Category Archives: Derwent River

Wooden boats will be afloat on the Derwent River this coming weekend

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The Australian Boat Festival will run from Friday 6th to Monday 9th February centred around Hobart’s city waterfront and the Derwent River.

Every two years we remember that the first indigenous inhabitants made wooden canoes and the first European settlers arrived here in tall sailing ships constructed from wood, and we look at our historical (this time 20 of the boats will be over a century old) and current wooden boats. Around 550 vessels will be part of this Festival in 2015.

Apparently this has now become the southern hemisphere’s largest wooden boat festival.  These days in southern Tasmania we have a new history of a boat building industry that produces custom made craft, and restoration of older boats.

The spectacular Parade of Sails starts the program on Friday at 1pm and so I, like many others, will gather somewhere along the Derwent River to witness the event.

The program is detailed and complex; you can read more and view fabulous photographs taken at previous events at http://www.australianwoodenboatfestival.com.au.

Involved in the last Wooden Boat Festival was a replica of an ancient Viking ship.  I wait with interest to see what surprises will turn up this weekend.

Impressive swim down the Derwent River on Saturday

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The air temperature didn’t rise above 20 degrees C and while I do not know the Derwent River’s water temperature, I imagine the swim was invigorating to say the least.

On Saturday, a Massachusetts (USA) marathon swimmer survived an overarm feat that nobody apparently has completed for 40 years. He swam from New Norfolk, 19kms by road west of Bridgewater Bridge (the Bridge I reached when walking a few Stages ago), southwards until he reached the Tasman Bridge which is the last bridge across the Derwent River before the mouth of the River. Dan Curtis began ‘The Big Swim’ at 6am and just on 10pm he reached his destination.  Photos of the man (http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2015/01/dan-curtis-to-take-on-big-swim-after-39.html) indicate he is no spring chicken so I am very impressed.  This is another wonderful example of having a goal, giving it a go, then finding out whether success is possible.

Geological and Social History of our Alum Cliffs

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Patricia Roberts-Thompson (http://taroona.tas.au/assets/document/1354363720-a_walk_along_alum_cliffs.pdf) indicates that the first recorded reference to the Alum Cliffs was in 1847.  She explains that these rocks, Permian mudstone (250 million years old, contain iron pyrites and, as the rock weathers, the pyrite oxidises and produces sulphuric acid which reacts with the limey clay to produce alum. Roberts-Thompson could find no evidence that the alum has been extracted from our cliffs for commercial purposes.

Simon Stephen’s research (http://taroona.tas.au/assets/document/1352547986-geology_reduced.pdf) is in sync with that of Patricia Roberts-Thompson  when he says the mudstone on the Alum Cliffs contains much sulphur so that when struck a strong smell is emitted. “Much of the sulphur manifests itself as a white encrustation on thee sheltered areas of the cliffs. It has a distinct bitter taste…”  (Trust me – I won’t be taking a bite or licking it). Stephen’s article is exceptionally interesting not the least because it pin points a geological fault line which is near Crayfish Point (where I have already walked) and which extends out through the end of Hinsby Beach and then under the water along the Alum Cliffs.  I don’t know if any seismological activity has occurred in my life time there nor whether any is expected. I’d rather nothing happened during my forthcoming Stage 12 walk along the Alum Cliffs.

The Kingborough Council distributes a brochure with the following information: “The route followed by today’s Alum Cliffs Track has long been a coastal path used by local people. In 1988 it was formally developed as part of Australia’s Bicentennial celebrations. In more recent years, Council has upgraded the southern section of the track, which climbs from Tyndall Beach through coastal blue gum forest with tall silver banksias. The track then winds up through silver peppermint bushland, dips into a glorious fern filled gully, before rising again onto headlands for commanding views over Storm Bay and the Derwent Estuary. A new start to the track without steps has now been constructed above Tyndall Beach to make the track accessible to more users. The Alum Cliffs are so named because alum – a compound used in dyeing, tanning and medicinal products – is found in the cliffs.”

It is a shame that all instructions to reach and walk the Alum Cliffs use Kingston Beach in the south as the base to walk north and then return. Websites provide information about multiple entrances along the route at Tyndall Rd, Harpers Rd, Taronga Rd.  Apparently a Metro bus stop is located 100m south of the intersection of Taronga Rd and Channel Highway. I wonder how many people have walked the Alum Cliffs Track from the northern end and, if not, like me would like to read advice about how to tackle the cliffs departing from Hinsby Beach.

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It may be that, on Stage 12, I will start out at the end of the Hinsby Beach and then be forced to retrace my steps, return to the Channel Highway and walk up the winding fairly narrow Highway with no pedestrian walkway until I reach the Brickfields Track. From http://www.greaterhobarttrails.com.au/track/brickfields-track I understand that “the Brickfields Track links between Taronga Rd (adjacent to the Channel Highway) in Bonnet Hill and links to the Alum Cliffs Track. The route of the Brickfields Track takes you through the historic remains of the brick-making area; part of the nearby and short lived 1840’s convict probation station. The track is a mix of narrow bush track and timber boardwalk with some steps along the route.”

Alum – what is it?

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On my next walk along the Derwent River – Stage 12, I will start by walking 3-4 kilometres along the top of the Alum Cliffs from Hinsby Beach to Kingston. I have seen the cliffs from Hinsby Beach on Stage 11, and they look like ‘normal’ cliffs.

But what is Alum? 

According to http://chemistry.about.com/od/moleculescompounds/f/What-Is-Alum.htm, “Alum is any of the compounds with the empirical formula AB(SO4)2·12H2O” and if I tell you Alum is a specific compound of hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate with the formula KAl(SO 4)₂·12H 2O, your brow may wrinkle.  Are you still in the dark?  Worse – it seems there are a number of alum varieties including:

  • Potassium alum is also known as potash alum or tawas. It is aluminium potassium sulfate. This is the type of alum that you find in the grocery store for pickling and in baking powder. It is also used in leather tanning, as a flocculant in water purification, as an ingredient in aftershave and as a treatment to fireproof textiles.
  • Soda alum, with the formula NaAl(SO4)212H2O, is used in baking powder and as an acidulent in food.
  • Ammonium alum has the formula NH4Al(SO4)212H2O and is used for many of the same purposes as potassium alum and soda alum. Ammonium alum finds applications in tanning, dyeing textiles (acts as a mordant and helps to lock in colours), making textiles flame retardant, in the manufacture of porcelain cements and vegetable glues, in water purification and in some deodorants.
  • Chrome alum or chromium alum has the formula KCr(SO4)212H2O. This deep violet compound is used in tanning and can be added to other alum to grow lavender or purple crystals.
  • Selenate alums occur when selenium takes the place of sulphur, so that instead of a sulfate you get a selenate, (SeO42-). The selenium-containing alums are strong oxidizing agents, so they can be used as antiseptics, among other uses.

Other uses of Alum

Alum has several household and industrial uses.

  • purification of drinking water as a chemical flocculant
  • in styptic pencil to stop bleeding from minor cuts
  • adjuvant in vaccines (chemical that enhances immune response)
  • deodorant “rock”
  • pickling agent to help keep pickles crisp
  • flame retardant
  • the acidic component of some types of baking powder
  • an ingredient in some homemade and commercial modelling clay
  • an ingredient in some depilatory (hair removal) waxes
  • skin whitener
  • ingredient in some brands of toothpaste

Considering this list, and in this day and age of developers raping resources, I am surprised our Alum Cliffs are still standing.

The more I learn the more I am overwhelmed by options.  I wonder what the story is of our Alum Cliffs between Hinsby Beach and Kingston. More research is required.

Public art works along the Derwent River – Taroona’s Chiton

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From a background in the visual arts industry I have a passing interest in the different kinds of public art that adorns reserves, parks and other edges of the Derwent River.

There have not been many sites with public art works and less with any of merit or real interest visually (in my unhumble opinions). Some of these might be claimed to be community craft works suggesting a second tier of relevance and importance.  During the Stages of my walk along the Derwent River I have not been seeking such art works but when they have appeared before me, I have taken some note.  This is my way of saying that I might be missing some works of art and that the ‘expose’ which I expect to write up over coming weeks may be incomplete.

The latest siting was at Taroona Park and it struck me as most unusual. At the motor vehicle carpark/entrance was a large concrete sign with sculptured limpet-like shell structures (man-made) stuck on. While these constructions showed some similarity with limpets, they were not quite limpets. So with recent Googling, I have attempted to turn up more information. The Variegated Limpet Cellana tramoserica which is common in Tasmanian waters looks like:

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Photo courtesy of: http://www.mesa.edu.au/friends/seashores/c_tramoserica.html

This does not look like the limpets on Taroona Park’s entrance structure seen below.

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These attachments were surprisingly large; perhaps 30cm or more in length. The strong grey uniform like colour smacked of an armoured uniform and made me wonder about aliens and science fiction possibilities. I had trouble making connections with reality.  The website at http://www.molluscsoftasmania.net/Locality%20pages/Taroona%20Beach.html lists all the molluscs at Taroona Beach, however the Propilidium tasmanicum (Tasmanian limpet) and all the other shells seem to have no physical similarity with the constructions that I saw.  Strange. Very strange.  Artist’s licence at work maybe?

But Google lifts up amazing results. Through further researching I located the answer at http://taroona.tas.au/environment. “It is said that the word Taroona is the local Aboriginal word for the chiton, a marine mollusc found on rocks in the inter-tidal and shallow sub-tidal regions of our beaches.”  So my idea that the sculptured relief referred to limpets was way off the mark.  At the website listed immediately above, the image provided of the chiton is comparable to those on the Park’s entrance block, even though the colour wasn’t accurate.  Regardless, it certainly commands attention.

Buses in southern Tasmania – tips for their use

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In communicating with some people, it has become clear that using the local public bus service makes them nervous. They don’t know how it works and therefore they are cautious about following in my footsteps as I walk in Stages, along the Derwent River.  I have written some tips which might allay fears. You can read these at:

https://walkingthederwent.com/about/buses-in-southern-tasmania-tips-for-their-use

If you have a question concerning my experience with bus travel in southern Tasmania, don’t hesitate to ask.  I sold my car almost 4 years ago, so I have considerable experience getting around using public transport.

Taroona’s coastline as experienced on Stage 11 of my walk along the Derwent River

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The last leg of this Stage was the most interesting because I made discoveries which delighted me deeply.

At 12.18pm, I left my Channel Highway resting spot and walked downhill toward the people-free Taroona High School (closed for school holidays). Close to the bottom of the hill I could see the tops of boathouses and a ‘beach’ to my right so I took a dogleg to Melinga Place on my right and continued downhill.

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I didn’t know this existed. Mostly a rocky shore, a little sand, edged by a mown green lawn.  Serene.  Across the Derwent River, I could see Gellibrand Point at the north of the South Arm peninsula.

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Walking southwards it wasn’t long before I entered the foreshore bushland on an easy-to-walk dirt track.

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Later I found this had a name: the Taroona Foreshore Track. At one point the ‘track’ passed over a ‘beach’ of shells and rocks then returned to dirt and rose up over areas raised above the water.

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An onshore breeze kept me moving.  Every so often, steep trails descended to the rocky shore but I realised that staying on the track would be more comfortable than rock hopping the edge of the River.

When I walked through a grove of trees that were obviously different, I was delighted to read an information panel which informed me this was an “unusual and isolated stand of blackwoods.  Acacia melanoxylon.”  The species is also known as Sally wattle, lightwood, hickory, mudgerabah, Tasmanian blackwood or black wattle. Their rough bark seemed as if it would flake off in small pieces but it was toughly attached.

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At 12.46pm I looked back northward and could still see the boathouses near the High School.

Looking back to boathouses below Taroona HS

A couple of minutes later I reached Crayfish Point where I noticed craypot markers bobbing in the Derwent River as evidence that fishing for crayfish/lobster was taking place.  However, a sign seemed to indicate this was part of fisheries research by the University of Tasmania.

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Brilliant orange lichen sprawled across some of the rocks.  Huge Pied Cormorants rested on rocks with water lapping at their feet.  This was one of those brilliant days when all the superlatives in the world seem inadequate.

It was near here that an information panel enlightened me about some of the native vegetation.  Now I can identify not only Pigface which I love, but also Bower Spinach and Grey Saltbush. Why I didn’t take photos of the real thing while I was walking I cannot say. Daft!  So I have Googled for images:  If you type in Bower Spinach Tasmania Images, up comes a suite of pictures showing this fleshy leaved plant.  Try something similar to find images of the softly grey coloured Grey Saltbush.

When I reached the start of Taroona Beach at 12.53pm, I looked up the hill and in the distance I could see the Shot Tower that had been built in 1870 (the Shot Tower, a major tourist attraction, is normally accessible from the Channel Highway).

The Batchelor’s Grave Historic Site, just above the foreshore of Taroona Beach, was a surprise.  Wikipedia provides the information that this is “the grave of a young sailor, Joseph Batchelor, who died on the sailing ship Venus in the Derwent Estuary in 1810, and was buried ashore on 28 January 1810. It is reputed to be the oldest European grave in Tasmania”. I am amazed at this idea.  I cannot imagine that many Europeans didn’t die and were buried in Van Diemens Land before 1810 – however, maybe this is the only stone grave marker left from early in the 19th century.

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Taroona Beach is backed by Taroona Park with pleasant picnicking facilities and public toilets.

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I left at 1.06pm and walked along Niree Parade for a couple of minutes until the Taroona Foreshore Track restarted.

Within moments I arrived at Hinsby Beach, which was the find of the day as far as I am concerned. Isolated.  Small.  Tree edged. Calm.  Small wave break.  A few boathouses.  A family beach with a few swimmers and sun bathers.  Located at the end of the River edge before the steep Alum Cliffs which flow for 3 or four kilometres to Kingston.

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I soaked in the atmosphere before starting uphill on a public access walkway at 1.22pm, under shady bushes with lush surrounding ground cover. The track connected to the bottom of Hinsby Road. At the top of Hinsby Road the Channel Highway flowed by. As I arrived at bus stop 30 at 1.36pm, a Metro bus came by on which I made the trip back into Hobart. Half an hour later I was in the city and ready to make the bus trip back home in Bellerive.  I walked in the door at 2.40pm after an exhilarating day when my feet didn’t want to carry me, but I insisted and they persisted. This really is a wonderful part of the world.

Into Taroona on Stage 11 of my walk

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Having plunged up through the winding tracks of a private garden (simply lovely – but probably I was doing so illegally) from the shore of the Derwent River after Cartwright Creek, I was a little relieved to be back on ‘safe’ ground on a suburban road even if not exactly at river side.  Not far along I noted a track indicating access down to the River so I wonder if I had persisted on the treacherous rocks I might have reached this track. At 11.28am I chatted to a resident while walking past Mary’s Grange/Mary Potter House (http://www.marysgrange.org.au/) a retirement home for the aged, and by 11.32am I was back up onto the main road which had now morphed into Channel Highway – it is unclear where Sandy Bay Road changed its name. The road flows continuously without obvious bends or intersections. I guess the postmen know where it changes.

The suburb is full of trees and lush bush edging houses, and the weeds flourish luxuriously with colourful flowers, so I thought residents would be at high risk should a bush fire rage around this area. But, thankfully, during my walk there was no smokey smells only the rich but delicate eucalypt smell. Very fresh.

Generally, the gardens were lush with colourful vegetation.

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At 11.52am I continued past the intersection with Karingal Court and the parkland adjacent to it.  Blackberries were overgrowing in profusion and colourfully flowering geraniums had escaped from house gardens. The Catholic Church Pius X was on my left at 11.57am, the Taroona Primary School at 11.58 (advertising its Creek Restoration Project) and I arrived at the entrance to the Taroona High School at midday.  A bus stop seat gave me the opportunity to sit and eat a bite of lunch, read my maps and consider my options. It was 12.18pm before I started down the road beside the High School, towards the Derwent River.

From Lower Sandy Bay to Cartwright Park Reserve and beyond on Stage 11

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After leaving breezy Blinking Billy Point, I arrived back on the main road (Sandy Bay Road) at 10.20am, and turned left ready to continue my southward walk.

I was aware the Alexandra Battery once stood in all its glory, waiting to defend Hobart Town from invaders, on the large hill on the other side of the road. Construction on this site commenced around 1880 using stone from the dismantled Battery Point batteries. The heartfelt need of 19th century locals to defend the Derwent River and the new settlements from Russian invasion along its edges has never seemed necessary to me. When I read the following Wikipedia entry I could only think about how fear feeds off misunderstandings. “On 11 May 1870, the corvette Boyarin appeared at the Derwent River and rumours spread in Hobart that a Russian invasion was almost a certainty. The reason for the appearance of the Russian warship was humanitarian in nature; the ship’s purser was ill and Captain Serkov gained permission to hospitalise Grigory Belavin and remain in port for two weeks to replenish supplies and give the crew opportunity for some shore leave. The ship’s officers were guests at the Governor’s Ball held in honour of the birthday of Queen Victoria, and The Mercury (newspaper) noted that the officers were gallant and spoke three languages including English and French. The following day a parade was held, and the crew of the Boyarin raised the Union Jack (the colonys’ ‘national’ flag) on its mast and fired a 21-gun salute in honour to the British queen. This was reciprocated by the town garrison which raised the Russian Naval flag of Saint Andrew and fired a salute in honour of Tsar Alexander II. After the death of Belavin, permission was given to bury him on shore, and his funeral saw the attendance of thousands of Hobart residents, and the locals donated funds to provide for a headstone on his grave. In gratitude of the welcome and care given by the Hobart citizenry, Captain Serkov presented the city with two mortars from the ship, which still stand at the entrance to the Anglesea Barracks. When the Boyarin left Hobart on 12 June, a military band onshore played God Save the Tsar, and the ship’s crew replied by playing God Save the Queen (then our national anthem).”

Alexandra Battery is currently a public access park with some of the original structures embedded in the landscape.  I imagine the view along and across the Derwent River would be spectacular, but since visiting the site would have moved me away from the water, I simply walked on and made a mental note to come back another time and have a close look.  This hill would provide an easily accessible location on which to watch the dying stages of the first Sydney to Hobart Yacht race yachts surging towards the finish line.  I must remember that at the end of this year.

By 10.25am I was continuing past the junction of Sandy Bay Road with Churchill Ave a major thoroughfare wandering across the lower slopes of Mount Nelson.  All the time I was inspecting houses and gardens.  I cannot imagine why an old fashioned red telephone box is now pride of place at the top of entrance stairs to this house.

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I seriously contemplated popping over to this pub (Riverview Inn) for a glass of cold wine, but restrained myself.  I am surprised with my self-discipline that I have passed a great number of good ‘watering holes’ but have not deviated from the walk – so far.

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Twenty minutes later I reached Pearce’s Park.  I had never realised before but there are two bits of this Park located either side of the road but with quite some distance between them down the road. Rather strange.  The sign at the Park on the Derwent River side declared it was created to become ‘a window to the River Derwent’.

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An excellent idea to break the relentless strip of residences hogging the river’s edge.  I could look across the Derwent River to Trywork Point south of the suburb of Tranmere on the eastern shore.  Sulphur Crested Cockatoos screeched somewhere behind me.  The day seemed so beautiful.

Around 11am I stood at the entrance to the Cartwright Park Reserve.  This parkland swept downhill through open forest and a cleared area with flitting cheeky Wrens, before arriving on a rocky shore of the Derwent River near Cartwright Creek.  The last part of this informal track was a mix of slippery dirt and pebbles and intrusive tree roots like bad varicose veins rippling through the surface – the track was not for those with poor balance or walking limitations.  And the range of rocks on the shore were most unstable and required great care to navigate safely. I learnt this area was settled by the brothers who established the Grange Estate (around the corner in Taroona) in the 1820s. It all seems so long ago, and I can’t help thinking how isolated the area would have been. Beautiful yes, but remote from Hobart Town.  I wonder if the settlers reached the area by boats or whether it was a horse riding trip.  Did they bring in provisions with teams of bullocks.

Once I was stepping across the foreshore rocks it was clear that the track had come to an end. However, because I never like to retrace my steps unless I absolutely must, I stumbled on.  I wondered if I could get back to a road or a track if I continued. I aimed at reaching a tiny smidgin of sand and then decided I would walk up a set of weathered wooden steps next to a blue-doored boathouse.  Was this private property? There were no signs declaring restricted access. It certainly wasn’t clear at the bottom of the steps what the status of the steps was, so I felt it wasn’t unreasonable for me to climb up and find out more.  As it turned out, I walked through someone’s garden (quite lovely) and eventually let myself out through a security gate onto Grange Avenue.  Thankfully no guard dogs were in attendance. The time was 11.20am.

If I had stayed on the main road I would have seen the signs indicating I was leaving the City of Hobart and changing into the Municipality of Kingborough.  As it was, all I knew was that I was leaving Lower Sandy Bay and entering into the suburb of Taroona – and enjoying every moment.

Blinking Billy Point, Lower Sandy Bay next to the Derwent River

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Continuing Stage 11 of my walk along the Derwent River, I walked the foreshore from Long Beach towards Blinking Billy Point. Looking northwards, the crescent of Long Beach stretched before me.

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I passed a new set of public toilets around 10am and ten minutes later I was walking around Blinking Billy Point.

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This was an area to which Charles Darwin (http://www.biography.com/people/charles-darwin-9266433) walked from Sullivans Cove (my starting point for this Stage of the walk) in February 1836. The area’s local government has remembered the occasion with an information plaque.

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Out in the water is a marker for water craft: the John Garrow Light (established in 1953).  I have known this was a marker used in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race but I had never known where it was located.  Now I know: almost east of the Blinking Billy old lighthouse.  According to http://www.maritimetas.org/sites/all/files/maritime/nautical_news_winter_2002.pdf, John Garrow was a Sandy Bay pastry-cook, who lived in Bath St. Battery Point and died 1924. This begs the question – how did a nautical navigation tool come to be named after someone that seemingly had no connection with the Derwent?

I noticed that the Point has old defence structures embedded in the cliff. I learned that these were an adjunct to the huge hill behind with the remnants of the 19th century Alexandra Battery.

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Looking down the Derwent River through the glitter of the distance to the eastern shore, I could pick out Trywork Point (the southernmost tip of land before Ralphs Bay begins) and Gellibrand Point (the northern most point of the South Arm peninsula) both providing the ‘gateposts’ to Ralphs Bay. Previously, I explored these distant Points on Stage 2 and 3 of my walk.

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Then I looked back to Long Beach from Blinking Billy Point with Mount Wellington in the distance. How peaceful the world seemed.

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Despite the promises of a short beach in Geography Bay after the Blinking Billy Point, I knew better than to have expectations that continuing my walk on the foreshore was possible. The Sandy Bay Foreshore Track finishes at Blinking Billy Point.

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Some years ago a friend and I tried to walk the rocky shore southwards from Blinking Billy Point but, as the tide came in, there came a moment when we couldn’t move forward or backwards.  I remembered we scrambled up through someone’s property; the people were not at home and we let ourselves out onto the street hoping no alarm systems would be alerted. We were lucky that day.

Based on that memory, I knew it was not worth proceeding any further and retraced my steps around Blinking Billy Point until I could walk up to Sandy Bay Road.

From Sandy Bay to Lower Sandy Bay on Stage 11 of my walk along the Derwent River

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After Maning Ave Reserve I continued walking along Sandy Bay Road and used every opportunity to glimpse the Derwent River down the driveways of large houses with expensive River frontage.

By 9.10am I reached the Red Chapel Reserve. Red Chapel Ave is one of Hobart’s well-known streets extending up the hill and connecting to other main streets but I had never known, until this walk, where the name came from. I wonder how many Hobartians know the source. Of course the source turned out to be so obvious once I knew and used my eyes. It was named after the red coloured chapel of the 20thcentury St Stephens Anglican church that was built on the River side of the Road next to the Reserve and opposite the uphill Avenue.  What can be said about the impoverishment of imagination? Refer to https://stainedglassaustralia.wordpress.com/2014/08/02/1914-st-stephens-anglican-church-lower-sandy-bay-tasmania/ for some glorious images. The photo below is courtesy ofhttp://www.anglicantas.org.au/parishes/?item=37

St Stephens Church

A minute or so further down the road and on the right was the highly esteemed Lipscombe Larder on the corner of … Lipscombe Ave.  Where else would it be?

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In addition to all its tasty delicatessen products and wines, this food paradise also sells exquisite cakes: refer to http://lipscombelarder.com.au/  for images.

At some stage during my walk in this suburb, I realised that no one was walking a mongrel dog. At the end of leads were expensive pedigreed dogs.  Certainly their owners seemed happy.

Before long, a set of steep stairs attracted my attention on the left. These were for public access to Nutgrove Beach. As I approached the Beach I was staggered by the size of an old pear tree on the dune edge, and loved the pigface plant which carpeted the area either side of the pathway. I was on the beach at 9.20am and turned right to walk southwards.

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Behind low sand dunes on my right, the roofs and second storeys of beach front houses were visible. At 9.23am, I passed public toilets almost hidden under a large pine tree, and by 9.30 I reached a corner of the beach with the Sandy Bay Sailing Club located up in the dunes.

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Moments later I turned the corner and was no longer able to look back at Wrest Point and Battery Point in the distance.

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I continued on a pathway over the shore and over the dunes some of which would be impassable at high tide without getting wet feet. Some of the rocks were unstable underfoot presenting the risk of a turned ankle or knee. Nutgrove Beach had been a simple delight, and before long I was on an easy, vegetated, and shaded walking track to Long Beach at Lower Sandy Bay. Then I arrived.

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Back out into the open by 9.35am, I could see public toilets nearby, and by looking across the Derwent River to the eastern shore, the yellow strips of Bellerive and Howrah Beaches (on which I walked in an early stage of my walk) were visible.

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I had been walking for over two hours so sat for a while in the gorgeous sun, watched the tiny waves rippling fluidly and regularly, stared at two fishing boats motoring out of the Derwent Harbour, listened to kids’ riotous laughter in a kids’ playground nearby, and then stood up and got going again at 9.50am.

I was delighted to discover Stephen Walker’s huge many part bronze sculpture, Tidal Pools, with its inbuilt water feature at Long Beach in Lower Sandy Bay.

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The remarkable 86 year old Tasmanian artist died only about 7 months ago leaving a great many large scale works around Tasmania and other parts of Australia, such as his Tank Stream Fountain (1981), near Circular Quay in Sydney. In the 1950s, Stephen Walker studied under the celebrated sculptor Englishman Henry Moore. Apparently Walker continued his bronze casting work well into his 70s using his foundry underneath the house.

Five minutes of walking the developed walkways of Long Beach brought me to a cul-de-sac with its carpark full of vehicles.  Further along that loop off Beach Road were bakeries, cafes, restaurants, etc.

A deviation from the record of my walk along the Derwent Stage 11 – today was Australia Day!

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Around the edge of Australia, and across inland towns and communities, celebrations are taking place today remembering the start of European settlement in Australia – not that it is expressed as such, rather as a day to celebrate being Australian (Orstrayan – as our accent seems to be saying these days). The day, quite reasonably, antagonises the descendants of the original land owners, our Australian indigenous community, because the day seems to be about being from other countries and not inclusive of the people who were already living here at the end of the 18th century.  Today celebrates the first ‘white’ settlement but not the start of invasion of the lands of those aboriginal peoples who had lived on this land for thousands of years. So it is a day of division across Australia. However, since people with an aboriginal heritage are in the minority in Australia’s population, non-aboriginals go ahead with their barbecues and other family and social events treating today as a public holiday which is their right.  More cross culture chat is needed.

So with that opinion as background, instead of walking to the Bellerive Boardwalk for the annual community Australia Day breakfast and ceremony for new Australian citizens, I decided to try out the Kingston (Kingborough) Australia Day celebrations which were centred on Kingston Beach.

Thousands of people across streets closed to traffic and the endless beach, playing beach volleyball, creating extraordinary structures in sand, and all sorts of other family and activities made the area a hive of activity.  The day’s temperature was comfortably mild for summer, the water so clear, all manner of water craft glided along, swimmers braved the cold water, and happy dogs led their owners on their leashes.  It was an extremely comfortable place to be.

I didn’t take any photographs (more is the pity because Kingston Beach was such a colourful location today) –  you may have read my blog in the area on an overcast non-people day at https://walkingthederwent.com/?s=kingston

The photos I took at that time included:

Sign and river Kingston Beach

Please try and create an image in your mind of sunshine and colour, and of lots of happy relaxed people of all ages and sizes and backgrounds playing and walking on this beach today.

Whatever out ethnic background, Tasmania’s natural sites are incredibly beautiful – and all the better for being so easily accessible.

Today our national Prime Minister released the names of people who have won prestigious Australia Day Awards in recognition of valuable contributions to Australia’s wellbeing and growth and substantial achievement in one or more specific areas.  Today, many Australians are aghast at our Prime Minister’s approval of the English Prince Phillip as a Knight of Australia. Many of us are perplexed and cannot name his contribution to Australia and achievement for Australians, other than in the most general and cursory terms. We have many amazing people in this country, so this announcement of a foreigner getting a special national honour has stopped many in their tracks.

Another opinion can be read at http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/prince-philip-awarded-knight-of-the-order-of-australia-by-prime-minister-tony-abbott-20150125-12xzk8.html – ‘some people worried that this was an Australia Day hoax’.

Selection of landmarks along Sandy Bay Road

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Once on Sandy Bay Road I turned left and continued walking southwards.When past the University of Tasmania grounds, over the road on my right was a Catholic co-educational secondary school operating in the Josephite tradition. This Mt Carmel College site includes an attractive 19th century sandstone building.

In a small park, a family of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos feasted on insects in the grass along with ducks and Silver Gulls.

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The day was very peaceful.

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At 8.40am I reached the entrance to Wrest Point Hotel (http://www.wrestpoint.com.au) which, in the 1970s, established the first legal casino in Australia.

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Apart from its poker machines and gambling rooms, this Hotel offers many bars and different restaurants. In addition, it runs a continuous program of concerts, guest artists and other entertainment events so that thousands of people pass through its doors weekly. With exploratory meandering I think it may be possible to walk through different parts of this Hotel and find a route close to the water’s edge. I didn’t feel confident that I would find my way around without finding myself in ‘no go’ areas. Instead I continued walking along Sandy Bay Road.

The business Network Gaming lives in what used to be a well-known and much loved pub, Travellers Rest:  one which I knew well in my student days.

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The Wrest Point Hotel land wraps around the old Travellers Rest hotel so, it wasn’t until I continued to walk along Sandy Bay Road that I discovered an original entrance to the Wrest Point property area.

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I reached the Derwent Water Beach Reserve at 8.50am.

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From there I could see two private jetties jutting out into the water.

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When I walked closer, it was clear that dozens of dinghies hung under protection waiting for their owners to come and row them out to yachts moored on the Derwent River.  In fact, as I watched, one fellow set off rowing.

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The time of day and the quality of the sunlight made this vista exceptionally beautiful; seagulls perched on the jetties, the water sparkled, a mild breeze dappled the surface of the River, happy dogs walked along attached to owners, and I was able to blot out the sound of noisy traffic streaming past behind and beside me. The water was crystal clear.

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By 9.05am I was reading the information panel at the Maning Ave Reserve. This Reserve seemed to mark the change from the suburb of Sandy Bay to the suburb of Lower Sandy Bay. I learnt Fred Maning arrived in 1824 and his family farmed in the area (however I understand he spent most of his life in New Zealand, and it is not clear why he is remembered with his name on this park and on streets etc in the Lower Sandy Bay area).  Information boards such as these help me to understand how Hobart developed.

Sandy Bay along the foreshore

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On Stage 11 of my walk along the Derwent River, having enjoyed Hobart’s wharf area and the edges of Salamanca and Battery Point, I continued walking along Short Beach at the beginning of Sandy Bay, past public toilets at 8.20am, towards the Sandy Bay Rowing Club and then along Marrieville Esplanade.

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At 8.28am I reached the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania and remembered my first Hobart job many years ago.  The photo below shows the entrance to this complex.

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A friend waitressed in the Club restaurant and I went to see if I could get a similar job. I had no experience in hospitality but, full of unsubstantiated confidence, I approached the head chef. He told me that without experience he could not give me a job. I stood my ground and said that until I had worked in a job I wouldn’t have experience and therefore the only way I could get experience would be if he hired me.  And he did.  As a washer of dishes and all the kitchen wares.  Eventually I was allowed to place the lettuce on plates, then make the salads, then cook the potato chips and fried rice in large pots, and finally I reached the heights of being permitted to cook steaks for customers.  After many months the head chef recalled his first meeting with me and how (I forget the word he used but its meaning was clearly something like) pushy, stubborn, strong willed and unable to take no for an answer I was, and it was my approach which inclined him to give me a go. It certainly helped to pay the rent and I was very grateful.  I remain grateful because I learnt a lot about human nature in that hot kitchen where pressure turned people into animals.

But back to my Stage 11 walk.

A couple of minutes later I was walking past the Derwent Sailing Squadron buildings and could see yachts everywhere in and out of the water.  Past the Squadron buildings, in the distance, the tall building indicated Wrest Point Hotel was not far away and I knew I would walk past it a little later.

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In the distance, slightly inland on my right, the many buildings of the University of Tasmania cascaded down the hill; part of the slope of Mount Nelson.

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A car drove past and the driver waved and smiled at me. Once friend Ma was out of her car, she explained that with her husband she was about to put their yacht into the water (after its recent debarnacling – if there is such a word) and enjoy a sail along the Derwent.  “Would I like to stay and watch?’ she asked. I wanted to stay focused on my walk in case weather might not be suitable on other days, and declined with some inner hesitation.  What a great offer.  Maybe another time I can say yes.  Perhaps a sail??? Who knows.

The opportunity to continue walking close to the foreshore came to an abrupt stop and it was clear private houses owned the area at the back of their houses to water level. So I took a path to Sandy Bay Road, arriving at 8.35am.

Battery Point on Stage 11 of my walk along the Derwent River

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Many websites provide information about the very old suburb of Battery Point; for example, read http://www.batterypoint.net/; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_Point,_Tasmania; or http://www.hobartcity.com.au/community/arts_and_culture/public_art/battery_point

I walked as close to the Derwent River as I could and therefore did not wind around the cute streets with their changing architecture, and I was not on the hunt for historical landmarks within the suburb. A morning’s meander through the streets can be very instructive but a walk close to the foreshore also has its attractions. Besides, every street in Battery Point is interesting.

Having left Salamanca and the Castray Esplanade, I walked to the River and along a pathway. When I reached the A J White Park I looked around and absorbed some of the contemporary sculptural forms which were sited there.

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At 7.55am I turned up and away from the water because continuing access around the few rocks jutting out of the water was not possible. At 7.58am I turned left at Clarke Ave and at 8.03am I turned left at Marine Terrace.

A few minutes later, as I approached Derwent Lane which led to a dead-end down at the water (with previous knowledge I decided it was not worth the effort of walking down and then straight back up) a woman stopped and questioned me. ‘What are you writing?’ she wanted to know. Her body frame relaxed when I explained my project. I didn’t need to be told that the issue of public access to the foreshore is a very sore and contested point in this suburb as homeowners are feeling increased pressure to agree to a boardwalk being built in front of their very expensive and private homes  – residents believe they purchased sole and permanent access to the high tide mark. Undoubtedly the woman was wondering whether I had been commissioned to do another survey or some other work without community consultation.

If you are following in my footsteps, then the path southwards continues by walking along Napoleon Street. Either side of the road I enjoyed the spectacle of exceptional houses of many vintages and styles.

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Eventually I stepped down an extremely steep part of Napoleon Street and could see Mount Wellington to my right and Mount Nelson to my left with great clarity.

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At the bottom of the street I crossed the Sandy Bay Rivulet and arrived at the Errol Flynn Reserve.

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The Rivulet runs out into Short Beach which edges the Derwent River at this point.

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I had left the suburb of Battery Point and arrived in the suburb of Sandy Bay and it was only 8.15am.