Deloraine & Alveston

Fifty kilometres along the Bass Highay, almost directly west of Launceston, is Deloraine. Here the highway turns north and heads up to the north west coast.

I have to admit, I don’t know much about the history of the Deloraine (which might not seem that unusual except um…) other than somewhere back in the dark ages, one of the governors, I’m thinking Sorell, said, “We need more agricultural land. Go west and see what you can find.” What they found was a land of brown soil and good rainfall, that is very good for growing potatoes and other vegetables, and poppies it seems. Also dairy cows and fat lambs.

In 1870-71, the first railway line on island was put through from Launceston to Deloraine. The following decade the line was extended up to Devonport, up on the coast. (This bridge is from the 1880s.) Judging by the amount of late Victorian architecture, the town obviously benefited from the railway. There are still a lot of the older boxy Georgian buildings here though.

A few years back, the highway was redone and the towns along this part all by-passed. It doesn’t seem to have hurt the town though. The main road always seems to be busy, lots of cars and lots of people, and quite a bit of tourist orientated businesses. At least on one side of the river.

The main road that used to be the highway rans through the town, crosses the river and then runs through the main shopping area.

This side of the river, there was the small town of Alveston. Possibly older than Deloraine, but it has now been absorbed. There are a number of buildings still remaining from that area though, including shops and the Plough Inn.

Just before the river, is the community centre, with the squash courts down the back. I note this because, while our parents were playing squash on the weekends, my sister and I would play in the empty community centre. Mostly the basketball court. I seem to recall there was a small theatre or cinema in here too.

The Meander River. “Meander Valley” is the name of the local government area and the region in general, from beyond Deloraine back into Launceston. The little building on the side there was a hydro power station (oldest publicly owned extant hydro station in the country? or something like that.) You can see the railway bridge and, just beyond it, the older part of the road bridge.

Across the river now. Baptist Tabernacle, built in 1880 (it says so above the door).

This is the bottom pub, properly the Deloraine Hotel, built in the 1840s but obviously it’s been extended over time. I think there are four existing hotels in the town. There are a lot of former hotels too.

Moving up the road. This bottom end of the main shopping area hasn’t changed much over the last couple of decades. The contents have sometimes changed, but others haven’t. This was a greengrocers, I think, and a secondhand shop.

The Empire Hotel has gone more upmarket.

That building at the top on the left used to be a hotel, I believe. Now it’s shop.

From the roundabout, and there’s the same building again, on the right. Harrises (the low building in the middle, with the metal front) has been there forever. It sells clothes and stuff. My grandmother used to go there a lot. The buildings behind are on the other side of the river.

Also from the roundabout, the RSL Club, where birthday parties and things took place.

I mention the roundabout, because after this point, there’s been a lot of new development in the last 20-30 years. Most of this is new, or new fronts on older businesses.

This is also newish — built in front of the supermarket — but now I think the supermarket has moved.

This is the top pub, now “Ye Olde British Hotel”. I guess tourists prefer to go to “Ye Old” hotels. My grandfather spent most of his time here.

Just an interesting point here, the bluestone foundations, which are common in the town and the north of the state generally. Just not usually this noticeable.

A slight detour off the main road, to look at the Catholic church. The Meander Valley had a strong Irish Catholic influence in the early years. More importantly, we used to play in this area a lot as kids, because my grandparents lived just down the road. There’s a school adjoining the church (you can see the gable) and it used to have a large sand pit, also just a good area to run around in.

Back to the main road. The building on the left looks a lot like an old hotel to me, but I can’t identify it from this angle.

The Folk Museum, I think it still is. Once it was an inn and cottage. The information centre referred to there is back off the road and a very modern building. I haven’t been in there. Note the “arty” street decoration.

Masonic Hall and, two up, Oddfellows Hall, now a laundrette.

Same, from further along the road.

The road continues on to rejoin the highway, and from there to places north and west. There was a secondhand bookshop in that building at one point. I think it was built as a shop, late Georgian.

And that’s Quamby Bluff, which is the local mountain. We climbed it once, sort of. I