SHEFFIELD

 

1/ Sheffield is in north western Tasmania. Every year it holds a steam festival. The steam festival had an impressive display of old steam engines like this Fowler model on display.

2/ This Marshall steam engine had this very large canopy on the top, plus a large wood tray.

3/ The McClaren engine was steamed up and ready to go. Steam engines make a lot of noise.

4/ The Walsh steam engine looked strong and reliable. It also had a canopy.

5/ There was also some very impressive hand made models for sale to enthusiasts.

6/ The wood craft skills demonstrated in this steam boat were very impressive.

7/ The steam boat included this very impressive control panel, made out of fine woods.

8/ Steam cars were once the major competitors to the internal combustion engine. This one was very well restored. Note how old cars used a lot of wood in its construction.

9/ This steam roller was used to make some of the first McAdam roads in Tasmania.

10/ There were also some very old tractors, like this Farmall. Note the old wheel configuration.

11/ The old method of plowing using draft horses was demonstrated by and expert.

12/ These Clydesdale horses were used to pull the plow. Draft horses are now quite rare.

13/ The actual plow was sturdy, quite simple in design and easy to repair.

14/ The full power of this modern tractor was demonstrated by its ability to pull the heavy truck.

 

1/ Sheffield is a picturesque town in north western Tasmania. It has many restored, Victorian buildings era some of which are decorated with lovely murals.

2/ Main Street is the heart of the town of Sheffield. It has a wide variety of shops.

3/ Sheffield has some interesting old buildings like this restored Victorian era hotel.

4/ The facade of this store reflects its Victorian heritage.

5/ Slaters Store in Sheffield used 19th Century style fonts to advertise itself. Note the murals to the left of it.

6/ This shop has a massive mural on its side. It is one of the largest in Sheffield.

9/ The hall of Sheffield was built in 1914. It is an interesting design.

10/ Many houses in Sheffield have a lovely backdrop of Mt Roland, which is just to the south.

11/ Sheffield' s tourist information is located just off Main Street. To the right are panels awaiting murals.

12/ This is another view of the attractive old style shops of Sheffield.

13/ The church of the Holy Cross is one of the Sheffield's historic churches.

14/ The marble shop had a very impressive display of marbles, plus some very complicated marble races.

 

1/ Sheffield has a heritage railway that does very short trips. The extant line is a very small fragment of a much larger railway that linked Devonport to Sheffield and Mt Roland. It would be wonderful if this old line could be reopened, as it goes through really beautiful countryside. There is also another heritage railway in Devonport that it could be relinked to.

2/ On this trip the train had only a carriage. The station seen here is the original station, but it has been moved slightly from its original position.

3/ This is the tiny locomotive. It was once used in a mine and is amongst the last of its kind still extant in the world.

4/ This is a close up of the locomotive's cabin. All of the working parts had to be repaired and even remade by the volunteers who run the railway.

5/ This photo shows other another wagon and a guards van that are also used by the Sheffield Railway. The locomotive call pull up to 8 wagons.

6/ This photo shows the platform at the rear used by the railway guard.

7/ The train goes on a tiny journey one kilometre down the line to its first stop, where it has to turn around.

8/ To return the locomotive has to be moved to the back of the train. It the distance you can see the spectacular slopes of Mt Roland, where the original railway once journey to.

9/ This is the present end of the line. However, the original track once spanned to the left all the way to Devonport.

 

1/ In April each year Sheffield holds a mural fest, which attracts skilled artists from all over Tasmania, Australia and even overseas. Many murals have a historic theme, like this one of a little girl buying chocolates.

2/ This mural is seems to have a number of old themes. It cleverly blends both the outside and inside worlds. The local town hall was the centre of social life in the !9th Century.

3/ The 19th Century was a time when many tonics were in vogue. This mural cleverly exploits the theme of "vitality" by having the horses and dog jump out of the picture.

4/ This mural is about the Tasmanian's search and rescue service. They brave very harsh conditions to rescue lost and injured tourists from the vast Wilderness.

5/ This mural celebrates 19th Century farming. The Mt Roland element shows that this celebrates local pioneers of the Sheffield area.

6/ This mural was one of the largest. The figures are actually life size and the mural occupies the entire side of a shop. It is almost like looking in on ancient industry.

7/ This mural has a modern style in its colors and elements. Note the minimalist approach to the faces. This new approach is in strong contrast to the 19th Century kitchen theme that it illustrates.

8/ This is only a part of a much larger mural on the rigors of Colonial life. I like the action and danger that is imposed on the elements in it.

9/ This is only the centre of an enormous mural on the theme of protestant settlers in early Sheffield.

10/ This shows thylacines (tasgers) and a devil in the pristine Tasmanian wilderness. Thylacines were once common in the Sheffield area and rumors say that they are still there.

11/ This shows a Colonial harvest scene. The steam engine made a tremendous difference at this time.

12/ This shows a settler, perhaps Weindorfer, of the Cradle Mountain area. Note how the animals have invaded the house. Outside hidden in the forest is a thylacine.

13/ This chart at the information centre is helpful for those who do a mural tour of Sheffield.

14/ In 2015 I visited Sheffield again and I was impressed by some of the new murals that I saw. This one explores the idea of a mobile phone.

15/ This mural summaries Australia's involvement in many wars.

16/ This mural had a comic and modern flavour.

17/ This mural shows Abel Tasman, the Dutch discoverer of Tasmania. As a purist I have to mention that the flags are wrong. They should be flying a company "VOC" flag - not a standard Dutch flag.

18/ This is part of a modern style mural. It shows the face of Truginini, a famous Tasmanian Aborigine. I was very impressed by the depth of character that the artist was able to show.

19/ I actually started to walk towards this mural for advice, until I realized the joke. You can even see an impression of a photographer in the left window.

 

1/ Railton is a small town near Sheffield in north eastern Tasmania. It prides itself on being the town of topiary and has many good examples around the town.

2/ In a field near the main street of Railton was this farm scene made out of many topiary figures.

3/ Like nearby Sheffield, Railton also has a number of great murals on the town's buildings. This one is about a local mine.

4/ This mural reminds us that Railton was once a frontier town visit by bullock wagons.

5/ The circus coming to town was a great event in the 19th Century. The enthusiasm is well carried in this happy modern style mural.

6/ Railton has a number of interesting, Victorian style buildings like this classic hotel.

7/ Railton also has an impressive Victorian town hall.

8/ Hidden away near the war memorial of Railton was this quaint, 19th Century, church.

9/ The Railton war memorial is probably unique in having topiary figures honouring the services.

10/ There was another quaint, church near the war memorial at Railton.

11/ There was also this rough war memorial, which was probably the first memorial built in Railton.

12/ This is a Christmas artifacts shop. It has a very impressive range of Christmas decorations. The telephone number is 0417 556 700 or www.townoftopiary.com.au

13/ It sells a huge range of Christmas decorations and topiary plants.

14/ Inside you will see this very evocative mural.

 

1/ Badgers Range is north east of Sheffield. These photos were taken on a club trip on a cloudy day in March 2021, so the colors are poor. We climbed 500 meters to the Kimberley Lookout. This area has recently been upgraded to included new mountain bike tracks and a toilet at the car park. This image shows the approach to the Lookout. It looks to the south towards Sheffield and Mt Roland.

2/ This image shows another view to the south. You can see the town of Sheffield and beyond it the majestic sight of Mt Roland.

3/ This was the view from another lookout that faced the south.

4/ This view looks towards the south west. This area was used by absailors.

5/ This view looks towards the west and shows the rich soil near Sheffield.

6/ The Dashers River flows south of Sheffield in a west east direction. It is just south of C156 Bridle Track Road. Dashers Falls is a short distance from the small car park. This image shows the steep banks of the Dasher River.

7/ The falls are in a steep gully lying about 30 metres below the embankment. This image shows the upper cascade.

8/ This image shows the lower cascade. There was not much water flowing that day.

 

1/ Barrington is a settlement in North West Tasmania. It is West of Sheffield.

2/ This sign says it all. There really is a place called "Nowhere Else". Behind the sign is the towering heights of Mt Roland.

3/ This photo shows a small farming settlement near Barrington. The brown soil is very fertile in this part of Tasmania.

4/ This photo shows the lawn of the huge Lake Barrington reservoir. The lake is about 20 kilometres long and is used by the rowing teams of Tasmania.

5/ This image shows the view down the Lake looking to the north. Our group walked towards the forest on the left.

6/ The arrows point the way through the cleared undergrowth, making it a very easy walk.

7/ This was the view back towards the starting point.

8/ Our track now led into a forest.

9/ The forest was dominated by manferns. The path led to the approach road, so you could choose to turn around or walk back by the road.