Introduction Meander Through The Midlands Warm Bread and Bric-a-Brac Visit Tom Robert's Grave Mix With The Locals at Historic Pubs
Meander Through The Midlands
Stroll through the townships - some built almost entirely of stone
- and feel the spirit of colonial Australia. Here is a history that
has not had to be re-created; villages and townships where people live
and have sometimes lived for generations. Spend the night in a colonial
bed and breakfast, down an ale in an historic pub or feast on a meal of
game in an atmosphere reminiscent of a bygone age. Take a guided
tour behind the colonial gate to the homes and gardens of Tasmania’s privileged
landed gentry. Top
Warm Bread and Bric-a-Brac
Wander through the 19th century streetscape of Evandale, where Ned
Kelly’s father once served time, to tea rooms, antique stores, galleries
and a stained glass workshop. Walk in the rooms of a grand Georgian
mansion, Clarendon, at nearby Nile and picnic by the river with bread still
warm from the bakery. Shop for bric-a-brac at the weekly Sunday market.
Each February, the streets are crowded with people as Evandale celebrates
its colonial heritage with a Village Fair and National Penny Farthing Championships.
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Visit From Robert's Grave
Visit the grave of one of Australia’s greatest colonial artists, Tom
Roberts, at the historic town of Longford. Originally settled by
migrants evacuated from Norfolk Island at the beginning of the 19th century,
Longford is set around a village green on the junction of the South Esk
and Macquarie Rivers. Follow a farm trail to the river; stay for
a drink in the local hotel and surround yourself in Grand Prix racing memorabilia.
Place a bet (when they’re racing) at the oldest continually operating racecourse
in Australia or take a guided tour of the region’s grandest homes.
In 1874, astronomers travelled from near and far to Campbell Town to view
the transit of Venus from an observatory in the Grange, one of the town
’s grand, early buildings. A streetscape of beautiful Georgian sandstone
cottages, pubs and even the original brewery remain. Talk to the
locals about what is now, and how it used to be. Top
Mix With The Locals at Historic Pubs
Drop back a gear to drive along the convict-built Ross bridge, the
third oldest in Australia, with 186 sandstone carvings. spend an
easy afternoon in the English beer garden of one of the country’s oldest
taverns, the Man-o-Ross Hotel. Walk amongst the elms along an avenue
lined with colonial history - cottages and stores selling Tasmania’s finest
foods and crafts. Trace the history of the region at the wool Centre
or take a personalised tour to gardens and historic properties close by.
Continue south to Oatlands and the little towns along the way - Jericho,
Melton Mowbray, Kempton and Pontville - and on to Hobart, Tasmania’s historic
capital. Or drive east through the beautiful Fingal Valley through
Avoca, Fingal and St Marys to the coast. Stop at the regional visitor
centre at Fingal in the original Tasmania Hotel, built in 1856, to learn
about the region’s mining and rural history and buy local arts and crafts.
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