Beaconsfield

Beaconsfield is not far from York Town, and 46km from Launceston. Beaconsfield is where one can pick up groceries, or visit one of the few cafes. We know Beaconsfield from the mining disaster in April 2006. We didn’t know that it was a gold mining town. We went first to the Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre and did a walk around the town. The length of the ‘Walk of Gold is less than 2 kms, and there are 15 signs along the way that tell the story of the town. European settlers came to the area around 1805 after the establishment of York Town by William Patterson. Limestone was quarried and in 1847 gold was first discovered in the area. The area was known as Brandy Creek due to the brownish colour of the creek where the gold was found. It was not until 1877 when a reef of payable gold was discovered on the slopes of Cabbage Tree Hill that mining began in earnest. This reef became known as the Tasmania Reef. In 1879 the name was changed from Brandy Creek to Beaconsfield after Benjamin Disraeli, the then Prime Minister of England - Lord Beaconsfield.

The Mine and Heritage Centre is a good place to start the walk. Now mostly in ruins, the remains of the Grubb Shaft show visitors the workings of the engine house.

 

From here one can walk to the mine managers office, which today is the Council Chambers. In the park across the road is replica of a miners cottage,

along with a display of what the rooms may have been like

an old general store and a school house.

 From here we walked down to the main street and walked down one side of the street and back up the other side.

Alicia Hall, established in 1899 as a hall that hosted agricultural shows, meetings, dances and cinema, it was built by Thomas Henry Walduck and was named in honour of his eldest daughter. In1933 a fire in an adjoining building damaged the building and sections were rebuilt.

One of the original buildings, much used during the height of the gold mining - Bank of Tasmania.

An interesting story involving the Bank of Tasmania. In 1884 an outlaw robbed a large sum of money, equivalent to $2,000,000 in today's money, from this bank. After a comedy of errors spanning 14 months, no one was arrested, although much of the money was recovered.

An interesting town with a donation camp at the recreation ground. We stayed at York Town and explored from there.

York Town – site of the First Permanent Settlement in northern Tasmania

In 1798, Matthew Flinders and George Bass sheltered in the waters of the Tamar River. They spent 16 days exploring the river. Originally known as Ponrabbel by the indigenous people, the river was named Dalrymple by Governor Hunter after the naval hydrographer Alexander Dalrymple. In November 1804, Lt. Col. William Paterson and a party of settlers, soldiers, and convicts created a temporary settlement at Port Dalrymple (now George Town) on the River. It was Paterson who renamed the river Tamar after the River Tamar in south-west England. A month later the settlement was moved to lower head, which provided a better port for unloading of ships. Paterson named the settlement Yorton.

At the height of the settlement, York Town had a population of 300 people. Today York Town is significant as it was the fifth oldest settlement in Australia behind Port Jackson (Sydney - 1788), Norfolk Island (1788), Risdon Cove (Hobart - 1803), Port Phillip (Melbourne – 1803). Settlement in the area was important to secure British control in Bass Strait from the French. It also allowed settlers from Norfolk Island to re-settle.

The local historians have done a wonderful job informing visitors of the town’s history via an interpretive walk.

The town consisted of a general store, government gardens, guard houses, gaol, and settler’s cottages. Today a replica of a hut that was typical of the time has been built on the interpretive walk.

The landscape is virtually unchanged, and is well worth a visit. The original buildings are now all gone, but the memory still remains. Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage centre has a display of artifacts found at York Town.

We set up our camp at Water Mill Cottage Campground. Situated in the middle of old York Town on a farm, at $10 a night one can un-hitch and do day trips around the area.

It is a lovely peaceful spot with lovely green grass and open spaces. The unique replica of a water mill on a lake is a lovely touch. This is private property and only open in Summer.

Get The Spirit .... of Tasmania II

We have waited a while to visit Tasmania again. The first time was about 32 years ago, and we planned a trip for the end of 2017, but with granddaughter number 4 due to arrive early 2018, we cancelled. A year on, and we are ready to go. We didn't book the ferry until mid November, a bit late, however we were able get tickets on the days we wanted so all was good. Peter wanted a day sailing so I booked a 9.30am Friday sailing. We stayed at Donnybrook, about 40 minutes from the Port of Melbourne. We looked at caravan parks closer to the port, but most had bad reviews, so we decided on Donnybrook Caravan Storage and Rest Area @ $10 per night. It is a country farm and was quiet except for the trains, which although not often, roared past the front gate. One needs to be self contained as there are no facilities.

 We did a dummy run the day before our due departure and had all the times set. While on the way back to Donnybrook we received an email saying the ship will be delayed and would now be departing at 11am. Woo Hoo - sleep in! The next day we got to the port in plenty of time for the new 10am boarding, only to find the ship had been delayed and now scheduled to depart at 12 noon. Stuff happens. Apparently one of the engines was not working and needed to be replaced. The replacement was not due for a few days. The staff were very apologetic and we didn't mind - it's all part of the adventure. We found a good spot with free parking along the water front (see above), we went for a walk and watched the ship arrive in the port. We watched a lot of vehicles come off the ship and joined the queue. By 12 noon we were on the pier. The process was fairly easy, and the staff friendly. 

All the cars and vans were checked for too much mud and sticks, no fresh fruits or vegetables or seafood are allowed. They even checked under the bonnet of the car, I'm not sure why.

We were fortunate to get a park on the ship right next to the stairs at the back of the ship. I took a photo so we could remember where we were, but there are also tags you can take at the door showing your position.

We went up to deck 7 to find somewhere to sit, difficult when there are a lot of people taking up seats with bags and laying down, even though there are signs saying not to and announcements saying not to. We walked around deck 7 twice before someone left three seats and we grabbed them. In all we moved three times trying to find somewhere more comfortable to sit for the long journey, normally 9-11 hours. The ship didn't depart until just after 1pm, so it had already been a long day.

Decks 1-6 must be for cars etc and cabins. On deck 7 there are two cinemas, one bar, the main dining area, a tourist info area (which was very good), and a small shop called the Pantry which sold souvenirs and sandwiches and snacks. I had a sandwich  from the Pantry and it was terrible - even the bread was stale.

Deck 8 must be cabins, and Deck 9 has a kids game zone and a bar that also sells food - pizzas, burgers and rolls.

We tried the pizzas. Jonnie had a cheese pizza and I had a Hawaiian pizza. There were quiet small for the price, and mine was not very good. We found the food on board expensive and not very nice. We did take some lollies on board, so that got us through. We will take extra food next time. We will also book a cabin!

Deck 10 has another bar, kids play area, and another gaming area.

It was very cold on board and lucky we took jumpers and cardigans, but still cold. We past the time watching TV on our phones - there is limited wifi in the public areas - and doing crosswords.

There are complimentary cold water stations, but no complimentary tea or coffee stations, which would have been nice considering how long the day was because of the delay.

We arrived in Devonport just after midnight, originally suppose to 7pm, and went to the closest camp.

A long long day!

All Shook Up - The Parkes Elvis Festival.

The Parkes Elvis Festival is held every year around 8^th January. The 8^th January is the birthdate of Elvis Presley. This year was the 27^th year the festival has been held, and the theme was ‘All Shook Up’. This was the second Elvis Festival we have been to. We stayed both times at Spicers Van Park, a short walk / drive to the main areas and a bus will pick you up from the van park. Spicers has bbq’s and visiting performers in the camp kitchen most evening – for a gold coin donation.

There is so much to see in Parkes and going when the festival is on is extra special. There is a lot of free entertainment and the clubs provide great food and both free and paid entertainment.

A market with heaps of Elvis and 60’s souvenirs runs three or four days in the main entertainment park. We will let the photos tell the story…..

Dance Floor at from of main stage

Elvis - Mr Paul Fenech - a great Elvis singer and such a lovely man.