not yet successful. And even for successful searches many of the pictures don’t fit with the aim of the blog. These are some landscapes that didn’t make it from … Read moreLandscapes (2023)
Previously It’s been a few years since we told you about Eddie Firth showing us an old Pelton wheel (a type of water turbine) – you can read that here. It came from the Devon Mine on the Dove River. But it might have started its life at the copper mine owned by the notorious … Read moreEddie’s Water Wheel and the Barn Bluff Copper Mine – Solved?
Guest writer Paula McCulloch Introduction Paula joins us again with the exciting news that she has found Stretcher Hut. She started her hunt years ago after reading a story by Simon Cubit. We all know Simon’s gift for weaving history and mystery together into a captivating story. He described a bushman carried to a hut … Read moreStretcher Creek Hut Found
A great find, but what now? The hunt started with a picture. Ian got excited. It ended when he found where the cottage had once stood. That was a long way from where it was supposed to be. Ian moved on to the next search. But there were way too many loose ends … Read moreLoose Ends – that ‘farm at Mount Agnew’
About 20 years ago my husband and I was speaking to a gentleman named Bob about Middlesex Plains and the shacks and mines in the area. He mentioned that he had spent some time up there as a seventeen-year-old in 1965. He would stay at the hut known by locals as the Ponderosa, which he … Read moreBob Duncombe’s (Middlesex) Hut
Another Heemskirk Adventure Introduction Like so many of our hunts, this one started with a photo. Nic had introduced us to Orient Mine near Trial Harbour. And what a story it had to tell. The team; Nic, Ian, Eddie, Jenny, Tim and I; visited it a few times looking at the remains of the mine: … Read moreA Mystery Photo of a little Farm House
Here are a few old and new snaps from searches that didn’t make it into our blogs. Maynes/Orient Tin Mine – Heemskirk Trial Harbour to Zeehan Wurragarra Creek, Mount Pillinger in the background – Mole Creek Track … Read moreThen and Now