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| The Shrine of
Remembrance |
Ulverstone
Substantial and important tourist destination
on the North Coast.
Located 19 km west of Devonport and 125 km north
west of Launceston, Ulverstone is a major
tourist destination on the mouth of the Leven
River. The area was largely overlooked by early
Tasmanian settlers. It wasn't until 1840 that
James Fenton settled in the area. His early
attempts to farm the marshy land to the west of
the Forth River (to the east of modern day
Ulverstone) were fraught with problems. The soil
was saline and substandard. He eventually moved
to higher ground and was moderately successful
remaining in the area until 1879 when he retired
to Launceston.
By 1848 the area had been settled by timber
workers whose business providing palings to
Melbourne boomed with the discovery of gold.
There were soon a number of sawmills in the
area. Such was the demand for timber that the
forests were quickly cleared. This exposed the
rich chocolate-coloured volcanic soils and
resulted in the emergence of potato cropping and
successful beef and dairy cattle breeding.
In the early days the town was known as The
Leven until it changed to Ulverstone which was
derived from Ulverston in Lancashire, England.
The town grew slowly throughout the 19th
century. There were only 15 inhabitants in 1861
and 25 in 1870. The arrival of the railway in
1890 gave the town the boost it required. It is
now recognised as a major tourist and service
centre.
Ulverstone has two minor claims to fame. In
1874 it held Australia's first axeman
competition and in 1897 the woman who would
become Dame Edith Lyons, first woman in the
Australian House of Representatives and first
woman Cabinet Minister, was born in the town.
Things to see:
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Ulverstone Local History Museum
Located at 50 Main Street and open at different
times from Tuesday to Sunday it has a
fascinating collection of business facades
including a blacksmith and wheelwright (Levi
Titmus), a photographer (GP Taylor), a bootmaker
(A. Wood) and a number of other businesses.
Contact (03) 6425 3835 for opening times or
visit the museum on the Net at http://www.tassie.net.au/~leven/ULHM.htm
James Fenton's First House
All that is left of Fenton's first house is a
modern cairn which marks the site. It is located
about 100 metres on the Ulverstone side of the
Forth River bridge. It records the location of
the first European settlement of the area. Upon
his retirement Fenton wrote a History of
Tasmania.
Braddons Lookout
Located on the Upper Forth Road (enter from the
Bass Highway on the eastern side of the Forth
River Bridge) offers excellent views over both
the coast and the hinterland. It is said that on
a clear day it is possible to see Cradle
Mountain to the south.
The Gables and Turners Beach
To the east of Ulverstone turn north towards
Turners Beach. Follow the road to Turners Beach
and keep driving until you reach The Gables
Park. Next to it is the Gables House which is on
the river (very obviously a private residence).
It was built around 1850 and was originally
known as The Sailors Return Inn. Although the
building only operated as a hotel for a decade
(it was delicensed in 1860) it had a short and
colourful history. In 1853 it was robbed by the
bushrangers Dalton and Kelly (not Ned) who stole
the landlord's whale boat and sailed across the
Bass Strait to Victoria. They were subsequently
caught, brought back to Tasmania and executed in
Launceston.
The Shrine of Remembrance
The Shrine of Remembrance is a strange
clocktower. It was designed and built by
immigrants from Europe in 1953. It is a memorial
for returned service personnel with each of the
columns representing the three military services
- Army, Navy and Air Force.
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| Furners Hotel
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Interesting Buildings
There is a very unusual Italiane ANZ Bank in
Reiby Street. It forms a vital part of the
town's main street and is characterised by
roundhead windows on the first floor and
squarehead windows on the second floor. Furners
Hotel (1903) at 42 Reibey Street is a
particularly attractive and dominant Federation
hotel.
Riverside Anzac Park
There is a pleasant park beside the Leven River
with an excellent and unusual fountain which has
been programmed to offer a wide range of
variations when it is turned on. The park also
has an excellent 'Spaceage' childrens playground
(with huge rockets and space ships) and good
picnic facilities. A few years ago a seed was
taken from Lone Pine ridge at Gallipoli and
planted in the park. It is now a substantial
pine tree.
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| The Ocean
View Guesthouse |
Westella and Lonah
On the eastern side of town just a little way
out from the town centre is Westella - a
beautiful old gabled house. It was built in 1885
and is characterised steep gables. Westella is a
fine example of the kind of house which was
built in Northern Tasmania in the 1880s due to
the availability of fine timber. There are so
many beautiful old timber houses in the area
which date from 1880-1920. Another is Lonah
which overlooks Three Sisters Islands on the
road between Ulverstone and Penguin. It was
built by a retired English soldier,
Major-General Lodder, around 1875.
Another fascinating old building is the Ocean
View Guest House on 1 Victoria Street. It was
built in 1903, was used as a boarding house for
most of its life until, in 1986, it was
converted to a guest house. It was designed in
such a way that there are views of the ocean
from most of the rooms.
Gunns Plains Caves
Located 23 km from Ulverstone the caves are well
illuminated and there are regular hourly tours
between 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. The caves were
discovered when a possum fell down the hole
which was the cave entrance. The caves maintain
a regular 11°C all year round. The trip to the
caves passes through some particularly beautiful
scenery. There are good picnic facilities
nearby. For more information contact either (03)
6425 2839 or (03) 6425 4496.
Leven Canyon
Located 42 km from Ulverstone Leven Canyon has
become a popular tourist destination offering
interesting and pleasant bushwalks, good picnic
and barbeque facilities and views down the 250
metre Leven Canyon. It takes ten hours to walk
through the gorge.
