Deloraine - Places to See

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This was published 15 years ago

Deloraine - Places to See

Exploring the Town
Many of the shops in town have copies of the excellent brochures Let's talk about Deloraine and the Guide to Historical Deloraine both of which provide extensive lists of large numbers of historically interesting houses and buildings in the town as well as listing a number of attractions in the surrounding area including the Liffey Falls, Train World at Mole Creek, the Wildlife Park and Koala Village between Chudleigh and Mole Creek, and the Meander Falls area which lies 25 km southwest of the town.

Bonney's Inn
Of the historic buildings, those of particular interest include Bonney's Inn, which was established in 1831 (although some sources claim it was built in 1828) and is situated at 17 West Parade next to the Deloraine Hotel. One of the most famous early wayside inns it was built as a coaching inn by John Bonney, the son of a convict. The bricks, but not the actual building, were constructed by convicts. Bonney designed the building along the lines of the coaching inns in England. It has walls which are nearly 50 cm thick, cedar mantelpieces and panelled walls. It has changed hands a number of times being, at various points in its history, a Temperance Hotel, a coffee palace, flats, and historic accommodation. It currently offers four star bed and breakfast accommodation. In 1853, as a result of the success of Bonney's Inn, John Bonney built the Deloraine Hotel. For more information check out: http://www.bonneys-inn.com/

Baptist Tabernacle
Down river from Bonney's Inn are the Baptist Tabernacle, a single storey Victorian chapel built in 1880 with money raised after William Gibson, a grazier from Perth, who gave the local congregation a prize ram which they sold for 1000 guineas. Further along West Parade (on the corner of West Parade and Westbury Place) is Harvey's Mill, now a private dwelling, a handsome two-storey bluestone and brick building.

The Bridge
The bridge across the Meander River is now only a memory of the original structure which was built by convicts in 1831. It was washed away in 1844 and a 'new' bridge was, in turn, replaced in 1877. The present structure has some remnants of the 1877 bridge. It affords excellent views along the beautiful Meander River.

Alveston's Historic Buildings
To the south of the river is the original village of Alveston which was in existence before the larger settlement of Deloraine began to develop on the northern bank of the river. Nearly all of the buildings in Alveston are of some historic interest. There is the old Bush Inn which, while hardly being impressive, dates back to the 1850s and on the other side of the road there's a group of brick and timber Georgian shops and cottages (10-24 Bass Highway) which are still a handsome and historic streetscape.

St Mark's Church of England
Just up the rise from the Bush Inn is St Mark's Church of England which looks over the Meander River. The first Anglican church in the town was a wooden building completed in 1847. The present building was designed by Henry Clayton and opened in 1859. It was originally no more than a small chancel, the impressive tower, the nave and spire. The year after completion an organ, which is still in use, was imported from London; in 1878 the chancel and transept were consecrated; and in 1909, to celebrate the church's Golden Jubilee, a stained glass window was added. In front of St Mark's is a huge Californian redwood.

Other Historic Buildings
The old buildings near the railway station still have faded signs advertising Sunlight soap and Bushells tea.

Beyond these specific buildings the town of Deloraine has a wealth of interesting old shops and houses. It is profitable to just drive off the Bass Highway and explore the town. The architectural surprises reward such idle curiosity.

In West Barrack Street, for example, the former Oddfellows Hotel (No:21) has been converted into a shop, No:27, a two-storey Georgian brick house, was the birthplace of Admiral Sir John Collins (Collins' fame rests on his tactical victory over the Italian warship Bartolomeo Colleoni in 1941 while he was captain of the HMAS Sydney), and No: 33, now a shop, was once the town hospital.

At the northern end of town, along Emu Bay Road, is the town's excellent Folk Museum (No: 98) which is located in the old Family and Commercial Inn which dates from 1864 and Berry's Antique Shop (No: 118) a two-storey brick building which was built around 1850. The town also claims to have the oldest continuously used racecourse in Australia - it dates from 1853 - and Bowerbank Mill, 2 km east of Deloraine on the Bass Highway, was built in 1853 by William Archer, Van Diemen's Land's first native-born architect.

Tasmania Pottery
The Tasmania Pottery, on the road to Chudleigh, is no longer operating as a tourist attraction but it is still possible to see its outstanding external feature - the largest coffee pot in Australia.

Exton
Just a few kilometres east of Deloraine is the tiny township of Exton which is full of antique shops and rather beautiful old cottages.

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