Hadspen - Places to See

Entally House
The central historic attraction of Hadspen is Entally House, the original home of Thomas Reibey and one of the most impressive historic homes in Tasmania. Built on the banks of the South Esk River in 1819, and named after a suburb in Calcutta, India, Entally House stands on the outskirts of the town..

Thomas Reibey was the eldest son of Mary and Thomas Reibey of Sydney. Mary had become something of a folk hero in Sydney. Born in 1777 she had been convicted of horse stealing at the age of 13 and transported to Australia for seven years. She met Thomas, a junior officer, on the ship out to Australia and married him in 1794. Thomas and Mary became something of a colonial success story. They were successful business people and, after Thomas died, Mary became a favourite with Governor Macquarie.

Entally House was originally opened to the public by the National Trust in 1948. Since then, responsibility has been taken over by the National Parks and Wildlife and they have developed the gardens and made the house an historic showpiece.

The Tasmanian National Parks and Wildlife Service have produced an excellent 19 page booklet, Entally House: Historic Home, on the house and its gardens which not only provides detailed information on each room (and its contents) but also identifies all the varieties of trees in the gardens. For more information check out: http://www.entally.com.au/

Red Feather Inn
The Red Feather Inn, located at 42 Main Road, Hadspen was built in 1844. One of the first coaching inns in Van Diemen's Land, it has maintained its colonial atmosphere but currently operates as a restaurant opening for lunch and dinner as well as special events. It now runs a culinary school. For more information check out: http://www.redfeatherinn.com.au/

Nearby, between 46-52 Main Road, are a number of interesting single-storey cottages which not only have considerable charm but actually date from the 1840s and early 1850s. They are an important part of the streetscape of Main Road, Hadspen.

The Church of the Good Shepherd
Further down Main Road is The Church of the Good Shepherd which, while hardly the most impressive building in town, has a fascinating history. It is known that Thomas Reibey, the owner of Entally House, was prepared to pay for the construction of the church but, after an argument with the bishop, he withdrew his support.

Local gossip suggests that the Bishop, having discovered that Reibey had a sexual preference for young boys (this is but one of a number of accusations about Reibey's extra-curricular sexual activities), refused to accept the 'tainted' funds for a building of a church. The result was that the plans were drawn up in 1857, the foundation stone was laid in 1868 but the church wasn't completed and dedicated until 1961.

Carrick
About 4 km further west on the Bass Highway is the small township of Carrick. Originally a town which grew up to service the surrounding grain farmers, Carrick is similar to Hadspen in its historic richness. However its main difference is that , unlike Hadspen, it has not been by-passed. The passing traffic is awful and can actually detract from any appreciation of the town's delights.

Old Mill House
Of particular interest is the Old Mill House a four-level, three-storey bluestone mill built around 1846 by John Kinder Archer. The ivy that covers the entire building gives it a particular charm.