Listen or download the EGUIDE audio guides that feature on our tours
Characters telling their story
Fatty Appleton 17 October 1836
“They call me “Fatty Appleton”, although, as you might have guessed, that’s not my real name. I am, however, short, stocky and stout, so perhaps the name fits. I’ve made a name for myself down here on the Hobart docks for my ability to carry a beer barrel under each arm and for my skills in “crowd control” at the local when things get a little out of hand. “
Rebecca Ferriday, 24 December 1884
“After a treacherous journey of just over two months, we have arrived in Hobart Town, although what awaits us in this so-called “Van Diemen’s Land” we still don't know. At the start, there were 72 of us female convicts on board, plus a few dozen children and a matron from the Millbank Penitentiary - a notorious holding facility in Westminster. But a few were lost along the way due to syphilis and complications in childbirth, including Margaret and her stillborn who were committed to the deep.”
Governor Sir Henry Fox Young, 2 January 1858
“After three years of construction, we are finally taking up residence at Government House, which boasts a commanding setting overlooking the Derwent River. While it was commissioned by Lieutenant-Governor George Arthur, it is I, Governor Sir Henry Fox Young, who is the first to reside here, although I’m quickly discovering that the interiors are not “complete” in the true sense of the word. “
Jimmy Watson, 20 August 1857
“Life here in the Trench (as us prisoners affectionately call the gaol) is hard, with little light and poor ventilation in our cells. If these walls could talk though, I reckon they’d have some stories to tell, with some of the most hardened men on the island having passed through the gaol’s doors”
Tommy Robinson, 11 March 1880
“It’s with great sentimentality (and a tinge of sadness) that I send my last message by semaphore - one simple word: “forgotten”. The invention of a new contraption by Alexander Graham Bell has made my position as signal master obsolete, with a new telephone line established between Hobart and Mount Nelson taking over the job. “
Angus Sadler, 03 January 2024
“I’m onboard the RSV Nuyina, a state-of-the-art icebreaker that was completed in 2021 to support Australia’s scientific activities and research bases in Antarctica. Its name translates from palawa kani (the language of Tasmanian Aborigines) as “southern lights” and we’ve been lucky enough to see quite a few auroras whilst onboard.”
Jenny Richards 20 June 2023
“I’ve been up since 5 am, which can only mean one thing - it’s market day. The week goes by so fast - it feels like I was only just packing down my stall last Saturday afternoon and it’s time to set up again. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. The Salamanca Market, which has been going strong since the 1970s, allows me to make a living doing what I love and meet people from all over the globe. “
Robert Young, 29 November 1860
“Life for us lowly soldiers is almost just as restrictive as it is for the men we oversee. We can’t leave the military compound without permission and the only time we’re allowed out of our overcrowded barracks is when we’re on duty. Speaking of which, we’ve got to be on guard at all hours and ready at a moment’s notice if a convict happens to escape. Meanwhile, the senior officers and their families are wining and dining, holding literary evenings and playing cricket, as though they were back in England. “
Murray Ling 8 January 1975
“It’s only now, three days after that fateful night on 5 January 1975 that we’re coming to terms with what happened - a merchant ship, the Lake Illawarra, collided with several pylons of the Tasman Bridge, causing its deck to collapse into the river below. Reports I’m hearing say that 12 people lost their lives - 7 crew members from the ship and 5 drivers - although this number could have been much larger had it not been a quiet Sunday evening on the roads. I’m still in disbelief that I’m here, to tell you the truth. “
Commentaries
Wings Wildlife Shuttle
There are 5 sound tracks below that covers the journey from Burnie to Wings Wildlife Park and return via Penguin to Burnie
Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary Shuttle
Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, provides a haven for Tasmania’s native creatures. As you stroll the sanctuary's picturesque grounds, you'll be able to get up close to koalas, wombats and the iconic Tasmanian devil, as well as over 80 free-roaming kangaroos.
Cradle Mountain
Cradle Mountain became a wildlife reserve in 1927 and was upgraded to a national park in 1947. In 1982, Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park was designated as part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, alongside Franklin-Lower Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.
Overland Track
The journey to the start at Cradle Mountain and from Lake St Clair at the end
