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| The bridge
across the Meander River
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Deloraine
Charming and important historic town on the
Meander River
Deloraine is a charming, historically
interesting and attractive town located on the
banks of the Meander River 228 km north of
Hobart, 48 km west of Launceston and 253 m above
sea level. While not attracting tourists in the
same numbers as Ross or Richmond it has been
classified by the National Trust as a town of
historical significance.
It is likely that the town, which lies near
the Great Western Tiers, was named after Sir
William Deloraine, a character is Sir Walter
Scott's long poem The Lay of the Last Minstrel
(1805). It was a kinsman of Sir Walter Scott,
Thomas Scott, who first surveyed the district in
the 1824. The area was first explored by
Europeans in 1823 when Captain Rolland travelled
through the area searching for new agricultural
lands.
In 1825 a Land Commissioner was appointed by
Governor Sorell. It was as a result of this
appointment that the country around Deloraine
became some of the first land in Van Diemen's
Land where leases could be purchased.
Settlement in the area was slow until, in the
1850s, the government started selling land
outright for £1 an acre. This resulted in a
dramatic increase in population which led to the
town becoming a municipality in 1863 and, in
1872, a railway line between Deloraine and
Launceston was constructed.The early settlers
raised cattle and grew wheat but the climate was
against them and they did not prosper.
Things to see:
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Exploring the Town
Many of the shops in town have copies of the
excellent brochures Let's talk about Deloraine
and the Guide to Historical Deloraine both of
which provide extensive lists of large numbers
of historically interesting houses and buildings
in the town as well as listing a number of
attractions in the surrounding area including
the Liffey Falls, Train World at
Mole Creek, the Wildlife Park and Koala
Village between Chudleigh and Mole Creek, and
the Meander Falls area which lies 25 km
southwest of the town.
Bonney's Inn
Of the historic buildings, those of particular
interest include Bonney's Inn, which was
established in 1831 (although some sources claim
it was built in 1828) and is situated at 17 West
Parade next to the Deloraine Hotel. One of the
most famous early wayside inns it was built as a
coaching inn by John Bonney, the son of a
convict. The bricks, but not the actual
building, were constructed by convicts. Bonney
designed the building along the lines of the
coaching inns in England. It has walls which are
nearly 50 cm thick, cedar mantelpieces and
panelled walls. It has changed hands a number of
times being, at various points in its history, a
Temperance Hotel, a coffee palace, flats, and
historic accommodation. It currently offers four
star bed and breakfast accommodation. In 1853,
as a result of the success of Bonney's Inn, John
Bonney built the Deloraine Hotel.
Baptist Tabernacle
Down river from Bonney's Inn are the Baptist
Tabernacle, a single storey Victorian chapel
built in 1880 with money raised after William
Gibson, a grazier from Perth, who gave the local
congregation a prize ram which they sold for
1000 guineas. Further along West Parade (on the
corner of West Parade and Westbury Place) is
Harvey's Mill, now a private dwelling, a
handsome two-storey bluestone and brick
building.
The Bridge
The bridge across the Meander River is now only
a memory of the original structure which was
built by convicts in 1831. It was washed away in
1844 and a 'new' bridge was, in turn, replaced
in 1877. The present structure has some remnants
of the 1877 bridge. It affords excellent views
along the beautiful Meander River.
Alveston's Historic Buildings
To the south of the river is the original
village of Alveston which was in existence
before the larger settlement of Deloraine began
to develop on the northern bank of the river.
Nearly all of the buildings in Alveston are of
some historic interest. There is the old Bush
Inn which, while hardly being impressive, dates
back to the 1850s and on the other side of the
road there's a group of brick and timber
Georgian shops and cottages (10-24 Bass Highway)
which are still a handsome and historic
streetscape.
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| St. Marks
Anglican Church |
St Mark's Church of England
Just up the rise from the Bush Inn is St Mark's
Church of England which looks over the Meander
River. The first Anglican church in the town was
a wooden building completed in 1847. The present
building was designed by Henry Clayton and
opened in 1859. It was originally no more than a
small chancel, the impressive tower, the nave
and spire. The year after completion an organ,
which is still in use, was imported from London;
in 1878 the chancel and transept were
consecrated; and in 1909, to celebrate the
church's Golden Jubilee, a stained glass window
was added. In front of St Mark's is a huge
Californian redwood.
Other Historic Buildings
The old buildings near the railway station still
have faded signs advertising Sunlight soap and
Bushells tea.
Beyond these specific buildings the town of
Deloraine has a wealth of interesting old shops
and houses. It is profitable to just drive off
the Bass Highway and explore the town. The
architectural surprises reward such idle
curiosity.
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| The old shops
in Deloraine |
In West Barrack Street, for example, the
former Oddfellows Hotel (No:21) has been
converted into a shop, No:27, a two-storey
Georgian brick house, was the birthplace of
Admiral Sir John Collins (Collins' fame rests on
his tactical victory over the Italian warship
Bartolomeo Colleoni in 1941 while he was captain
of the HMAS Sydney), and No: 33, now a shop, was
once the town hospital.
At the northern end of town, along Emu Bay
Road, is the town's excellent Folk Museum (No:
98) which is located in the old Family and
Commercial Inn which dates from 1864 and Berry's
Antique Shop (No: 118) a two-storey brick
building which was built around 1850. The town
also claims to have the oldest continuously used
racecourse in Australia - it dates from 1853 -
and Bowerbank Mill, 2 km east of Deloraine on
the Bass Highway, was built in 1853 by William
Archer, Van Diemen's Land's first native-born
architect.
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| The Tasmania
Pottery |
Tasmania Pottery
The Tasmania Pottery, on the road to Chudleigh,
is no longer operating as a tourist attraction
but it is still possible to see its outstanding
external feature - the largest coffee pot in
Australia.
Exton
Just a few kilometres east of Deloraine is the
tiny township of Exton which is full of antique
shops and rather beautiful old cottages.
