Risdon Cove

Risdon Cove is located on the east bank of the Derwent River, approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi) north of Hobart. It was the site of the first British settlement in Van Diemen's Land, now Tasmania. It was the French which prompted British settlement of Van Diemen’s Land (VDL). Sydney of course was settled in 1788 when the French were active in the Pacific Ocean. By 1803 Napoleon had become dictator and in May that year, Great Britain and France were at war.  The fear was to have a French military and naval settlement at the belly of Port Jackson.  Hence, the urgency to settle VDL.

Chosen for the job, was a young Devon man, by the name of John Bowen.  Bowen came from a distinguished naval family, son of Rear-Admiral James Bowen and brother to George and nephew to Richard, who served as naval officers.

The site had previously been selected and Bowen was under orders from Governor King in Sydney to sail for Risdon Cove, which was named after William Bellamy Risdon, second officer of the ship Duke of Clarence. Risdon served under Lt. John Hayes, who had mapped the area of Risdon Cove and river as early as 1793.

Two vessels set sail for Risdon Cove, the Albion and Lady Nelson.  The Lady Nelson arrived ahead of the Albion, aboard on which was Lt. Bowen.  On 12th September 1803 he anchored at Risdon Cove.  On October 7, 1803 Governor King was able to write:  “I have this instant heard that Lt. Bowen has landed safely at Risdon Cove in the River Derwent on Van Diemen’s Land. He speaks in high terms of the beneficial settlement.”

While the site was a good one from a defensive point of view, against intrusion of the French and possible attacks by the local Aborigines, it proved far from being “beneficial” in that the soil was poor and water scarce.
Nonetheless, being a very energetic young man, Bowen was busy from the start.  With reluctant convicts and marines, he had the responsibility of organising the colony so that it would eventually survive and hopefully, prosper.  With him was his lover, Martha Hayes, who was described by a visiting Irishman in late 1805, Joseph Holt, as the “prettiest violet that I saw growing at the Derwent.”  Eventually Martha would have two children to John,  Henrietta and later Martha Charlotte.

The Sydney Gazette reported October 9, 1803, “Lt. Bowen with the settlers and etc., were all landed and in good health”.  A week later the Lady Nelson had returned to Sydney with further positive reports. Yet, in reality this was not the case.  Right from the start there were personality clashes between the free settlers, with Bowen having a major problem with Lt. William Moore, who was in charge of the military.  Bowen referred to him as “a mutinous rascal”.  Bowen eventually sent him to Sydney under arrest, but King dismissed the charge and Moore returned to the colony.  Besides tying to feed everyone, Bowen had additional problems with the convicts.  Soon after arrival, one James Lewis (alias Druce Duce) together with several others, stole Dr Mountgarrett’s boat and escaped.  Despite this by the end of the year, Bowen had achieved much, including exploring the surrounding area and beyond, later exploring as far as the Huon River.  Governor King, however, was having major concerns over Bowen’s “private affairs” meaning his relationship with Martha Hayes. Partly because of this, when Bowen visited Sydney with the intention of resigning, Governor King ordered him to return to Risdon Cove, knowing full well that he had personal responsibility there.

By the time Bowen returned to Risdon in March 1804 on the Integrity, David Collins had already arrived in the River Derwent. David Collins of the Royal Marines had come to also settle VDL and with authority from Governor King to head both colonies.  This Governor King had made known to Bowen. Collins arrived in the River Derwent February 11, 1804 and he inspected the Risdon Cove site four days later. He then decided to abandon the Risdon site and move the colony to Sullivan’s Cove (Hobart).

Much to Bowen’s surprise and frustration, he learnt upon arrival that Risdon Cove settlement was to be removed. Bowen refused to recognised Collins’ authority and for a time there were two settlements in southern VDL under two commanders.  It was during this period, that the first ugly confrontation with the local aborigines occurred, May 3 1804, during which a large number of aboriginals were killed. Bowen was away exploring leaving Lt. Moore in charge.  The pioneer priest, Rev Knopwood recorded the affair in his diary with information obtained from Dr Mountgarrett.  Moore gave a report to Collins, which undoubtedly would have been to his own favour.  Collins in turn reported to King about the contact stating among other things, “Not having been present myself, I must take it for granted that the measures which were pursued were unavoidable.” This incident has become known as the Risdon Cove Massacre.

It was inevitable that Bowen surrender his credentials to Collins, especially when an irate Governor King requested that young Bowen return to Sydney at once.  Before doing so, Bowen arranged for Martha to be declared a settler, thus allowing her to obtain land grants to be supplied when possible from government stores and asked the Rev Knopwood to look after her.  Bowen in Sydney gave his resignation to King and decided to leave the colony for good.  He resumed his naval career and went on to enjoy a distinguished career. Not bad for a 23 year old. He achieved much and had a lot against him. The failure of Risdon Cove as a settlement was not Bowen’s fault.

Collins abandoned the Risdon Cove settlement and John Bowen had gone forever.  His lover, Martha Hayes, took up land on the western side of the River Derwent.  She was to marry Andrew Whitehead in 1811 and have a third daughter by him. In 1812, Major Andrew Geils erected a brick dwelling, which he called Restdown.  Geils left the shores and became an absentee landlord and in 1820 Alfred Thrupp and his wife, Sarah were living there.  Then in 1825 William Lyttleton was placed in charge of Restdown and in July 1829 it was sold to Thomas Gregson.  Gregson added on to Restdown and died there in 1874.  By this time the colony was appreciating the Risdon Cove site for its historical significance and the area was developing, albeit slowly.  Other settlers had moved in, such as Thomas Birch who had taken up 300 acres at Risdon Cove and William L’Anson. A road had been built leading to Richmond and a Mr Clebourne had become neighbours to Gregson.  A halfway house named Saracen’s Head was built in 1828 for travellers going to Richmond. Rev Knopwood visited the area more than once, recording for instance that he took Divine Service in the home of Gregson (1829).

The fifty years since Bowen’s settlement (1853) was celebrated in Hobart which coincided with the cessation of convict transportation.

A highlight of the centenary celebrations at the site was the unveiling of an obelisk to Bowen and the settlement.  Made up of stone quarried from Proctor’s Road, it has a 5ft base square and is built of blue stone asher and the cavity is filled with cement concrete.  The obelisk stands upon this base and is in one solid piece. The contractors were Messrs. Watson Bros.  The stone bore the words, ‘

This Memorial erected to commemorate the Centenary of the landing at this spot of Lieut. Bowen. R.N., on September 1803, was unveiled by His Excellency, the Governor, Sir A.E. Havelock. G.C.S.I. G.CM.G. G.C.I.E; 22nd February 1904.

The site at Risdon Cove was farmed until 1948. By the 150th anniversary celebrations (Sept 1954) land had been acquired by the State Government to add to the reserve. The Tasmanian Aboriginal community met at Risdon Cove in 1992 determined to win back their land. In 1995, they were successful and Risdon Cove was returned to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Land Council. The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre now administers the site. The site is also now home to an Aboriginal Community Centre and an Aboriginal Childrens Centre as well as the Bowen Monument and other historical land associated with the first white settlement in Hobart

The hand-over of the Risdon Cove site, which includes the Bowen Memorial, was part of the Aboriginal Lands Bill. The transfer occurred on 11 December 1995, and the many of the historic relics have since unfortunately fallen into disrepair. Risdon Cove is still an interesting place to visit, even though in 2006, the Tasmanian Government took the unpredented step of declaring "Risdon Cove is no longer a historic site!!"

Narryna Mansion

Narryna was built in 1836 for Captain Andrew Haig; just thirty three years after the British first settled Tasmania. Captain Haig came to Tasmania (or Van Diemen's Land as it was know) on the 16th June 1824 carrying cargo from India on his Brig, The Snipe.

In Hobart, Captain Haig purchased two acres of land from Rev. Knopwood for 150 pounds. This land extended from Hampden Road to the shore of Sullivans Cove, or where present Salamanca is situated. Despite this Captain Haig found it difficult to sell his items in Hobart and departed Van Diemen's Land on July 1st for New Zealand and then to Valparaiso. Nine years after his initial purchase of land in Hobart, Captain Haig returned to the colony in 1833. In this time the port of Hobart had changed dramatically and there was an increase in buildings and development in the area. There were complaints made to Captain Haig as soon as he arrived, as his property was un-developed and over grown, and not in fitting with the new industrial Hobart Town.

In 1833 Captain Haig commenced building a warehouse in Salamanca Place. When this was completed, he and his family lived in the warehouse whilst Narryna was being built. Narryna is a four square Georgian design house. It is built of brick and has local sandstone foundations. It is said that the front facade is stone used as ballast from Scottish merchant ships, but it is also possible that the sandstone came from the same quarry as the foundations (Tasmanian stone), as it is still a high grade stone quality.

When Narryna was built in 1836, there was no electricity or plumbing. All lighting was first provided by candles and lanterns. The front rooms are surprisingly well lit through natural light, mainly because of the two windows in each room. The study and morning room would have received sun from the morning in the morning room and sun in the study at sunset. These rooms would have however still been fairly dark. The upstairs rooms are well lit due to the size of the rooms as well as having more than one window to let in natural light. The stairway would have been fairly dark without the aid of candle or lantern light.

There are no toilets in Narryna. In the early days the toilet was outside, commonly called an "out house". The toilet "bowl" was collected once a week, and replaced with a fresh bucket by men called "Night Men". At night, chamber pots were used. These are large decorated bowls that usually lived under the bed and were emptied in the morning by the maid and cleaned for use that night.

In 1836 there were no automobiles. All transport was carried out by horse and buggy. These were usually reserved for long trips, or when one needed to collect something large from the city. Otherwise, walking was a good form of transport at Narryna as it was close to the centre of Hobart Town and the docks. Most homes of Narryna's style would have had a couple of cows to provide milk for drinking or to be made into butter. Chickens too would have been kept for eating as well as for their production of eggs. Large houses of this type also had a substantial vegetable garden.

As mentioned above, there is no plumbing at Narryna, so there is no bathroom. In 1836 most families only bathed on a Sunday night with good washes by hand in between Sundays. This process was also carried out because there was a lack of water in the area. In country areas buckets of water would have to be carried back to the house until the bath was full. In most cases the water was heated over the fire and then poured into a small bathing tub, where one would carry out their cleaning and throw the water outside when finished.

Security was very important at Narryna and in Hobart in its early days. All the windows at Narryna had shutters, and these would be locked at night to stop break-ins, or prevent the house being raided by bushrangers. They were also useful for keeping the heat in at night when the fires were lit. There are trapdoors in every room down stairs. These were put in place so that if there was a need to escape, the occupants could be lowered into the hole and escape through a side exit.

Unfortunately, Captain Haig did not prosper in the colony. In 1842 Captain Haig was forced to sell his property, including his warehouse and Narryna. At the time Narryna was very close to being finished, but Captain Haig did not have a lot of time in his new house before it was sold during the economic depression of the time. Over the next 100 years it became the residence of many notable Tasmanian personalities. In 1842 a wealthy landowner by the name of Michael Lackey purchased Narryna, and was later left to his daughter Maria Orr in 1847. Maria later re-married and rented the house until 1857.

There were a number of tenants housed in Narryna. Hyram L. Moses was a member of the Jewish community who rented the property for a while, until George Washington Walker followed. George Washington Walker was a Quaker missionary who came to Australia in 1831 as a missionary. He is best remembered for founding the Hobart Savings Bank. In 1855 Major Hugh Calveley Cotton moved into Narryna after twenty five years service as an engineer involved in irrigation projects in India. He became the Deputy Surveyor-General of Van Diemen's Land. Charles Butler took up residence between 1856-57. In 1858 Maria and her new husband Charles Lempriere lived at Narryna for a short period before moving to Melbourne. They decided to keep Narryna because of a drop in housing prices, and continued to rent out the residence.

In 1863 David Lewis and his family resided at Narryna until 1881. Lewis was Mayor of Hobart Town in 1858-59 and was a Member of the House of Assembly for Clarence and then Hobart from 1864-1882. Edward Hurst Pearce and his family then resided in Narryna from 1885 to 1926, the longest period of occupancy for the house. After the death of the family, the estate went into the hands of Martha Peate where it was turned into a boarding house. In 1940 Peate apparently had twenty people boarding in the house for two pounds, fifteen shillings a week.

In 1944 the boarding house was closed and Narryna was let to Mrs Beatrice A. Seccombe before being acquired by the State Government in August 1946. The house then became an after-care hostel for female tuberculosis patients, where 14 people were accommodated at a time. In 1954 Narryna was closed as a hostel. There were suggestions to make Narryna into an aged care facility, but due to the stairs and lack of natural light, this was rejected. Representatives of the Tasmanian Historical Research Association, the Shiplover's Society of Tasmania, and the Battery Point Progress Association requested that Narryna be preserved as a museum. The request was granted and Narryna was established in 1955 as Australia's first heritage museum.

Website: http://www.narryna.com.au/home

Levendale

Levendale is a small settlement in the Southern Midlands Council area 53 km north of Hobart servicing the local farming community. The settlement has a historic primary school, established 15 April 1901, which also serves as a community centre and focal point for the area. In 2008, facing the threat of closure with falling enrolments, the community rallied to increase the population of the area and save the school
The first people to inhabit the Levendale area were the Portmairremener, a band of the Oyster Bay Tribe who lived mainly around the mouth of the Prosser River. Each winter various bands of the Oyster Bay Tribe congregated around the coastal areas of Great Oyster Bay to harvest shellfish and marine vegetables until the end of July, when swans and ducks arrived in the lagoons and riverine areas to lay their eggs and raise their young. In August the bands moved up the Little Swanport and Prosser Rivers to the Eastern Marshes to hunt birds, kangaroos and wallabies As summer drew near the bands moved further west towards the Central Highlands, only to return to the coast as autumn approached. No doubt due it its prominence, the Aboriginals would have used Mt. Hobbs as a reference point in their annual migrations. In 1830, a large fire was kept burning on the summit of Brown Mountain as a point of direction for Governor Arthur's Black Line, that ill-fated attempt to drive the remaining Aborigines towards the Tasman Peninsula where they could be captured.

This failure led Arthur in 1831 to appoint George Augustus Robinson to locate and bring in the remaining aboriginals. During October, Robinson camped at Hobbs Lagoon and passed over the head of Bluff River.
Due to the nearly impenetrable nature of the bush, Europeans did not settle at Levendale until the second half of the nineteenth century. Indeed, so dense was this bush that the area was originally known as "The Scrub".The first known settler was Henry Buscombe who selected 655 acres (2.65 km²) of land at Levendale in 1842, calling his property Cutting Grass Marsh. In 1845, Henry's brother James purchased a 50-acre (200,000 m²) block alongside his brother's property at the Cutting Grass Marsh. Sometime between 1852 and 1868 a William Hodgson became the third person to take up land in the area when he purchased 709 acres (2.87 km²) a Levenbanks.The assessment roll for 1858 shows John McConnon leasing 100 acres (0.40 km²) near the Prosser River and in 1861 he was leasing 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) from the Crown at Prosser River. By 1868 John and his son John William McConnon were leasing 820 acres (3.3 km²) at Levenbanks and in 1870 John is recorded as owning 80 acres (32 ha) with a hut on the land. Following the deaths of the Buscombe brothers (Henry 1844: James 1851) a William Brown leased the Buscombe's blocks in 1861. In 1873 Kele Balsley, a native of Denmark who had apparently jumped ship at the Saltworks near Little Swanport in 1865, purchased 24 acres (9.7 ha) of land at Levendale where he built a family home.The 1880s witnessed a rapid increase in settlement. Settlers taking up land at this time were: Colin Patterson and Michael Powell (1883), the brothers Montgomery (1886), Harold Burrows (1887) and William Crawford who built a house at Levendale in 1897. By the end of the century over two hundred people lived at Levendale.

The first task facing these early settlers was of course to carve out farms and homes from the dense bush – a thankless and difficult job. At first this work was carried out by hand, the settlers ring barking trees and cutting the undergrowth with axes and slash hook, the ash from the annual summer burnings used as fertilizer to help in the growth of grass and clover for cattle. The introduction of horses and bullocks at least provided some relief from the hard task of settlement. The settlers' first homes were built from split timber with shingle roofs. As there was no running water, one of the main daily tasks was the carrying of water from nearby creeks, a responsibility often given to the youngest members of the family. As most homes had no bathroom, bathing was done by hip bather, the water heated in tins on open fires or wood stoves. Hurricane lamps and candles provided the only source of light. Of course the settlers of necessity had to be nearly self-sufficient in such a remote settlement.

Straight-grained trees that split easily were used to provide palings and posts for buildings and fences; vegetable gardens were established, and each household produced its own milk, butter and eggs. Meat came from the farm's own livestock, and if that source of supply fell short then there was always the ever-present wallaby or rabbit to tide the family over. The preservation of food was always a problem, but salting down vegetables and the use of wet sand packs for butter in summer ensured a reliable supply of household necessities. The purchase of essential items such as flour, tea, sugar and salt meant a fairly arduous journey to either Oatlands or Sorell every three months.

Whilst most of the young men worked on the farms, either their own or a neighbor's, many traveled around the district shearing sheep or working as farm hands for the wealthier farmers. Sawmilling also was an important part of the area's history. This industry also supplied local men and boys with employment. The earliest mills belonged to the Campbell, Barker and McConnon families. These were steam engine operated and supplied timber for many of the local homes and buildings.  Young women not employed at home usually found work as housemaids or a shop assistants until they married and had their own families; families that not uncommonly ran to thirteen or more children.

The continued growth of Levendale towards the end of the 1890s led to local demands for improved services to cater for the growing needs of the community. High on the list of priorities was a local school. Following strong representations from the Reverend T. W. Pitt, Church of England Minister at Spring Bay and the Hon. W. W. Perkins, M.L.C, the government agreed to build a school at Levendale.The decision to build the school seems also to have inspired the community to look for an appropriate name for the town, after all “The Scrub” State School must have had a peculiar ring to it, one that doubtless inspired little confidence.

Consequently, the opening of the school on 15 April 1901 provided the local community with the chance to hold a public meeting to decide upon a new name for the area. That meeting agreed upon the name Levendale, the first part of which was derived from the name of one of the oldest farms in the district, Levenbanks, belonging to Mr. V Hodgson, and later Thomas McConnon. And so the school opened with Mr. W. Duthie appointed first teacher in charge and with William Crawford and Frank McConnon registered as the first of what would eventually prove to be over 1000 students who would pass through the doors. As with most small country towns the new school offered not only a chance for and educations for the local children but a focal point for the whole community, many of the local events being organized around the school.

In 2013, Levendale Primary School is still the focal point for the whole community, boasting a student population at 23, community library, enthusiastic history group, zero to four learning program, playgroup, prekindergarten and many other activities. With the school under threat of closure in 2008 due to low student numbers, author and local resident Rachael Treasure proposed to the community that vacant farmhouses be put up for rent of $1 per week to attract more families to the area. The offer attracted interest from around Australia, New Zealand and as far afield as Japan and Singapore.

Colebrook

Located 54 km from Hobart and positioned between the historic towns of Richmond (to the south) and Oatlands and Ross (to the north), Colebrook is a quiet little farming settlement which was developed by convict labour as the site of a convict probation station.

The town was originally named Jerusalem. The area around Colebrook was first explored by Europeans in early 1804 and by 1806, with serious food shortages in Hobart Town, expeditions of soldiers were being sent into this area to kill kangaroos and emus. It is claimed that during one of these expeditions Private Hugh Germain, a well educated member of the Royal Marines, started giving various local sites exotic names.

Thus to the west of 'Jerusalem' (Colebrook) lies the incongruously named village of Bagdad and north of the town, past Lake Tiberius, is the village of Jericho. It is said that Germain travelled through the area with a copy of The Bible and the Arabian Nights and delighted in giving places religious and Middle Eastern names.

There is a story (more a legend that a hard fact) that the famous Tasmanian bushranger, Martin Cash, hid in a pear tree near the local police station after he had managed to escape from the village lockup.

People after 1834 called the town Colebrook Dale. It was officially named Colebrook in 1894

Colebrook has many historic buildings, including St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, which overlooks the town and was built in 1856. The contract was signed for the erection of St. James Anglican Church on October 2, 1882. Hardwick Mill was working in 1871, but by the turn of the century had converted to a private residence and still is today.

The police building is also a private residence today and still contains two cells. Nichols Store, Pineholme and the former hospital have also survived up to now, proving Colebrook is rich in historical content.

‘The Chimneys’, now a private home, was the residence of the district constable in March 1854. In July 1854, it became a convent until it closed shortly before the 1967 bush fires.

The town was almost completely destroyed by the fires on February 7, 1967, but has since been rebuilt. Many buildings were lost. One side of the street was virtually wiped out with only one building here and there taken on the opposite side. Sadly, one life was lost, along with the state school, post office, the Railway Hotel, the two shops and many homes. The loss of stock was horrific.

The convent was reopened until a new state school was built. That school closed in August 1986, and was relocated at Dodges Ferry. Craigbourne Dam was officially opened on November 17, 1986. This brought about the loss of Colebrook Park, a two-story Georgian sandstone house built in 1822. Two private homes were removed before the area was flooded. One remained a private home; the other became a golf club house. The dam has brought irrigation to many farmers and excellent fishing for many anglers.

Colebrook has lost a few facilities over the years. The postal service has become an agency open for two hours each week day, the school children travel to Campania for their education and the police station is at Richmond. [Campania is the next town 10 miles south; Richmond is 5 miles south of Campania.]

The sports available in Colebrook are football, cricket, tennis, badminton, eight ball and darts.

A quiet walk down to Wallaby Rivulet or up to the waterhole filled from an underground spring rewards the patient observer with a glimpse of a platypus. Lots of birds live happily among the cattle, sheep, rabbits, wallabies and possums.

In 2010, the Tasmanian Heritage Council revised the heritage listing of the Jerusalem Probation Station at Colebrook to reflect the site’s significant heritage values and archaeological potential.

In Tasmania there were actually 75 probation stations but little evidence of most of them remains, yet at this site the former courthouse, former Assistant Superintendent’s quarters, chapel and convict quarters are still visible The Jerusalem Probation Station site demonstrates several important aspects of convict administration in Van Diemen’s Land between 1834 and 1849 which was an important phase in the history of convict transportation and the use of convict labour. It’s probably little known that the former Jerusalem Probation Station is unusual because so much of the original probation station still exists. Well worth taking the time to check it out.