City Hall, Hobart

The Hobart City Hall was built in 1915 to the designs of the Tasmanian architect Rusty Butler. It is a fine and intact example of Federation Anglo-Dutch style architecture with features of the Federation Warehouse style. There are few Federation Anglo-Dutch style buildings in Australia.

The Hobart City Hall is significant as an early twentieth century public hall and market building. Its site, which was formerly the city market-place, has been used for civic congregation in Hobart since the middle of the nineteenth century. City Hall has been used as a centre for civic, social and recreational activities since 1915, in addition to its market function. Its construction reflects the civic development of Hobart. 

City Hall occupies an entire city block and with its four towers, capped with domed roofs and elongated spires, constitutes a landmark with streetscape value.

In 1913, a design competition was held for a public hall in Hobart, at a cost of above 5000 pounds. The winning entry was awarded to Tasmanian architect, Rusty Butler. The City Hall was completed on the site of the original city market which had been destroyed in a fire. The project contract was undertaken by Ricards and Heyward, in association with Rusty Butler (who may not have been a qualified architect at the time). The foundation stone was laid on 16 June 1914. The building was opened in the first week of July 1915 by the Mayor of Hobart. 

The search for style at this period in history resulted in creative variations of overseas influences and in response to this the building also displays features of the Federation Warehouse style. The entrance is defined by a large single arch, or semi-circular opening, with heavy embellishment. It has four towers, featuring Renaissance styles on all sides, capped with domed roofs and elongated spires, each tower also displaying a chunky decorative element below the building edge arch. 

The City Hall was hailed as the largest recreational space in Tasmania. When the hall was completed, the Launceston "Monitor" newspaper observed that: "... Future generations are expected to assemble for their entertainments on the spot where their grandfathers gathered to drive their respective trades". Although known as a multi-purpose public hall, City Hall continued the retail association with the old city market site when it was constructed, by providing a number of shops on Collins Street and Macquarie Street. The City Hall building was referred to as the "new markets" in the "Tasmanian Mail' on 23 October 1913. Over the years the understorey of the building has had shops of a diverse nature. 

The hall has been used for a range of purposes in addition to entertainment. During the Second World War, the City Hall was used as a store for the collection of "Clothes for Europe" campaign for the war effort. It has been used as a concert hall, sports venue including boxing and wrestling, ball room and for jazz recitals. The Hall has been also used for selling carpet and clothes. It has been used by members of parliament, for political rallies and as an election tally room. The hall is often the venue for school speech nights, trade and touring museum exhibitions 

The City Hall was at one time threatened with total demolition for a car park. The City Hall's location is one of prime inner city commercial real estate value and occupying an entire city block has been in danger of total demolition. 

The City Hall received a foyer renovation in 1975, designed by architect Peter Willmott, while employed by the Hobart City Council. This tidied up the entrance and brought it back from deterioration. The Collins Street wall was filled in with red brick in 1969 where previously there had been shops. 

The City Hall together with the adjacent Metropolitan Transport Trust Building are important elements in the civic design of Hobart. 

While there are other entertainment venues in Hobart, City Hall still hosts international performers, important public meetings and rallies, commercial exhibitions and live theatre. Acoustically the City Hall has not performed adequately, reverberation being the issue, due to the curvature of the ceiling structure and the lack of sound insulation from street noise. This aspect, and its reputation as a cold drafty space, has unfortunately contributed to its often less than favorable public opinion. The mainstay of the building is that it has always been available for a variety of functions, and is therefore genuinely a public hall. 

Hobart Gas Company

The Hobart Gas Company was established by an Act of Parliament in 1854 and was empowered to manufacture and distribute coal gas and to establish a gasworks to light the city streets. Technological apparatus and skilled workers were imported and the gasworks were built off Macquarie Street. This was the third gasworks in the southern hemisphere, following Sydney (1841) and Melbourne (1850). The engineer was William Falconer, an experienced Scot who later built gasworks in Launceston & Latrobe. 

The first gas flowed through the system on 7 March 1857. Coal was also imported, the early fuel containing a mixture of English Boghead coal. Other coal came mainly from Newcastle in New South Wales.

For many years, the company’s waste products also contributed to the local economy, its coke stoking the boilers of many industries and institutions. Its waste tar was used extensively for road making and, later, as fuel. At one stage the company manufactured sulphate of ammonia until this was taken over by the Electrolytic Zinc Co.

As the demand for gas grew, the gasworks were extended, and in 1894 the Company established an electric power station to generate and supply electricity to customers in Hobart and it installed a series of generators, using gas engines in 1898 and steam from 1901. The chimney and remaining group of buildings housed the generating plant and offices of the company. With the financial collapse of the private electrical company, the Gas Co. bought the Hobart distribution system of that company in 1913. The combined distribution systems were bought by the new Government Hydro-Electric Department in 1915, after the Department completed the Waddamana development in 1916 which was Hydro Tasmania's first hydro power station.

In 1924, extra land along Evans Street was purchased and a reconstruction of the entire site was completed. The purifiers were relocated, a tank was constructed for tar and liquor, and a new vertical retort house was constructed. Coal arrived in railway trucks on elevated tracks and was automatically fed into bunkers on top of the retorts.

Succeeding years saw problems of economic depression, shortages of coal, and customers' preference for electricity and despite the introduction of a catalytic oil system in 1965 to reduce dependence on coal, the company's fortunes continued to decline. Town gas ended in 1978. Many of the buildings and all of the equipment were removed to allow Davey Street to be extended through the site in 1987. 

Much of the industrial heritage was demolished, but the engine house and office buildings are the remaining buildings that sit in a small rectangular plot of land, renamed the Gas Works Village, and have been renovated for use by private enterprise such as Hogs Breath Café and 9/11 Bottleshop.

51st Regiment Barracks, Triabunna

Maria Island was a penal settlement between 1825 – 1832 and 1842 – 1850. The 51^st regiment, whose duties were on Maria Island, was stationed at Spring Bay (Triabunna) in 1843. The government relied on private enterprise to house 80 men & officers. This proved a boon to Spring Bay as cottages were built for families, stables for horses, barracks for the men and Inns were opened for quenching their thirst.

The stone barracks were built on land previously owned by John Ibbotson, a publican, in 1843. By 1844 the site also included 3 wooden buildings, one an Inn which had various names, including the Freemason’s Arms, but most popularly known as the Retreat Inn. It was then owned by George Rudd.

After the departure from Spring Bay of the military in 1850, the stone barracks were used to stable the coach horses. After numerous licensees, Alex Thompson bought the Retreat Inn in 1902 but later allowed the lease to lapse after he bought the Pembroke Hotel, now the Spring Bay Hotel which was next door.

Mrs Reardon was the Postmistress at the Retreat Inn between 1911 and 1926. Bob Barry also opened a bakery. He installed a larger oven in one of the stone stables behind the inn. This oven could accommodate 100 double loaves each weighing 4lbs. The bread was especially popular and the fishermen would often call in to purchase loaves. On the death of his father in 1940, Keir Barry ran the business until 1955.

The Retreat Inn was demolished in 1960 and the stone barracks were purchased with the intention of restoration. Ideas of a restaurant and museum did not come to fruition because of restoration costs. The buildings currently stand idle and are up for sale.

Text & Information from information signs located outside the building and site in Triabunna

Three Arch Bridge, Mayfield Beach

Here’s a real hidden gem!!!

 This small bridge, consisting of three arches, was built in 1845 by convict labor from the nearby Rocky Hills Probation Station, probably as part of the old convict built coach road which connected Swansea with Little Swanport along the east coast road to Hobart. (Now known as the A3 Tasman Highway)

One of Tasmania’s numerous historic bridges, built during a time when Tasmania was known as Van Diemen’s Land and was notorious as a prison for secondary offenders, those who had committed a further crime after being transported from England for whatever original reason that had bought a sentence of 7 years, 14 years or life! Generally the convicts sent to VDL were ‘lifers'. Interestingly, many of these convicts were skilled craftsmen as evidenced by this bridge and many more across Tasmania.

The bridge spans the outlet of the Old Man Creek at Mayfield Beach, approx 14kms south of Swansea on the east coast of Tasmania. It now has the existing east coast road built over the top of it. Fortunately the old bridge can still be viewed by walking 40m along a sign posted track down from the Mayfield Beach camping ground car park or by walking along the beautiful beach. The arches are only very small and I had to stoop very low to walk through the arch from one end to the other.

We are very fortunate that the bridge was saved from destruction when the new road bridge was constructed over the top and that we can still see this wonderful piece of early colonial engineering. The site has been promoted via tourism websites, by the local tourist information centre and by the Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife service who have erected signs at the Mayfield Beach camp grounds directing people to the site.

It's a fantastic small piece of our colonial history.

Unfortunately this is all the information I've been able to find via the internet regarding the history of this bridge. If you are able to add any more information regarding the history of the bridge, please feel free to leave a comment.