When tin mining dominated NE Tasmania, Derby was a busy town. Thousands of people lived here. You can get of idea of what it was like from the small but fancy bank building below. But like many mining towns, when the mines went away, so did the population.
Until recently, Derby was a quiet town that managed to support a couple of cafes and many small houses that “need a bit of love”. It was a good place to stop on your way to somewhere else, to get a drink and check out the interesting local history museum in the school house.
Then ten years ago, the area was developed for mountain bike riding. Lots of hills & small mountains, interesting forests and rocks, and apparently everything mountain bikers love. Derby is quite the busy little town now. On the Sunday after Christmas, it was extremely busy. Lots of cars. Lots of people. Lots of bikes.
