Buildings in Launceston, Tasmania.

More buildings in the streets of Launceston, Tasmania.

St.  Andrew's Church

Birds and Bunny!

Back in late March we came across a few birds and a bunny.
First 2 photos were taken at Campbell Town, the Swans at Lake Dulverton, Oatlands.
Remainder at Cambridge near Hobart.  All in Tasmania, Australia.
I couldn't get closer as the creatures are not tame enough.

Launceston buildings.

Launceston Post Office and Clock.

After the Launceston General Post Office was built in 1889, a group of residents formed The Launceston Clock and Chimes Committee in 1906 to raise funds to extend the tower's height, and install the clock and chimes

The Post Office has moved to various locations over the years, it's now back  in the original Post Office.

The Town Hall which was build in the mid 1800's.

The town Library.  Outside one can sit and look at the Town Clock, use the internet for 'free' with a limit of 500mb per 24 hour period.

A few things!

A Blue Phone Wallpaper I made this past week.

If you would like it, you may have it.

This was our little dog, Sasha the Shih-Tzu.
He passed away several years ago.
He has a rubber ring with a sock in his mouth.

Below a few odd words on the Label of clothes.

Made on Earth

For the best results:
dry low, never iron design.
For worst results:
Blow dry on roof rack.

These T-Shirts were tested on animals.
They didn't fit.

Lakes, Tasmania, Australia.

These photos were taken the day we went to the Great Lake.  The photos below bar one are of a different lake not far from Waddamana in the highlands/central plateau.
We had to walk up a bit of a hill and was amazed to see such good reflections.

The last we saw of the Great Lake,  Central Highlands of Tasmania.

Below is one of the many views on the way home.

The Square, Launceston, Tasmania.

Prince's Square Launceston is not far from the city centre.

Established in 1858 from a disused brickfield it is now an important part of cultural life in Launceston and also a heritage park.

The Fountain - Standing at 7 meters high and the focal point of Prince's Square, the iconic Val d'Osne Fountain sits at the center of the park at the meeting point of the main pathways. First exhibited in the Paris Industrial Exhibition of 1855 as the show-piece for Barbezat & Co., proprietors of the foundries of Val d'Osne, the fountain was purchased by the Municipal Council in 1859 to commemorate the completion of Launceston's town water scheme in 1857. The design of the fountain was the work of the distinguished French artist M.Lienard with the 4 main base statues depicting Neptune, Galatea, Amphitrite and Acis being sculpted by M.Moreau.
Wikipedia

The fountain in
Prince's Square and unfortunately not that clear with all the background greenery.

Street view, Launceston, Tasmania

Still on Good Friday. 
Great that I was able to stand in the middle of the street and take these two photos.
The Church is the Church of Apostles a Catholic Church, and behind that Church is where I went to school when my parents and I moved to Launceston many years ago.

The above photo is looking towards the town clock.

In another street up the hill..

The building below is a Motel and was once the Grammar School.

St. John's Church, Launceston, Tasmania.

On Good Friday it was a lovely day so hence I set off to take some photos of our small city.  Beginning with St Johns Church, is an Anglican church in Launceston, Tasmania and the oldest church in the city having started construction in 1824. Though the church is one of the oldest surviving churches in Australia, it has received numerous extensions and modifications with only the tower and first window pair of the nave being original. St John's Church is located on the corner of St John Street and Elizabeth Street and is one of five churches facing onto Prince's Square.

Behind the church up on the hill is St. Vincent's Hospital where I did my training.
The clock you see in the photo used to strike every hour, for me that was good.
Town clock is not too far away and that could be heard also, so town clock stuck first, then the Church clock.  Handy when one had to be on duty at 6am in the morning.

Waddamana Power Station Museum, Tasmania

Waddamana Hydro-Electric power station was the first hydro-electric power plant ever operated by the Tasmanian Hydro-Electric Department (later the Hydro-Electric Commission or HEC), opened in 1916.
 
The privately owned Tasmanian Hydro-Electric and Metallurgical Co. Ltd. first took a serious interest in generating hydro-electric power from one of Tasmania's highland rivers in late 1909, to provide power for James Gillies' newly patented electrolytic process for zinc refining, and a "carbide" smelter to be constructed near Snug. They resolved to construct a hydro-electric power plant in the valley of the Ouse River (Tasmania), above the town that bears that name. Water was to be provided by a small dam on the great lake at Miena, which would then divert water down the steep drop using a woodstave pipeline and a flume. Construction began in earnest in 1910.
However, the Tasmanian Hydro-Electric and Metallurgical Co. ran out of money before the scheme could be completed, and they sold the incomplete works to the newly formed Hydro-Electric Department in 1914. The works were completed under Hydro-Electric Department ownership in 1915, and the plant was officially opened in 1916. It was the first plant ever operated by them.
The plant operated at its original capacity of 7 megawatts (9,400 hp) from 1916 to 1929, when, in stages, it was upgraded to 49 megawatts (66,000 hp) to meet increased demand.

The Hydro-Electric Commission decided, in 1931, to construct a completely new plant to replace the original Waddamana one. However, lack of funds forced them to build alongside the existing plant instead. Thus, from 1944, two power plants were in operation at Waddamana. The new plant was referred to as Waddamana B, and it generated 48 megawatts (64,000 hp) of electricity from six Pelton turbines.

Both plants operated through the 1940s and 1950s, but, in the early 1960s, construction of a new, larger power plant at Poatina began. Designed to replace the two Waddamana plants, with the small Shannon plant nearby, the Poatina power plant was opened in 1964 with a capacity of 325 megawatts (436,000 hp), over three times the combined capacity of the plants it replaced. In order for the Poatina plant to be successful, it was necessary to stop the flow of water through Waddamana A and Shannon, both of which were decommissioned in 1964. The Shannon plant was demolished, but the two Waddamana plants remained standing. Indeed, Waddamana B remained in active service until 1994 when it too was closed. Waddamana A has since been re-opened as a museum.
Wikipedia 

The town and museum are for sale and both are currently privately owned.

We came around a corner which was flat then, this was the view - way down below was the Station.

Large water pipes which are a little hard to see.

Waddamana is near the Great Lakes but further down South.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all Mums.  Have a beautiful Day.

Two little graphics I made a few years ago.

A poem I wrote also below. I saw this photo of a mother and baby, that inspired me to make the graphic and write a poem.

 

The night was dark, I was drawn to the attic,
And there I sat on the dusty old box
My mind wandering back in the past,
To the sweet lady that's in my locket.

Complexion of peaches and cream,
Eyes that always smiled,
Colour bluer than the day time sky,
Brighter than a star.

She walked each path of life with pride,
Head always held high,
Always smiled,
I thought of the sweet lady that's in my locket
With the young one by her side.

Today I remember her, today is her day,
- I always remember her -
For she is my mother, and I am that child,
In the locket. 

Copyright JMD.