from LJ – Page 3 – Tasmanian Towns

Linda Valley & Royal Hotel

March 25, 2015 by Xenith

This is Linda, population not very many.

The internets are being unhelpful at giving up useful information, and I obviously have boxes of books to unpack somewhere. So I’ll have to rely on what I know, which is, um, not much. Still former mining town, you can probably tell the story yourself 🙂

I did find some old postcards in the State Library’s collection, so you can see that early in the 20th century it was town of some substance, with multiple hotels (I think four at one point) and boarding houses, a hall and shops. It was, at one point, the main town for workers at the nearby North Mt Lyell mine, and the end point of the railway. A busy little place, with a population in the hundreds.

Then it faded over the years, and the buildings went away, until it is as you see it today.

It does, however, have a phone box!

Gormanston

March 25, 2015 by Xenith

Gormanston, population 170. About one tenth what it was about a century ago when the town was home to employees of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, along with all the services a town needs: shops, hotels, local government, school, post office.

Cut from a photo from the State Library of Victoria. Their photo is larger, if you want to look at details.

Another early view of the town

March 25, 2015 by Xenith

Campbell Town is on the Midlands Hwy.

From the above link:
“Campbell Town is a major pastoral and tourist centre in the Northern Midlands, originally established in 1821 by Governor Macquarie as one of the four garrison town and probation stations between Hobart and Launceston.

“Campbell Town, and the Elizabeth River, which runs through it (previously known as Relief Creek), was named by Macquarie after his wife, Elizabeth Campbell.”

If you’re heading south, it’s the last town on the actual highway until you’re almost in Hobart. And if you’re heading north, it’s the first town after a long drive with no towns along the highway. So it’s a popular stopping place. It’s about 132 km from Hobart and 41 miles from Launceston.

See.

Pontville

March 25, 2015 by Xenith

Pontville, on the Midlands Highway, just north of Brighton. The most noticeable features being the bridge and the hotel.

Forth

March 25, 2015 by Xenith

Forth, near Devonport. Which it predates as a settlement, and that’s about all I know about the place. The Wikipedia page has more 🙂

Turners Beach

March 25, 2015 by Xenith

Turners Beach, on the north west coast between Devonport and Ulverstone. I thought it was more of residential area, but on investigation we found a service station, a fire station, a tennis club, a hall and a football team (although it seems they didn’t win any games this year). I think any place that has a hall and a football team must have enough of an identity to be considered a town for the purposes of this exercise. Also there is a phone box.

Photos aren’t the best (it was a bit bleak) and I won’t bother captioning (there’s a service station, a fire station, a tennis club, a hall and a football club.)

March 25, 2015 by Xenith

Melton Mowbrary, in the Southern Midlands, where the road to Bothwell joins the main highway. Originally known as Crossmarsh. That is the area was known at Crossmarsh. Then the guy who built the hotel (in the 1850s) named it (or his property) after his birthplace in the UK and that name was picked up for the area.

Williamsford

March 25, 2015 by Xenith

Just outside Rosebery there is a dirt road that runs off the south. There are number of signs at the turn off that point to “Williamsford 6 km”, “Car Park 6 km”, Montezuma Falls.

This area is a bit, well, uninhabited and has lots of trees. This photo and next one are taken from the car.

And more trees. It’s rather long drive when there’s nothing to look at but trees. (I’m not sure what sort of trees. They’re mostly rainforest species–sassasfras, laurel, beech–and occasional gum trees. (Beeches are easy to pick in winter because they’re the only deciduous native tree, also they have distinctive small leaves.))

Beaconsfield

March 9, 2015 by Xenith

Gold was discovered at Brandy Creek in the 1870s, and it wasn’t long before a substantial town, renamed to Beaconsfield, grew up. It was said to one of the biggest in the state at one stage. According to Town With a History, by Coultman Smith, in 1899, the population was “2,699, with 7 hotels, eight boarding houses, five bakers, four blacksmiths, two doctors, two watchmakers, a solicitor, a tailor, 15 general stores, six greengrocers, five drapers, a state school, and four private schools.”

The mine closed in 1914 and the town soon faded away.

Exeter

March 9, 2015 by Xenith

Exeter is about halfway along the West Tamar Highway, in away from the river. It provides services for the surrounding area and smaller towns.

A few quick photos, including the obligatory dog on the back of a ute outside the shops.