Williamsford

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.))

Then an intersection!

With a plaque. “Williamsford Township — Hercules Mine”. This has lots of things about mining in the area, and the second last paragraph says the town’s general store was where I am standing (how does it know where I’m standing?).

So, that’s it. Right. Really worth the drive. So we keep going. Although the road is heading towards four-wheel drive territory and the car isn’t. After another five minutes, the road becomes really not suitable for the car, and there’s large area to turn around.

Also this.

And this. Consulting the Internet (the text only, low data usage bit aka Wikipedia), it seems we’ve come across the Hercules Haulage, “a self-acting 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge tramway on the side of Mount Read in Western Tasmania, that connected the Hercules Mine with Williamsford”.

This requires closer inspection. Although just to the first pole.

The path up is steeper than it looks. It would take a special type of enthusiasm to go to the mine site.

Where the track goes around to the left, there is a shed thing off to the side. It’s the only structure, so I take a photo of it.

I don’t think it was originally constructed that way.

Heading back down now.

The Hercules Mine was started in the 1890s and closed in 1915. Reopened in 1920 and closed in 1986. Reopened in the 1990s and closed in 1999/2000.

Obviously there was something going on here, but there signs of it are few and where the town was in relation to this part, I have no idea.

I don’t think this place will be giving up any more secrets today.

Then later in the day, in the community museum in Zeehan, I’m looking through a display of historical photos and come across one of the Hercules Haulage. Not quite like this one (from the State Library’s collection), the gash in the mountain was distinctive and unmistakeable, but this is the closest I’ve found.

That’s where we were….

So I can cross Williamsford off the list of towns.

Also on the subject of found photos. In the second photo down, does that little shed thing familiar? An older photo here.

And to finish, something that has nothing to do with mines, towns or photos but is quite fascinating. I can’t find anything more recent on the project though.