Tasmania’s productivity was given a boost from the 1930s onwards with the building of hydro-electricity generating schemes to support the development of manufacturing and other industries.  From this activity a number of decommissioned pumphouses now exist across Tasmania.

Recently, when I revisited the Westend Pumphouse (http://www.pumphouse.com.au/) located in Murray Street Hobart, I wanted a reason to document its great service, good wines and terrific food in this blog. From time to time I wander in with a friend and inevitably a Tasmanian sparkling wine finds its way into tall glasses at our table or with us as we loll about on comfortable couches.  Recently a blog follower Ju helped make a couple of connections between this restaurant and bar (which seems to have no connection with hydro-electricity production, except its name) and my Walking the Derwent project.

Firstly, England also has a Derwent River with a pump history which is documented at http://www.middleton-leawood.org.uk/leawood/history.html

Secondly, blog followers may recall that the source of Tasmania’s Derwent River is located at the southern end of Lake St Clair in central Tasmania. A new-you-beaut boutique hotel recently opened near the remote township of Derwent Bridge (located approximately 2 ½ hrs drive from Hobart, and a few minutes from Lake St Clair) – with the name The Pumphouse Point.  This hotel has been repurposed from an original pumphouse. The web site at http://www.pumphousepoint.com.au provides expanses of interesting and useful information, and the photographs are stunning.  According to Charles Woolley in the TasWeekend newspaper of 8/3/15, an ‘abandoned, swallow-haunted piece of mid-20^th century hydro technology’ has been ‘transformed’ into ‘a micro resort’. Further viewpoints are expounded at http://hobartandbeyond.com.au/news-posts/architecture-water/.  I do love the title on the home page – ‘the architecture of water’ – I am pondering how to incorporate this idea and those words into my walks.

When I finish walking to Lake St Clair area (in a year or more’s time), surely it will be most reasonable to stay a night at The Pumphouse Point – as a reward for effort.