Ronnie in Lonnie.

[drron]

New Years day and first a drive to Georgetown and up to the Semaphore hill lookout.

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On a clear day you can see Table Cape.I could make it out with the naked eye but the camera doesn't show it.

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The Aluminium smelter and the Wood Chip plant.

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Beauty Point.

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Low head.

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[drron]

Drove down to the port.No ships in today.

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Must be a bit tricky.Note the sandbar from the little island.

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Bell Bay Aluminium.

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Of course Aluminium production is a major user of electricity.A power station was opened in the early 70s after a drought.Closed down in the naughties as it had been rarely used but then in 2015 another drought + a Basslink failure and the station became the focus of a political row.

 

[RooFlyer]

Of course Aluminium production is a major user of electricity.A power station was opened in the early 70s after a drought.Closed down in the naughties as it had been rarely used but then in 2015 another drought + a Basslink failure and the station became the focus of a political row.

Ah, for the days of 'Electric Eric' - Eric Reece, the Labor premier who drove the hydro-electric development of Tasmania, before the Green movement sabotaged that renewable, 'carbon free', base load energy source. Well done Bob Brown.

Major industry was attracted to Tasmania because of the cheap power, including aluminium which is simply 'solid electricity'. Since then we became the beggars of the nation and now need to import energy during the summer, or, as we did during the Basslink failure, run diesel gensets to keep the lights on. Again, well done Bob Brown.

 

[drron]

Next off to Beauty Point for lunch.Went to the restaurant at the Tamar Cove motel who advertise a great scallop pie.

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And it was good.Not a classic scallop pie as the sauce was mornay.And 13 scallops.11 a reasonable size and 2 small.It is a deeper pie than most hence the number of scallops.
Next to Beaconsfield.The original Garage and bakery built by Paddy Manion.The bakery was called the Jubilee bakery as it opened in 1887-Queen Victorias Golden Jubilee.The bread was made with "ho;y water".Collected from the roof of the Methodist church next door.

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The Bank of Tasmania.

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Held up in 1884 with cash and gold taken which would be worth ~ $2 million today.Rumoured the stash was hidden in the nearby mine for some time.
The 1883 post and telegraph office.

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And a couple of miner's cottages which have been spruced up.

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[drron]

Then a detour by back road through Flowery gully and Winkleigh on my way to Notley Gorge.Apleasant drive.

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Timber plantations,

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old farm buildings,

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and a church which is now a home.

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Plus the oldest Methodist church in Tasmania at Supply creek built in 1861 and still being used.

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[drron]

At last back in the bush.A pleasant walk at the Notley Gorge reserve.

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The track divides here.I took the right fork which turned out to be the best way.Quite steep and rough in parts so much easier to descend with my trusty pole.

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Many magnificent trees.

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Then there is the bushranger's tree.

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Said to be the hideout of the Gentleman Bushranger Mathew Brady and his gang.He is also remembered at the Brady lookout off the West Tamar highway.

 

[drron]

Many obviously old trees.

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[Antoallison]

In the main shopping precinct of Campbell Town is a row of bricks.They tell the story of Tasmania's convicts.Life sentence for housebreaking.Did anyone deserve to die on Norfolk Island for theft?

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And life for stealing 2 shawls.but never mix with bad company.

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Does a 17 year old deserve to die after 4 years as a convict for receiving stolen goods?Also imagine spending 25 years apart from your family.

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Seven months in chains for stealing a handkerchief or a life sentence for the same crime.

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But some became outlaws.Then another example of inconsistent sentencing.

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Thanks for the TR and photos, I missed this on my last trip to Tassie.
Fascinating to study our early convict heritage and viewing those 7 year (effectively life sentences) by our current standards, they seem incredibly harsh. However stealing was a way of life for the uneducated lower classes in Britain, so I think for many the conviction that saw them transported was just one in a string of convictions.
Recidivists would be given a much harsher sentence.
I would hate to think what conditions were like in Van Dieman's Land, but the alternative was a life of crime and being unable to rise out of a cycle of poverty - usually ending life in the workhouse.

 

[RooFlyer]

I would hate to think what conditions were like in Van Dieman's Land, but the alternative was a life of crime and being unable to rise out of a cycle of poverty - usually ending life in the workhouse.

I don't want to divert drrons TR but I don't think he will mind.

Most convicts transported to VDL ended up having a much better life than they would have had in Britain. Many were 'assigned' to farmers and lived on the farms with substantial freedom of movement. They were entitled to get paid for 'overtime'!!

They were entitled to conditional release for 'good behaviour' - say after 4 years for a 7 year sentence. After release they could even become police constables ....

After release, many got grants of land!! One of my convict ancestors didn't get a grant, but owned 7 blocks of land in a town by the time he died. They could get ahead. His son bought a brewery. Convict to capitalist in one generation.

Of course if the convicts misbehaved, the opposite was true - it was a bad, commonly lethal experience. However another one of mine did misbehave, got sent to Port Arthur for 3 years, spent 11 years in total not his 7 years, and yet then started a business, settled down and ended up owning a blacksmith shop AND a pub and became a community leader.

Overall the studies show that being transported was the best thing that happened to most petty criminals in England. For the hardened ones, the outcome was about the same.

 

[Antoallison]

@RooFlyer and @drron - I found a way to tie this discussion in (vaguely) with the trip report rather than divert it.

The time taken for Thomas Randall seen in post #249 and 367 other convicts to be transported on the Marquis of Hastings from Portsmouth was 233 days - not sure how many pounds transportation would have cost the British Government at the time.

Compared to 24 hours and 1,500 pounds today ! I am thinking that feet on bulkheads on the Marquis of Hastings was the least of their problems !

 

[drron]

Any discussions about convicts is relevant to a TR on Tasmania so you aren't hijacking the TR at all.Besides the purpose I have is to give a guide to Tassie a place I have grown to love.Hopefully this TR on Lonnie is providing evidence that there is indeed a lot to see and do in Tassie.
But back to Notley Gorge.You get down to a small creek with remnant rainforest and tree ferns.

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The creek doesn't have that much water at present.

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[RooFlyer]

I've been to Notley Gorge ... but also to the winery of the same name

 

[drron]

No wineries this trip.
The walk out was much easier.

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Even fallen trees are productive.

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I met a Queenslander of similiar age to me when I was descending and he was about a third of the way up.He said I had come the best way.I reached the top at the same time as he did.So Anticlockwise is the go for this walk.

 

[drron]

Not quite finished yet .It was off to the Supply river.

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Nice native Angasi oysters.

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And this is why it was called the Supply river.Not far to the fresh water.

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In the cooler months there are 2 waterfalls here.In 1804 the Lady Nelson sailed up the Tamar and thought this river would be able to supply the navy with fresh water.

 

[drron]

The walk is to an old flour mill.

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The "waterfall"

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Scores of these fish are at the base of each waterfall.
I then climbed up and headed along the track to where the remains of a weir are to be found.

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The track follows the old water race to the mill.The last photo shows the part of the race that was constructed in stone.
The mill was constructed in 1825.most of the flour produced was shipped to Sydney with the ships tying up at the mill.

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Seems crazy now.
In 1842 the mill took on 2 apprentices James Smith and Thomas Monds.Smith became a fossicker and discovered the Mt.Bishoff tin deposits.Thomas Monds purchased the Carrick Mill and founded Monds and Affleck.In 1861 they built a mill in Launceston.A flour mill is still operating there as Tasmanian flour mills.

 

[drron]

There is a flat area above the ruins so I climbed up for a different view.

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They had 2 waterwheels.The original on the side and then added a second at the back of the building.

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Amazing to think small ships sailed up this river to load flour.
So that was the end of my New Year's Day.

 

[drron]

One afternoon when things were quiet i decided on a walk around another part of Launceston.but first a tinnies scallop pie for lunch.

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I started off at the Sandhill lookout-a water storage area.

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So Mt.Arthur towards the left and Ben Lomond is peeking out near the trees to the right.

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Mt.Arthur which I may try and climb if back in Lonnie.

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Some of the simple cottages around this area.But they have style.

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[drron]

Some more.A lot of larger homes here because of the view.

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The O&G Specialist rooms.

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And these are serviced apartments.

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And larger abodes.

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[drron]

The last houses.

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And showing the multicultural dimension of Lonnie this one has the Czech flag flying.

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On Friday afternoons I learnt to seek peace here-

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A whisky bar as the name Grumpy Piper might imply.Those of you with a good eye will note it is just across the road from the Quest.It is meant to have over 100 whiskys to taste but I was more interested in the 6 gins.Reasonably priced.

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Early on a Friday afternoon I was usually the only customer.

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Note that this was my third gin but the only bottle of tonic I used.I liked the Roku gin more than the others.
They also have some platters if there are a few of you.

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[drron]

So my last week in Lonnie and I decided to climb a mountain.But on Saturday started off with an easy stroll at Bridport along the foreshore track.I do enjoy the rocks.

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Just after this I slipped on a rock and grabbed hold of a small shrub.At first i thought I had cut myself but had just juiced some berries.

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Then into the conservation zone.Plenty of flowers but no orchids.

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Then I ran into someone coming the other way.

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He decided to leave the path to me.