EXETER

 

1/ Notley Fern Gorge is a lovely nature reserve just west of Exeter.

2/ From the entrance you walk down hill through a light forest to the ferns below.

3/ You are soon greeted by a plethora of ferns. Many of the ferns are quite large.

4/ In many places the fern canopy is so dense that it shades out the sun.

5/ These man ferns were over 5 metres tall. They were called "man ferns, because they were twice as high as an average man.

6/ There are also very large trees in Notely Fern Gorge like this old monarch.

7/ I estimated that this monarch of a tree was at least 80 metres high.

8/ The trunks of many of the trees and ferns were covered in a dense moss.

9/ A stream runs at the base of the Gorge. The ferns were most dense in this area.

10/ Near the exit on the hill is the Brady Tree. It is alleged that the bandit Matthew Brady and his gang used it as a refuge, when they stalked the Exeter area in the 19th Century.

 

1/ Exeter is in central northern Tasmania north of Launceston. It has a few heritage buildings, like this lovely Anglican church, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2017.

2/ The interior shows a good balance of fine wood work and long windows.

3/ At the rear of the church is this lovely mural, which celebrates both the church and life in Exeter.

4/ The pretty Uniting Church is unique in that it is actually two churches. The church at the rear was moved from nearby Winkleigh.

5/ Tresca House is a former orphanage, where British children once stayed. It is now a community centre.

6/ Exeter has a number of shops, as well as a bakery, petrol station and a hotel.

7/ This is the historic hotel at Exeter. It has as much potential as the Pier Hotel in George Town, which is shown in the photo below.

8/ This is the Pier Hotel in nearby George Town. It has been tastefully restored to become a major historic asset of George Town.

9/ The northern end of Exeter has a number of large buildings that look like old army barracks. The white building in the centre is the Tourist Information Centre.

10/ This is the quaint, historic church at Supply River, west of Exeter. The Supply River Church is many kilometres from historic Supply River Mill shown in the next tab.

 

1/ The lovely old Rosevears Hotel has a grand view of the river.

2/ The Past Time Restaurant has a grand river view and specializes in cheese tasting.

3/ This floating pontoon allows local boat owners easy access to Rosevears.

4/ Mt Barrow dominates the skyline above the Tamar River to the south east of Rosevears.

4/ On the eastern side of the Tamar River, opposite Rosevears, is this lovely, little church at Windermere. You can see close up photos on the LILYDALE large page.

6/ These lovely palms decorate Rosevears Road near the hamlet of Gravelly Beach.

7/ On Rosevears Road at Gravelly Beach is this pontoon. Note how it can rise to match the water level, which sometimes rises considerably.

8/ This is the lone pine tree at Rosevears. It is symbolic of the Battle of Lone Pine at Gallipoli in 1915. It has a very interesting plaque at its base.

9/ The lone pine tree is a memorial to a young soldier who was killed in WW1. The "white feather" refers to the practice of sending a white feather (a symbol of cowardice) to shame men to join the army. This plaque is plainly condemning the practice.

10/ At the base of "Brady's Lookout" is the building site of a very historically important ship.

11/ The "Rebecca" was the ship that took the first settlers from Van Diemens Land to start what is now the great city of Melbourne.

12/ The Tamar River is a busy river for pleasure boats.

13/ A peaceful bank of the Tamar River near Lanena. It has a timeless quality about it.

14/ On Rosevears Road are many vineyards that use the water of the Tamar River.

15/ This photo from Brady's Lookout looking north, shows a classic view of the attractions of the Tamar. The hamlet on the bend is Gravelly Beach.

16/ This is the beautiful view south from Brady's Lookout. The peaks that you see are Mount Arthur to the left and Mount Barrow to the right.

17/ There is a considerable drop from Brady's Lookout to the Tamar River below.

 

1/ This is the modern bridge across the Supply River North East of Exeter. A short distance from here is the historic mill built in 1825, which once exported wheat to Sydney and Melbourne in the 19th Century. A short walk takes you to it.

2/ This is a view of the peaceful Tamar River near the mouth of the Supply River.

3/ The ruins have an ancient feeling about them. The mill was abandoned due to competition from steam powered mills in 1872. The ruins are now being protected.

4/ This is the view into the ruins from a nearby hill.

5/ This is the remains of a dam which was built to force water to rush past the paddle wheel and turn it to grind the wheat into flour.

6/ This is an ancient photo of the Supply River Mill taken shortly after it was abandoned in 1872. The paddle wheel was a massive 5.5 metres in diameter.

7/ Near the Supply River Mill is the oldest known graffiti in Australia. It was carved into a rock by Adolarius Humphrey, the first mineralogist for Van Diemens Land, in 1804. To protect it, the exact location is not marked.

8/ This is the view of the Supply River Mill ruins and the Supply River. It has a strong feeling of history about it.

 

1/ Frankford is a hamlet on B71 the alternate road from the West Tamar Valley to Devonport. It has this interesting example of a Victorian era shop, which is now used as a house.

2/ Frankford is also the location of the only cafe on the B71 road between the West Tamar Valley and Devonport.

3/ Glengarry is a historic locality on the B71 road to Devonport. It has this lovely historic church.

4/ This is another view of the Glengarry church showing the entrance hall.

5/ Winkleigh is a historic locality on C717 west of Exeter. It is the site of this lovely historic church.