Continued Mt. Barrow

 The last of Mt. Barrow sunset upon descending.  The last photo is at the foot of the mountain and provides shelter. 

If you click on the Location text at the end of this post it will take you to the map of Mt. Barrow.

Mt. Barrow continued

Today is our Wedding Anniversary, next year will be the big one and not that many couples get to the big one, let's hope we do next year.

Mt. Barrow continued - at the top it's flat with a workman's hut or whatever it's called but no one lives there. The 2nd and 3rd photos are looking towards the other TV tower/s plus a road the workers drive on to the towers but the public and not permitted. The remainder is the beginning of the descent.

If you click on the Location text at the end of this post it will take you to the map of Mt. Barrow.

The Sea

More of Swansea and the sea which is opposite the Caravan Park and whilst staying there for nearly a week the sea was rough and could be heard inside the caravan especially at night time.  We had to cut our holiday short and come home to a friends funeral which was Private and we were the only friends invited. 

These photos were taken with the Camera. Not wrapped in the colour either but it's due to the light and time of day these photos were taken.

Swansea, Tasmania

After Richmond we headed to Swansea on the East Coast of Tasmania.  These photos were taken with my phone next time I will show ones with my camera.  I personally prefer a little softer colours where as the phones photos are sometimes harsher.

 

Mt. Roland, Tasmania

For a day drive we continued past Sheffield where all the Murals are onto Gowrie Park passing Mt. Roland which is mere 1234 meters high. 4048ft. We travelled 3/4 of the way around the mountain up to a lookout, and wouldn't you know it, trees in the way of the view.  I'm not condemning trees at all, but why did we travel around a windy road for several km to find the view when you can't really see it, guess we went to see what was there :). 

Gowrie Park has a caravan park a creek and a handful of people.  A peaceful place.

This building is at the side of ONeills Creek which is a lovely reserve and also a place to park the caravan if one wants to 'free park' for the night,.

Mt. Roland from the lookout, the other side.
The map shows the creek at Gowrie Park.

Lookouts, Queenstown

Onwards to Mount Huxley and Jukes Lookout along Jukes Road Queenstown.

The scenery along the way, some taken with the phone others with my Canon EOD750D.

When I lived at Queenstown there was a short road called Jukes Road. 

We saw this road that led to the power station and we continued on having no idea where it would take us.  What lovely views we were seeing along the way.  It was rather a windy day, no phone access,  no other cars, just no one, no shops, just my husband and I travelling along this fairly good sealed road to goodness knows to where.  

Have no idea what the stream or river is called as it's not on a map, however it's close to the power station.

Of course we ended up in the middle of nowhere.  Looking at the map of Tasmania one would think it would be filled with people but it's certainly not.

 

 

Mount Huxley 925m  in the distance.

 

Iron Blow Lookout, Gormanston, Tasmania.

Iron Blow Lookout at Gormanston, Tasmania.

Gormanston is about 4 km from Queenstown with approximately 99 bends in the road and was once a thriving town, these days not many people live there.

'Iron Blow was the site of the earliest major mining venture at Mount Lyell on the west coast of Tasmania in 1883.

The first shot on the site was in January 1884 and most local prospectors were camped in the Linda Valley to the east of Mount Owen.  Following the establishment of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company in 1893, the Iron Blow orebody was mined until 1929'.

Wikipedia

 

The view from the lookout is just beautiful, you can see a small part of Lake Burbury in the distance.

Mount Owen to the right and great to see trees growing on the hills.  I can remember seeing only a few trees when a teenager.

The town of a few houses in Gormanston.

Onwards to Derwent Bridge

Continuing on holiday in March 2020 we were headed to Queenstown, on the way we stopped for a short rest and walk around after going around bends, plenty of them with beautiful views.

The first photo is of a barbecue area by a river, then onto Derwent Bridge a very small town with a Hotel and some artwork done in wood which we visited the time before (no photos permitted there), a petrol bowser along with a restaurant where we had lunch with Cabins next door as in photo of one of them.

Continuing we stopped again to have a good look at the view, the last of these photos you can see the Frenchmans Cap which is the 3rd highest mountain in Tasmania at 1,446 meters above sea level.

Towards Lake Pedder

Still at New Norfolk in March 2020 we headed for another day drive to Lake Pedder in the South West.  Map below.

This is the view along the way into the wilderness.

 

 

Queenstown, Tasmania.

Queenstown, Tasmania which has long been tied to the mining industry.  This mountainous area was first explored in 1862.  It was long after that when alluvial gold was discovered at Mount Lyell, prompting the formation of the Mount Lyell Gold Mining Company in 1881.  In 1892 the mine began searching for copper.

In the 1900's Queenstown was the centre of the Mount Lyell mining district and had numerous smelting works, brick-works, and sawmills.  The area at the time was finely wooded.  The population in 1900 was 5051: the district, 10,451 people with just under 2,000 people today.

The mountains surrounding Queenstown have unusual pink and grey hues that come from the conglomerate rocks on the two most adjacent mountains - Mount Lyell and Mount Owen. The mountains surrounding Queenstown are often snowcapped through winter.  Snow falls a few days out of the year.

Owing to a combination of tree removal for use in the smelters and the smelter funes *for about 40 years), and the heavy annual rainfall, the erosion of the shallow horizon topsoil back to the harder rock profile contributed to the stark state fot eh mountains for many decades.

The Queen River was for most of the history of the Mount Lyell company the recipient of mining effluent and the Queenstown  sewage - which then continued into the King River and conswquently the Macquarie Harbour.
The Mount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program scheme has since removed the direct flowing mining waste and local waste from the rivers.
Wikipedia

I believe there isn't much going on in the mine today..

Just nearly there on our holiday in March this year - the Horsetail Falls which is a seasonal waterfall not far from Queenstown.  The falls cascade over 50 metres down a steep cliff face, and can be seen from the road as in the photo.  A walkway opened in 2017 to give access to view the falls.

Above is Mount Owen.

There were 99 bends in the road in 4 miles, now I believe there are just a few less bends.

The above photo you can see just above the road at the far end a long shed then a hill - the below photo of the same hill in the front...just amazing how the vegetation has grown over the years.
I remember Queenstown as below, we girls from the private school formed a chain link with our hands to get to the top.

Queenstown on the West Coast of Tasmania