A day of leisure, travelling the midland or heritage highway in Tasmania with a variant at the tail end - Anne O’Connor.

From a local perspective, the trip to Hobart from Launceston is a drive that is known to take two hours without stops. Boring at times and perhaps the least recommended as a tourist path, I chose to take off the blinkers and see what a leisurely drive could uncover.

Nineteen kilometres from Launceston is the little township of Perth. Targetted for development in 1821 by Governor Lachlan Macquarie, the township of Perth was proclaimed a town in 1836. Today it is classified as a National Trust town and has many examples of Georgian and Victorian buildings within its perimeters. Some such buildings are the

both of which are open to the public as antique shops.

Just around the corner in Clarence Street is another building that is very unusual and possibly least noticed driving through.

The Baptist Tabernacle, an ornate brick building constructed in 1889 and worth the side trip to look at this unusual structure.

Thirty four kilometres further on is Cleveland. Here another example of Georgian architecture, St. Andrews Inn, now a modern day restaurant and B&B.

Traditionally built in 1842 as a coaching inn & renowned for its link with bushrangers. Martin Cash in particular. Just along the road is the Bald Faced Stag, again an inn built in 1838, now a private residence.

A Cleveland Landscape

Fifteen kilometres from Cleveland, is Campbell Town, possibly the largest town on the midlands highway.

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It was built in the 1800’s to be a garrison town to link Launceston and Hobart. Now it is a commercial hub for the superfine merino wool growing community and a major stopping place for travellers on the highway heading north or south. The attraction for most is a restaurant called Zeps.

Frantically busy all day, this area can be a real traffic jam with cars coming and going, people partaking of refreshments before they hit the road. If one has not experienced Zeps for coffee or food, then they have missed out on one of the treats along the midlands highway.

Campbell Town is also home to many historic buildings and churches.

The Grange was designed originally by convict architect James Blackburn in the late 1840s, as the home of Campbell Town’s first doctor. Now it is a facility that utilizes its position of being almost half way between the northern and southern capitals for statewide business meetings. Website

Past the Grange and over the bridge is a turn off to the left, an entry to a popular picnic spot on the banks of the Elizabeth River. Here you are greeted by the river’s local residents and you can enjoy a quite time or walk along its banks. During autumn the river banks are a mass of colour when the willows along each side, change from green to gold.

Fifteen minutes past Campbell Town, off the midlands Highway is the smaller township of Ross.
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Again a garrison town that was, it has a large collection of sandstone Georgian style buildings and is again linked to the wool industry. Now it is mainly tourism with B&B’s & craft shops, including a wonderful Tasmanian Wool Centre that houses a museum and acts as an information centre. Ross also housed one of the very few female convict prisons in Tasmania, known as the female factory.

High on the hill above Ross is the large convict built Uniting Church, known for its blackwood pews and carved baptismal font.

Below the church is the Macquarie River.

Over which is the convict built Ross Bridge, third oldest bridge in Australia.

A must stop in Ross, is the Ross Bakery Inn.

Originally called the Sherwood Castle Inn, it was built in 1832 for John Dickenson, a free settler from Nottinghamshire in England. Today the inn’s name is taken from the original Ross Bakery that stood alongside the inn for over 100 years.
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Inside, the bakery’s wood-fired oven is original and is a unique piece of colonial history. Their homemade soup and sough dough bread is worth stopping for, especially on a chilly autumn or winter’s day.

Alternately, should you wish to stay a night, their accommodation is highly recommended.

Autumn is possibly the most picturesque time to visit Ross, with the road lined with huge trees of Golden Ash.

A must stop-over. Why would you not want to say that you have driven over the third oldest bridge in Australia?

Now, where are the first and second ones?

Just past Ross on the Midlands Highway is a turn off on the left to Monah Vale Road. On this road soon after you turn onto it, is a place called Somercotes.
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An historic farmhouse offering B&B cottages and a cafe serving great Devonshire teas. In the summer tis a cherry mecca, with cherries aplenty and cherry jam made on site. At this rate, one may never get to Hobart in a day.

About twenty minutes travelling from Ross, you come across another garrison town called Oatlands. Again you need to turn off the midlands highway to experience the beauty of another bygone era, but it is well worth the stop.

Sandstone buildings again, but there is a different look to the town than the other places previously visited.

Above the town on the hill is another picnic spot, the Lake Dulverton wildlife sanctuary. A must stop for nature lovers.

Near here is the well known Callington Flour Mill, built in 1837.

Interestingly, like the Ross Bridge, it is also the third oldest of its kind in Australia and only one of four remaining today. It is worth a look should you decide to wander in.

Eleven km after Oatlands, I decided to take a detour off the highway into the Coal River Valley following the original train route through the Southern Midlands to Hobart, travelling through Colebrook, Campania and onto Richmond.

What a difference in the landscape.

Rolling green hills, horses and cattle instead of sheep; and here and there paddocks of fruit trees and vegetable crops, all showing the agricultural richness of the valley.

At the end of the 45 km of winding road, a T junction announces the main street of Richmond,

Turn right and over the Tasman Bridge into Hobart or left into the centre of Richmond itself and over the convict built, Richmond Bridge, and onto the Tasman Peninsular and Port Arthur, but not today.

Many hours could be spent exploring this area or maybe stay at the old Richmond barracks, now a B&B for weary travellers, looking for a night’s rest. Website

However, it was onto Hobart. There are only so many things one can do in a day. But first a quick stop at the Richmond Arms Hotel.

A stretch and quick coffee, then on through the southern end of the Coal River Valley, where grapes grow and wines can be tasted, such as Meadowbank Estate a fabulous place to eat, if you have most of the day to do it in.
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Or Penbroke winery, Website to name just two of the many super destinations where one can taste what is to offer. No hard task to spend a leisurely day or two or three?

Outcome of the trip to Hobart through the midlands highway- boring- never and if one gets bored with heritage buildings, then venturing off the main route after Oatlands is the way to go. Two hours, never!! Now I know why it is called “The Heritage Highway! I will certainly refer to it as a travel destination in future.

Anne 29th May 2009

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Tags:

autumn, buildings, campania, campbell, cleveland, coal, colebrook, georgian, highway, hobart, launceston, leisure, midland, oatlands, perth, richmond, river, ross, sandstone, tasmania, tourist, town, travel, valley and wine