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Historic "Pier Hotel"
George Town
Tamar Valley Region
Historic "Grove Mansion"
George Town
Tamar Valley Region
Band rotunda
George Town
Tamar Valley Region
Historic Hotel
George Town
Tamar Valley Region
Low Head marina
George Town
Tamar Valley Region
Low Head lighthouse
George Town
Tamar Valley Region
Low Head second lighthouse
George Town
Tamar Valley Region
Low Head "Pilot Station"
George Town
Tamar Valley Region
Signal tower on Mt George
George Town
Tamar Valley Region

Main photo gallerys are below Information.

GEORGE TOWN

Low Head, Mt George, Beechford & Lefroy

SMALL PHOTO & INFORMATION PAGE

GEORGE TOWN is the fourth oldest town in Australia and still has a number of heritage buildings, including the famous Pilot Station. It is also close to beaches and has a wetland reserve and a marina. At night there is penguin viewing near its famous light house. There are some shops, plus a picnic ground and some accommodation in George Town. It is located on the eastern side of the mouth of the Tamar River about 50 kilometres north east of Launceston.

George Town can be interpreted as being in part of both the Tamar Valley region or the North East region.

From George Town you are just 20 minutes from WEYMOUTH, BEACONSFIELD, BEAUTY POINT and 30 minutes from BRIDPORT.

You are 50 minutes from EXETER, GREENS BEACH, BRIDPORT and LAUNCESTON, while SCOTTSDALE and WATERHOUSE are 60 minutes away. Nearby places are described in the TAMAR VALLEY REGION and NORTH EAST REGION pages.


View Region Tamar in a larger map

FACILITIES: There are shops, cafes, hotels and a petrol station at George Town. There are no commercial facilities at Low Head, Beechford or Lefroy. There is some accommodation in GEORGE TOWN.

TOURIST information is located at Main Road, George Town. The telephone is (03) 6382 1700 or www.georgetown.tas.gov.au

SIGHTS: George Town is the fourth oldest town in Australia after Sydney, Hobart and Yorktown. It was established using convict labour in 1805. George Town preserves a few heritage assets, but most of it is now a modern town. George Town is a good place to do penguin and seal watching. The assets worth seeing are the;

ROUTE: From LAUNCESTON drive north on the A8 East Tamar Highway for 60 kilometres, until you reach George Town.

The Pilot Station, Rookery and lighthouse are in Low Head, which is just north of George Town CBD. Just drive north on the A8 East Tamar Highway.

Beechford is just east of George Town. You drive east on B82 Bridport Road, until you see the sign pointing north to Lefroy and Beechford.

To LARGER GEORGE TOWN PHOTOS.

  • GEORGE TOWN
  • Low Head
  • Mt George
  • Beechford
  • Lefroy

Pier Hotel at Georgetown

1/ George Town was founded in 1804. This makes it the second oldest settlement in Tasmania. It boasts a number of attractive historic buildings like this, the Pier Hotel.

Macquarie Street in George Town

2/ Macquarie Street is the centre of George Town. It has many modern shops, some cafes and 2 hotels. George Town has the best shopping opportunities in the north east of Tasmania. The orange building on the right is the Matthew Flinders Centre. This is the local history museum.

town all of George Town

3/ The modern town hall of George Town sits in a park on Macquarie Street, opposite the shops.

council house of George Town

4/ This is the modern council house of George Town. It includes a flag pole in the shape of the mast of an ancient sailing ship.

Vietnam war memorial of George Town

5/ The war memorial is located next to the town hall. It commemorates all the wars including the Vietnam War. Beyond it is the park.

band rotunda of George Town

6/ This attractive band rotunda dominates the park. Beyond it are the shops of Macquarie Street.

health displays in George Town

7/ George Town now has a exercise cum health facility. Each display has both an exercise machine, plus advice on how to improve an aspect of your health.

Grove Mansion of George Town

8/ The attractive Grove Mansion was built in 1835 for the local magistrate. It is now a luxury BB.

Ben Hyrons Cottage in George Town

9/ There are many old houses in George Town. This is Ben Hyron's Cottage. It was built in 1860.

Whitestones cottage in George Town

10/ Whitestones is a well preserved example of a Georgian style house. It is one of a number of historic homes in George Town.

victorian era cottage in George Town

11/ This is another attractive historic cottages. The left side of the porch has been turned into a room.

Foundation monument in George Town

12/ This memorial commemorates the founding of George Town in 1804. It is located close to the Tamar River Estuary.

tree sculpture in George Town

13/ Near the foundation obelisk is this tree sculpture. It commemorates the ancient fishermen of George Town. It includes a whale to commemorate the ancient whalers. The solitary figure is Matthew Flinders, who first explored the seas near George Town.

York Cove in George Town

14/ This is a view of York Cove at George Town. Beyond is the York Cove Estate. This has both luxury apartments, plus mooring for the owners' boats.

Victorian era hotel in George Town

15/ George Town has another classic Victorian era hotel located in Macquarie Street.

guard house in George Town

16/ This is the old guard house. Here soldiers were station to control the convict workers of old George Town. Beyond it is the modern George Town police station.

Tamar River walk way in George Town

17/ George Town fronts onto the Tamar River Estuary and has a river walking track. This goes north through a bird sanctuary towards Low Head.

 

lighthouse at at Low Head

1/ Low Head is a locality just north of George Town. It is the sight of 3 light houses, plus the Pilot Station complex. The Pilot Station is a unique historic complex and the light house is a spectacular sight. This view shows the famous Low Head light house. I estimate that it is about 18 metres high. A fog horn is sounded from here at noon every Sunday for the amusement of visitors. Beyond is the estuary of the Tamar River. A penguin tour begins from near this light house at dusk.

She Oak Point lighthouse at Low Head

2/ There are 2 identical light houses at She Oak Point. These were built in 1882 and replaced earlier stone towers built in 1848. Ships approaching the Tamar River from the sea must change their course until they can see only one light house in order to attain the right angle of approach. This is to avoid Hebe Reef. This reef is visible on the horizon on the left, as this photo was taken at low tide. At high tide Hebe Reef is invisible . On the right in the distance you can see the Low Head light house that is shown above. There is a walk way from She Oak Point that takes you to the Low Head light house shown in the photo above.

Norfolk pines at Low Head

3/ Low Head has some magnificent old trees like these Norfolk pines. This photo was taken from near the Pilot Station and looks south towards George Town.

Pilot Station at Low Head

4/ The Pilot Station is the other major attraction of Low Head. It is a restored, mid 19th hamlet, built to house the pilots, who shepherded the ships into the Tamar River. It consists of 2 streets separated by a village green. The large house to the right is now the museum.

Pilot Station at Low Head

5/ This view shows the street on the other side of the village green. The first 2 houses shown above are now available for tourist accommodation. Beyond the lamp post is the Tamar River Estuary.

Pilot Station at Low Head

6/ The Maritime Museum is located in this large building in the Pilot Station complex. It has a lot of interesting exhibits and displays.

Pilot Station at Low Head

7/ This view looks at the Maritime Museum from the other side. The plaque in the centre records that this building was built in 1835.

Low Head near Georgetown

8/ A half a kilometre north of the Pilot Station hamlet is the much smaller old Pilot Station. It became a residence when the new Pilot Station was finished. It has since been expanded on both sides in a style faithful to its history.

Low Head near Georgetown

9/ This is the Low Head signal tower near the old Pilot Station. When ships were spotted approaching the Tamar Estuary a signal was sent to the nearby tower on Mt George and from there down a chain of towers to far away Launceston. You can see the other tower on the following Mt George tab, while the Mt Direction signal tower can be seen on my Mt ARTHUR page.

Low Head near Georgetown

10/ This view looks from the Low Head signal tower south towards the old Pilot Station.

lighthouse Pilot Station at Low Head

11/ The Low Head lighthouse still lights the way for ships sailing down the Tamar River. This view looks west across the Tamar Estuary towards Greens Beach.

Low Head near Georgetown

12/ This view looks back at the lighthouse. The grey building on the left houses a fog horn, which is still sounded every Sunday at noon.

Low Head near Georgetown

13/ This view looks down from the lighthouse towards the tip of the peninsula. A tour of penguin barrows is conducted at sunset in this area.

Low Head near Georgetown

14/ This is the residence of the lighthouse keeper.

Low Head near Georgetown

15/ This view looks down from the lighthouse to the south east towards Eastern Beach. A historic cable once came ashore on this beach.

Tamar River Pilot Station at Low Head

16/ This view looks south past a large house towards George Town. The sheep grazing in the field add to the historic charm of the locality.

Church at Low Head

17/ This lovely old church is located near the pilot station. It was built in 1877.

Low Head from Greens Beach

18/ This is a telescopic view of the Low Head Lighthouse taken from Greens Beach to the west.

 

George Town, Signal Tower, Tasmania

1/ Mt George is just south of George Town in central northern Tasmania. From its summit you can see far out to sea. For this reason it was used as a signal station. Here you see the flag pole, which is facing north towards the Bass Strait Sea.

George Town, Signal Tower, Tasmania

2/ This photo shows the signal tower on Mt George used to flashed flag signals, via a chain of stations that lead all the way down from George Town to Launceston.

George Town, Signal Tower, Tasmania

3/ The view from Mt George to the south shows the edge of George Town and the plantations to the south.

George Town, Signal Tower, Tasmania

4/ The view to the north of Mt George looks out across the mouth of the Tamar River towards the Bass Strait Sea.

 

Beechford near George Town

1/ Beachford is a huge sand beach with a dormitory settlement. It is located in north eastern Tasmania east of George Town and north of Lefroy. This view looks down the beach towards George Town, which is beyond the point.

Beechford near George Town

2/ The beach can be accessed by vehicles, which can then drive many kilometres down the beach.

beach at Beechford near George Town

3/ This view gives you some idea as to how wide the sand area is and how far the beach extends towards the horizon, which is about 15 kilometres away.

Blanket River at Beechford near George Town

4/ The Blanket River enters the sea at Beechford. This view shows the river at low tide.

foot bridge on Blanket River at Beechford near George Town

5/ At the Beechford settlement is a picnic area and a foot bridge that takes you over the river and through the dunes to reach the sand beyond.

Blanket River at Beechford near George Town

6/ This is a view of the Blanket River taken from the foot bridge shown above. Just beyond these dunes is the sea.

Settlement of Beechford near George Town

7/ This view looks from the Blanket River into the settlement. It has a variety of new and old houses.

 

lefroy in 1890

1/ Lefroy is former mining town east of George Town in north eastern Tasmania. As you can see in this 1890 photo, the town once had many thousands of people. Unfortunately, today it consists only of houses and has no facilities.

Lefroy Tasmania

2/ The large cemetery in Lefroy is well maintained and is replete with historic information. I found that it had a very ethereal feeling about it.

Lefroy cemetery Tasmania

3/ This photo gives you some idea of the size of the old cemetery at Lefroy.

Lefroy Tasmania

4/ This is the view as you approach Lefroy from the south. The empty space to the left shows evidence that buildings were once located on it.

Lefroy Tasmania

5/ Lefroy has a war memorial, which mentions an avenue of honour. Only large towns had avenues of honour. This is another indication that Lefroy was once a large town.

Lefroy Tasmania

6/ This is another house cluster at Lefroy. The large areas of paddocks once had buildings on them.

Lefroy Tasmania

7/ This lovely cottage is the oldest house in Lefroy. It is on the road to Beechford.

Lefroy Tasmania

8/ There are a number of modern houses in Lefroy. This one was near the Lake.

Lefroy Tasmania

9/ Behind this modern house, to the right, is a large mound. This was once one of the many mines of Lefroy.

Lefroy Tasmania

10/ A Shetland pony grazes on disturbed ground that once held the many buildings of old Lefroy.

Lefroy Tasmania

11/ Behind this 19th Century cottage you can see mine tailings. Note too the large, ancient, European trees that attest to the age of Lefroy.

Lefroy Tasmania

12/ This resident had a large wood pile. Tasmania is a good place to source vintage cars.

Lefroy Tasmania

13/ This old cottage in Lefroy has a story to tell. It once shared the street with many other cottages.

Lefroy Tasmania

14/ In the fields around Lefroy you can see many old mining shafts, like this mound, where sheep now graze. Note that old mine shafts present a safety hazard.

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