Mining on the West Coast
In 1883, the first pegging of the Mount Lyell fields took place when three gold diggers staked a 50-acre claim in what is now known as Linda Valley. In the early years, supplies to the area came up the King River from Strahan and were then carried in by professional packers. In 1888, the Mount […]
Malunnah
William Aikenhead was born in Launceston in 1842. As a young man he worked for an insurance company, before joining the Examiner newspaper where his father was the proprietor. After spending time in Victoria he returned to Tasmania, purchasing his father’s interest in the Examiner, where he stayed for eighteen years. In 1887 ill-health caused […]
The Thistle
John Drake was a Scottish ship’s carpenter who left his ship in Melbourne and prospected in the Victorian goldfields in the 1850s, before being brought to Torquay in 1855 by David Cocker to build barges. These barges were used to take produce from Cockers Creek and Deans Point to larger vessels anchored outside the Mersey […]
The Band Rotunda
While the building of a band rotunda was initially suggested in 1907, it wasn’t until 1913 that the idea came to fruition. In order to build the rotunda a subscription was got up, and in this way £80 was raised. Members of the North West Tourist Society then approached the Devonport Council and asked for […]
Lorinna
Lorinna was built at Grangemouth Dockyard, Grangemouth in Scotland in 1937 for the Holyman Line. Before she was built a model of the ship was tested at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington. A steel hulled diesel motor vessel, 1185 tons and 230 feet long, Lorinna was Holyman’s first diesel powered ship and was to […]
Naracoopa
The Naracoopa, built by E.A. Jack in Launceston in 1940, was a 297 ton auxiliary ketch: that is, she combined both sail and engine. This type of ketch was used by Holyman and Sons after the volume of trade from the Bass Strait islands became too small to use larger ships. Although small, the […]
The S.M.H.T. aka the Annie
Built in Auckland in 1879, the Annie, as she was then known, was a 41 ton ketch with a chequered career. In 1895 the Annie had a close call while anchored in the Mersey. She dragged her anchor in a big sea and struck ground, losing part of her stern. Her lifeboat and a crewmember […]
Piner’s Punts
Piner’s punts are a uniquely Tasmanian small boat, built to get men and equipment into the forests of the south and west coasts of Tasmania. Built of Huon pine, they were light enough to be dragged over rapids and through gorges, but sturdy enough to be safe in fast-running water. The piner’s punt […]
Zumbo
Well it seems like forever since we all saw each other at the Bass Strait Maritime Museum. Jaydeyn and Sarah are doing a wonderful job keeping the place afloat however speaking of Sarah: she has asked me to put together a short story of Zumbo, my dog. Well Zumbo is more than a dog […]
