When I reached the little town of Derby I found the road partially closed to allow for a bike race. The annual Dragon race attracts hundreds of riders but apparently Derby is always "buzzing".
Derby is the mountain bike capital of Tasmania and maybe Australia. Like skiers and bushwalkers black is the colour of choice for the riders and they were everywhere!
Many locals have sold their houses and moved on and the character of the town has changed since the 250k of trails have opened up. Unfortunately not all bike riders are considerate or well mannered and locals are very mixed in their feelings despite the revenue injected into the town. There are over 70 accommodation options available and almost every shop caters to bikes and riders.
The local school has been turned into a great little museum illustrating the history of tin mining in Derby as well as the school itself. Rules for teachers in1879, amongst others, stated:
The teacher must bring a bucket of coal and a bucket of water to the school each day
Male teachers may take one night off each week to court a young lady
Female teachers will be dismissed if they marry
Plus other strict rules for the conduct of the educators.
How did they get anyone to take up teaching?
How cute is this bank? They knew how to make it attractive back in the day!
Bridport was a small fishing village when last I visited. The fishing boats are still there but now the town is expanding with new housing estates, boutique shopping and restaurants. Barnbougle golf course is nearby and attracts world wide attention.
My last stop was Low Head at the mouth of the Tamar River. In 1805 the first Pilot Station was opened here to help ships navigate the entrance to the river and Launceston. There are several reefs and rocks which affect shipping. Even as recently as 1995, a ship ran aground and spilled oil decimating the local penguin colonies.
The original Pilot Station is now a great maritime museum and the surrounding cottages provide holiday accommodation.
Imagine wearing this dive suit to salvage wrecks off the reef? A man in the suit averaged over 120 kilograms. Generally there was little left to salvage as ships quickly broke apart.
Further up the road is the lighthouse still guarding the entrance to the river. It looks exactly the way I expect a lighthouse to look.
In the 1930s one of the signalers to shipping was a woman - Kathleen Cashion. Kathleen learned semaphore so she could warn ships and also cared for a light known as Kathleen's light. She became very popular and well known to sailors far and wide.
During WW2 she was the only civilian allowed to signal ships anywhere in the world.
Kathleen moved up river in 1951 and ships continued to toot her as they passed her house until she died.
The mouth of the river is very wide and a Pilot still assists with navigation although large ships no longer go up to Launceston. Low Head has always been a popular holiday destination and there are many historical buildings, cottages and even a castle with battlements.
No more hiking - my last two days will be devoted to history!
Thank you - great bolg!
ReplyDeleteI do like the look of those old anchors :-))
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