Rediscovering Tasmania - Waratah

When traveling recently from Devonport to the West Coast, we decided to drop into the small settlement of Waratah. I first visited Waratah back sometime in the 1950s along with a friend of my father's who had worked there during its heyday as a mining town. Subsequently, I revisited the place in 1972 taking with me my own family. At that time I thought there was nothing particularly special about the place, but perhaps that was only because we just went to the Mount Bischoff mine that was closed in 1947.'The Mt Bischoff mine was discovered by farmer and part-time prospector James “Philosopher” Smith in 1871, and for many years was one of the world’s richest tin mines (Groves et al., 1972). After 70 years of continuous production, the Mt Bischoff mine finally closed in 1947.'

As Waratah looked during its mining boom
&
a photograph of James 'Philosopher Smith.
(love the beard!)

While we did not go to the mine site - which appeared to be working again, it was good to explore a little around the old town. It was splendid, very clean and well maintained. A credit to this small community. At its peak the town, which now has only a few hundred residents, had a population in excess of 5,000. Quite sizable and set in such a wonderful country side:Today, as you enter it, your eyes feast on a lovely little lake and is a great introduction to Waratah:The outstanding feature of the town surely has to be the waterfall and we enjoyed the various views of this:

Our first view from the Waratah hotel.And then getting closer to the fall just towering over our heads. All this at no cost. Wow!

Being a mining town with quite a history meant that there was lots of evidence of how things were in the past. The hotel I am sure was the main social centre hub where the locals both refreshed themselves and caught up with one another. I am quite certain that it was a very supportive community, as you would be when cut off from the outside world. Perhaps shades of our New Guinea experience? While we were there we chatted happily to some of the residents.

But the hotel had other attractions. Just have a look at the next photo,

and click on it to enjoy the read!'Darts, dice, billards, dodges with early closing hours, spruiking new gadgets in the magnificent Commercial room and osmiridium* nugget tendered as currency at the bar have enlivened Bischoff Hotel as a community meeting place.'
I love it! Wrest Point Casino, Hobart eat your heart out! 'New gadgets' defies imagination.

*Osmiridium is a rare alloy once mined in the Waratah district for use in the gold nibs of fountain pens. Now that is a bit of trivia worth noting!

I am sure that the hotel was a more enjoyable place for miners who, I lived in tiny miner's cottage like this:No doubt, the miner's life at that time was tough. Not only miners, but the whole infrastructure that went with it, including a railway:

From bullock teams .....to steam trains.

Finally, we visited the shed where the community set up restored machinery that stamped or crushed tin ore. We turned the machinery on for a couple of minutes, which is all we could stand. It was a terrifying noise and I am certain that the workers who operated this machinery must have suffered occupational deafness bigtime!

And below, this beautifully kept community hall:

Our visit to Waratah was a 'find' and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Great to rediscover a Tasmanian town like Waratah. And the town's name? I have no idea why it was named Waratah, but it is certainly a gorgeous name that of course belongs to that wonderful Tasmanian flower bearing the same name:

But, it was time to move on through the delightful ranges to the Pieman River.

A great vista indeed!