I experienced the Berriedale Caravan Park, beautiful bays and water birds, the surprising memorial to dogs that were members of the defence forces in various international wars, sewage works and MONA at the end of the last stage of my walk along the Derwent River. But there is more to Berriedale.

1986 was the International Year of Peace and many Peace Gardens were created to celebrate the event. Others have been created since then for bringing communities together. Eve Masterman (1907-2014), a tireless worker for peace, social justice and the environment, was instrumental in the establishment of an International Peace Forest (Peace Park) at Berriedale in 1991. This Forest/Park does not appear on Google maps, is not listed as a park within the jurisdiction of the City of Glenorchy, and there are a number of online enquiries asking for the location. But I remember passing through a Peace Park on my walk – I just can’t remember where. I have scoured my handwritten notes (the precursors to the postings) and photographs and found them wanting. Does any reader know the location of the International Peace Forest (Peace Park) at Berriedale? Shouldn’t a Peace Park be considered significant and worthy of records, signage and directions?

Now, how about some older history?

The Scottish heritage of some residents of Tasmania’s City of Glenorchy may be represented in the name Berriedale. According to http://www.tasmaniatopten.com/lists/ancestries.php, “The third largest migrant group in Tasmania are the Scots. They were also numerous among the early settlers in the colony.” Firstly, it was interesting to learn that in Scotland; Glen Orchy is about 17 km long and follows the River Orchy through the Caledonian Forest. Secondly, there is a small village Berriedale located on the far north eastern coast of Scotland. I have looked at images of the Scottish countryside around Berriedale and they show no resemblance to Tasmania’s Berriedale. The Berriedale Inn was open for business near our Derwent River in 1834 and perhaps the name for the suburb derived from that. Alternatively, perhaps our suburb was named after someone with that surname rather than the town. The City of Clarence has a good website with historical information about its suburbs and so I wish that the City of Glenorchy offered something similar. I can’t believe I am the only one interested to understand the Hobart that I live in.