It was a clear and fine day, on Wednesday 18th February 1874. Steamer Little Nell departed George Town for Launceston, as she did thrice weekly. But the journey on this day was to be catastrophic.
Continue reading “Shocking Catastrophe! The Explosion of the Little Nell”Category: People
Looking Back, Queen Elizabeth II’s 1954 Tour of Tasmania
Queen Elizabeth II was the first reigning monarch to visit Tasmania. The Examiner editorialised after the Queen’s departure
…now that the Queen has gone it can be said emphatically that the basis of allocation of time between Hobart and the rest of the state was most unjust to the majority of the people of Tasmania.
The Examiner, 25 February 1954
Did Northern Tasmania get the raw end of the deal or was this Tasmania’s infamous parochialism raising its head?
Continue reading “Looking Back, Queen Elizabeth II’s 1954 Tour of Tasmania”Charlotte Badger, Australia’s only female pirate (but was she actually a pirate?)
Popular culture records Charlotte Badger as Australia’s only female pirate. According to one tale, under the captaincy of Badger –
The Venus became the terror of Bass Strait. Frightful atrocities were committed; ships were captured, plundered and sunk.
Elvie Williams, Australian Woman’s Mirror
But was Charlotte Badger actually a pirate?
Continue reading “Charlotte Badger, Australia’s only female pirate (but was she actually a pirate?)”Further Afield: Westbury Silhouette Trail
A walk around the Westbury Tasmania Silhouette Trail
Westbury has always been one of my favourite small towns in Tasmania. Beautiful old historic buildings and with a Village Green of a green rarely seen in Tasmania. I’m not sure how I came across information about the Westbury Silhouette Trail, but I decided to visit.
Continue reading “Further Afield: Westbury Silhouette Trail”Looking Back – New Year’s Day
As we head in 2022, we look back at New Year’s Day in Tasmania 100 and 200 years ago
A glance back at New Year’s Day in lutruwita/Tasmania in 1822 and 1922.
New Year’s Day 1822
The Hobart Town Gazette reported a public meeting held in Hobart on 1 January 1822. The meeting resolved that an Agricultural Society be established. Rather than focus on promotion of agricultural related matters as we know today, the society was concerned with protecting stock.
Continue reading “Looking Back – New Year’s Day”
Tamar Valley Tales 