Williamsford was once a bustling and progressive community, with activities centering around mining which commenced in 1896 and continuously operating apart from several short shutdowns, till closing in 1986. There are now no residents. The town was located on the lower slopes of the heavily timbered 3,684-foot-high Mount Read, five miles south of Rosebery, on […]
Pieman River, Western Tasmania – 1963
The Pieman River is to be found near Rosebery and in 1963 was still free flowing but has since been dammed to produce electricity and is now covered by water and known as Lake Rosebery. The Pieman River commences at Tullah with the joining together of the McIntosh and Murchison Rivers. They have 21 tributaries […]
ABT railway excursion between Queenstown & Strahan – 1963
In 1963, the Mt. Lyell Mining and Railway Co. Ltd decided to close their rail line between Queenstown and Strahan, due to the high cost of maintaining the line. Closure was scheduled by the end of June 1963. A group from our Rosebery Methodist Church decided to take the very scenic trip before closure and […]
Tullah, Tasmania – 1963
Tullah is located on the West Coast of Tasmania around five miles north of Rosebery but separated by mountainous terrain limiting contact between the two centres. There probably was a walking track enabling some limited contacts. A connecting road was opened around 1960. Tullah was a mining town and very isolated. The only main access […]
Commercial Bank of Tasmania – Zeehan Branch
A branch of the Commercial Bank of Tasmania was opened at Zeehan in early 1891. The Bank, the second oldest in Australia, commenced in Tasmania with the opening of a branch in 1838 at Macquarie Street, Hobart. Further branches followed at a number of centres in Tasmania, and when they sold the business in April […]
Life as a bank teller in Rosebery, Tasmania – 1963
At the age of 19, I reached Rosebery on the West Coast of Tasmania arriving at the beginning of January 1963 and would remain stationed in the town until late October in that year. It was my first transfer and first time living away from home and had not previously visited the town or area. […]
Launceston Junior Technical School, later (1949) known as Launceston Technical High School
MOTO: CUM STUDIO ET HONORE – With Zeal and Honour. Beginnings – On 10 February 1919, when the school doors were thrown open to admit students, 55 boys were enrolled and soon after, increasing to 63. Later in the year, the Spanish flu struck, and the school was closed from late August till mid-October, and […]
Mystery – A Mackerel Lugger
The Smallest Boat to Sail from England to Australia When the Mystery set sail for Australia in 1854, she was noted as the smallest vessel to attempt the voyage to date, length 36 feet, beam 11ft 6 ins and of 16 tons. As the day of sailing approached, excitement in Newlyn, a small village near […]
Paranormal Happenings
Over the years, a number of unusual happenings have occurred, some within the family while others related to outside events. The Page Family – Death of Stanley One story Grandfather (John Page) often remembered related to the death of his brother Stanley, who died on 12 October 1918. Grandfather would tell that he and brother […]
Glenore – Whitemore (Tasmania)
The following history was written c1988 by Ivan Badcock with the view of it being included in the French-Badcock history book, “Go…..Be Fruitful and Multiply” , but was not included due to space limitations. Article revised April 2022 with photos added. Glenore – Whitemore By the 1850s many of the French and Badcock family members […]