St Columba Falls, Tasmania

Just a few kilometres up the road from The Pub in the Paddock is Saint Columba Falls. It meanders its way through the beautiful Pyengana valley to the sea at St. Helens.

Pub in the Paddock, Tasmania

There's a beautiful valley called Pyengana not far from St Helens. There's a pub there that people talk about because they have a pig who loves to drink beer.

The pub was started by the Terry family in the early 1900's, now known as The Pub in the Paddock. Mrs. Terry, the valley midwife in the late 1800's led by example and had 15 children of her own. But her six sons were more interested in drinking beer than farming so they simply licenced their homestead that became St Columba Falls Hotel.

Their pub was the social hub of the valley, they turned the barn into a dance hall and picture theatre on a Saturday night. There has been a long association with pigs with the pub because they used to reside under the barn and had to be chased out before the dancing could begin.

Today both Pricilla and the younger pig refused to wake up from their nap. You can buy slops from the bar to feed them but today they didn't want to know and slept on. I was curious to know what a pig fed beer slops would taste like but was told that both pigs are cherished family pets and in the event of their deaths, will definitely not be served up to the family as pickled pork but buried in a dignified manner. Good pub food served here from 12-2.

Ben Lomond National Park, Tasmania

We drove to the summit of Ben Lomond Plateau and breathed in the beautiful crisp air of this wonderful place that is Tasmania. Believe it or not, buses come up this road in winter loaded with cross-country skiers. It was quite a ride but well worth it, just look at these pictures.

I am sure that ordinary sedan cars could make it up here alright but I was glad to have the 4 wheel drive in low range going back down.

The Summit - Jabobs Ladder

James Boag's Brewery, Tasmania

We went on a tour of the James Boag's Brewery today in Launceston. After the tour we got to sample 5 of their top selling beers and nibbled on some delicious Tasmanian cheeses. Boag is proud of their product and believe that much of their success is due to the pristine waters of the Esk River used in the brewing.

I like the story about one of their employees Wizard Smith, the drayman. In 1929 the Great Flood swamped most of Launceston without warning. Wizard Smith, J. Boag & Son's drayman, tried desperately to get to where the brewery horses were locked up. He rode his pushbike until the water got too deep, then plunged into the rising river floodwaters, swam into the stables and successfully lead all the horses to dry land. The owner was so impressed with his bravery he deemed that Wizard could never be sacked and would have his job for life.

They even named a beer after him, Boag's Wizard Smith ale which is like a traditional English type ale.

But their most popular beer is undoubtedly James Boag's Premium Lager and we Aussies drink 99% of it, only 1% is exported overseas. And they can't make it quick enough.

Woolmers, Tasmania

From 1810 convicts were used in Australia to develop the new British colony. They built roads, bridges, courthouses, hospitals and also worked for free settlers and small land holders like the Archer family.

In 1817 Thomas Archer was granted 800 acres in the Longford district and in 1824 his brother, William Archer bought adjacent land now known as Brickendon Estate. They operated as two separate successful enterprises and a large number of convicts were assigned to both stations.

Male convicts worked as blacksmiths, tanners, bricklayers and farm hands. Female convicts worked mainly as domestic servants but occasionally worked alongside the men.

The original Woolmers home was built by convicts between 1819-1821. I asked about the bars on the windows in the bedrooms of the women convicts upstairs and was told the bars were most likely for their own protection and were not designed to keep them prisoner as most of the women sent here committed only minor offences.

Most of the outbuildings at Woolmers were built by convicts including family houses, workers' cottages, shearing sheds, a chapel, blacksmith's shop, stables, bakehouse, pump house and gardener's cottage.

By 1821 there was a growing number of freed convicts who were appointed to positions of trust and responsibility and many were granted land. By the mid-1830s only around six per cent of the convict population were 'locked up'.

The property passed through six generations of Archers before Thomas VI bequeathed the Estate and its contents to the Archer Historial Foundation in 1994. In 2001 the Archer Historical Foundation changed its name to Woolmers Foundation Inc.

Clarendon House, Tasmania

This is the house of one of the richest men in Tasmanian history, James Cox. The second son of Captain William Cox who pioneered the road over the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, he arrived in Australia in 1804 aged fourteen.

In June 1812 he married Mary Connell in Parramatta New South Wales and moved to Tasmania in 1814, accepting a land grant of 700 acres and later adding another 6,000 acres to his estate which he called Clarendon. After he imported a ram from Spain named Newton his Merino flock went on to win him many awards as did his Hereford herd. His house was finally completed in 1838.

His first wife, Mary, died in July 1828 giving birth to her eighth child. On 1 May 1829 he married Eliza Eddington, aged 19, daughter of Lieutenant-Governor David Collins. This marriage produced 11 children but only 7 daughters and one son survived infancy.

He imported deer, established a hunt and emulated the lifestyle of the true English country gentleman.

This magnificent Georgian three storey house, complete with downstairs servants quarters, many outbuildings and extensive gardens was given to the National Trust by the owner, Mrs W.R. Menzies in 1962. (No relation to our esteemed former Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies).

You can find Clarendon House at 234 Clarendon Station Road, Evandale, Tasmania.

Launceston, Tasmania

We took the 50 minute cruise and later strolled up the boardwalk to have a look at the waterfront restaurants and new unit developments.

Cross the gorge on the chairlift

Walk around the side of the gorge 10 minutes from the city.

Rugged scenery

Rotunda near restaurant and coffee shop




The lone swimmer

The 50 minute cruise ship comes a little way into the gorge.

I like Launceston, second largest city in Tasmania with around 100,000 people. It's a city of surprises, just a 10 minute walk from the city and you enter another world when you take the walk along the side of a cliff into breath-taking Cataract Gorge Reserve.

William Barnes who died in 1898 together with his wife Isabella, donated most of the land of the Cataract Gorge Reserve to the people of Launceston. A truly precious gift to share.