December 2017 and February 2018....just what is going on? Two visits actually, the first whilst we were at nearby Rosevears and a later return for the famous and unique Australian penny farthing cycle races which are held annually in this historic and utterly charming little Tassie town.
Every promotional brochure and website proclaimed that Evandale is one of the best preserved historic towns in the country, and, after our visits I have to agree. Like Ross, Richmond, Oatlands and to a lesser extent Campbell Town, the good citizens of Evandale have clearly gone to great lengths to preserve and maintain their heritage, with such success that the entire town is listed on the National Trust.
With some buildings dating back to 1809, Evandale presents one of the finest example of Australian late Georgian-early Victorian streetscapes in the country, which provides an ideal backdrop for the National Penny Farthing cycle championships which are held there annually. And as a quick aside, with no relevance whatsoever to its architecture, Evandale was once home to John Kelly, the father of the infamous Ned.
We made the quick trip out from Rosevears (Evandale is less than 20 kms south-east of Launceston) to see for ourselves on a bright and sunny morning and began our sightseeing on the road into town.
Every promotional brochure and website proclaimed that Evandale is one of the best preserved historic towns in the country, and, after our visits I have to agree. Like Ross, Richmond, Oatlands and to a lesser extent Campbell Town, the good citizens of Evandale have clearly gone to great lengths to preserve and maintain their heritage, with such success that the entire town is listed on the National Trust.
With some buildings dating back to 1809, Evandale presents one of the finest example of Australian late Georgian-early Victorian streetscapes in the country, which provides an ideal backdrop for the National Penny Farthing cycle championships which are held there annually. And as a quick aside, with no relevance whatsoever to its architecture, Evandale was once home to John Kelly, the father of the infamous Ned.
We made the quick trip out from Rosevears (Evandale is less than 20 kms south-east of Launceston) to see for ourselves on a bright and sunny morning and began our sightseeing on the road into town.
Here those arriving greeted by the imposing bulk of the town water tower which was officially opened in 1896 as an integral part of the Evandale Water Supply project. This 80,000 litre, 12 metre high storage facility, which stands like and urban lighthouse on High Street, supplied the town until 1968 and is still kept full to retain its structural integrity.
From here we made our way to what was once the Evandale State School on the corner of High and Barclay Streets. This is now home to the excellent Evandale Visitor Information Centre and museum. The two local ladies who were on duty at the time we called in were ideally suited to there task. They could not have been more welcoming.
This really was a fascinating place where one of the exhibits which drew our immediate attention was this diorama.
As is my want, I'll let the nearby plaque tell the story, a yarn of great ambitions, some serious slog, and ultimate failure (but the bricks were re-used as you'll read later!).
This scheme would have to take a major prize in any 'this seemed like good idea at the time' competition!
In a nearby room which housed many photos and other items associated with the two major world wars we came across a photo of a local chap who definitely finished what he started.
We were to catch up with the one and only Henry William Murray, VC, CMG, DSO and Bar, DCM a little later, so I'll have more to say about him shortly,
but before we leave the museum I must share one last item with you, the somewhat plain looking little bell by the diorama.
I was fascinated to read that amongst other things, this bell was used to warn of raids by bushrangers and/or local aboriginals. I later learnt that the area around Evandale in the early 1800's was indeed a place of some constant danger. In fact the siting of the not too distant Woolmer Estate which we visited later was deliberately chosen to provide an overview of the surrounding countryside for this very reason.
Civic calm now prevails in Evandale, and we were soon to come across two extraordinary examples of buildings from which peace and goodwill were proclaimed from the pulpits, but first,
opposite the Information Centre we strolled by 'Blenheim' a building which began life in 1832 as a hotel, but which now is home to a Stained Glass and Antiques business (of which, oddly enough, there are oodles in Evandale!)
As we were heading south-east along High Street towards the main town junction in the distance
we passed the town's expansive and very well laid out war memorial gardens
where the mural on the wall along one of the entrance roads left us in no doubt as to the purpose of our surroundings.
Almost next door to these gardens and memorials, which included one close to my heart, an acknowledgement of Peacekeeping,
we came to the first of two quite beautiful Evandale churches, St Andrew's Anglican, with its needle like bell tower and lovely garden surrounds. This is actually the 'third edition' of this place of worship....the first which rose in the early 1800's, was soon deemed too small, the second developed dangerous cracks, whilst this third and final building has clearly stood the test of time.
And, almost directly across the road, and named to confuse the unwary, is the second of Evandale's St Andrew's churches, this time home to the town's Uniting Church congregation. I'm not sure what proportion of the original population of this district was of good old Scottish stock, but they certainly adopted that country's patron Saint as their own when naming their churches.
Whilst the names may be the same, the two buildings could not be more different. St Andrew's Uniting, built between 1839-40, is recognised as the best preserved or restored place of worship in Tasmania (and that is saying something in this State!) and remains one of the most photographed buildings in Evandale.
At this point let me quote from, and again acknowledge, Geoff Richie's wonderful blog, 'On The Convict Trail':
"Built 1839 – 40, largely through the efforts of the Rev Robert Russell, this church is one of the most important colonial buildings in
The congregation raised 400 pounds towards the cost of the construction and the government of the day contributed 600 pounds. The final cost of construction was approx 1500 pounds and no one knows where the extra money came from [what an uproar that would create these days!].
Russell is said to have supervised the construction himself, having sought a design from within the colony. No architect has ever been identified and the finished structure [was like] no other building in the Australian colonies. The form of the building echoes that of a Roman temple but with a steeper roof and the addition of a bell turret. The style of the building is classified as a Greek Revival.
The main structure is of bricks that had been made locally to line the tunnel that was intended to carry water from the
The pair of Tuscan columns flanking the front entrance were quarried at the property of colonial artist, John Glover, and carted to the church site by bullock wagon.
The interior is superbly appointed with box pews, gallery balustrade and a high “witness box” pulpit made of beautiful
It
has an octagonal canopy with a curved roof rising to a peak on which is perched
a gilded dove and is entered through a door at the back. It dates from a time
when a Presbyterian minister about to preach a sermon was ushered into the
pulpit by an elder, and locked in until the congregation was ‘satisfied’, that
is to say until there were no questions or criticisms on matter of doctrine
that had not been answered [spreading the word was a little fraught in those days obviously....I could not help but wonder what may have happened if the hapless parson was confronted by an 'unsatisfied' audience.....!]."
What an extraordinary building and what a history. And if you look back to the main photo you can see that the efforts of the good Rev. Russell have not been forgotten......that impressive statue in front of the church honours his work.
Well, after banging on so long about the second St Andrew's, we had better get a move on and we did just that, continuing along High Street to what is the main intersection in the town. Here High Street veers to the right and heads off to nearby towns,
whilst a left turn will take wanderers into and along Russell Street, which is really Evandale's 'main drag'.
Before we headed off along Russell Street we first detoured down the 'highway' to the corner of Collins Street
for a quick look at The Prince of Wales Hotel,
a hostelry which was first licensed in 1842 but which actually began life as a butchery and cake shop. Now what it clearly needed was for the painter to come and finish the job!
Mind you, if the 'pub vehicle' was anything to go by, a lot of local thirsts are being slaked in the Prince of Wales. We thought a horse drawn dray would be much more fitting here in historic Evandale!
Back to Russell Street, where the junction is dominated by the classic Victorian architecture of the the Post Office (not that I would have instantly recognised this as 'Victorian'), a building which was a relatively late starter in Evandale......it went up in 1888.
As you would expect in a town like this, B&B accommodation abounds, and here, opposite the Post Office, the shingle swinging outside the upstairs bedroom windows proclaims this old building to be 'Solomon House' but, like so many of its counterparts in Evandale this was not always so. For 130 years after its erection in 1836, this building contained goods rather than guests and was known as 'Clarendon Stores'.
I think it fair to say that one could roam far and wide around Evandale and constantly come across buildings of historical interest. We confined our gallop to Russell and Macquarie Streets, where we discovered more than enough to go on with.
On the approach to 3 Russell Street, the unmistakable smell of leather wafts through the air. This is not surprising. This well resorted old cottage is now home to Lake Leather, Tassie's first specialist leather goods shop (if their advertising is to be believed).
I must admit the goods on display were visually outstanding, and visitors are invited to watch as products are made on site. But wait....there's more....this store is the biggest retailer of RM Williams boots in the State (so they say!).
Across the road completely different aromas waft invitingly from what was once the Evandale Council chambers (another newby....circa 1867). Now the bakers of the Ingleside Bakery beaver away through the night to supply peckish visitors with cakes and pastries
and on the day of our visit business in the charming little outside courtyard was brisk.
But as you might expect if you are a regular reader, the thing which appealed to me the most about this building was a sign in one of the front windows. I could but wonder how many non-French speaking guests have been mauled by this moggie!
The streetscape of this end of Russell Street was one in which we could not find one building which had not been beautifully restored and maintained. Indeed, I have had to again take my editor's blue pen to much of what we saw and photographed.
Buildings like this, the old Royal Oak Hotel, circa early 1840's, have been marvellously restored and, with its tasteful additions, this old pub is now a delightful private residence.
This photo, (courtesy of 'flickr.com)' shows what the owners of 'Chantinghall' began with.....their efforts are impressive indeed.
And this statue on the corner of Russell and Scone Streets served to remind us of Evandale's other main claim to fame, the penny farthing festival and races......we were to see much more of these odd looking cycles later.
This junction is also home to another of the town pubs, the classically classy Clarendon Arms which arose here on the site of the old Evandale watch house in 1847 (a much better use of the land, I thought!).
The leafy side beer garden was closed on the day our our first visit,
and indeed we would have been happy to wander in and take the advice of the huge metal sign at the rear if we could have, but as you will see shortly, this was a very different place in February!
A short distance beyond the Clarendon Arms we came to an open park area at the corner of Macquarie Street and here was the unmistakable statue of a digger hurling a hand grenade. Sure enough, none other than 'Harry' Murray, the smuggled picture of whom we had seen earlier in the Information Centre.
This remarkable chap was a local lad, born (1 December 1880) and raised near Evandale, who toddled off to WW1 as so many of his ilk did. His campaign began at Gallipoli (as we had seen) where he held the rank of private and fought as machine gunner. He returned to Australia at the end of that conflict, not only having risen through the ranks to that of Lieutenant Colonel, an astonishing feat in itself, but was also then described as the most decorated solider in the British Empire. No wonder the town has recognised him in the manner it has, and fittingly so.
Opposite the park the Evandale General Store continues to operate as it has done for many years,
Seen here from a different angle, the chapel, which was later used as a Druid's hall, the home of the local RSL and a Scout hall, provides the centre piece of a typical Evandale streetscape, with the old wooden home on one side and the stone cottage 'Arundon' (yes, another B&B) on the other boundary.
I could go on along Russell Street, but it was time for a change of direction, as we turned off into Macquarie Street which features significantly on the formal 'historic walk'. Again I shall have to be choosy or this blog would run on forever (it seems to be heading rapidly in that direction already!).
This somewhat dowdy and insignificant looking wooden building, which was St Mary's Catholic Church, rose on this site in 1863. I would have to say two things about it.
Firstly this was one of those rare occasions we had encountered where the Catholic population of a country town had not rallied around to secure a prime site and build a church to rival all others. But at least those of this religious persuasion in Evandale could console themselves with the fact that their home of worship remained the oldest wooden Catholic Church in the South Pacific (for what ever that may be worth!). This is no longer the case, however....the last Mass was celebrated here on 10 November 2002 and the building was eventually sold as a private home.
As a footnote, and from my perspective a rather sad one, we found this small statue standing in the unkempt yard in front of the old church......a poignant reminder of previous glory days now apparently just abandoned here in neglected isolation, something quite unusual in Evandale.
A nearby cottage on the same side of the street
with its lovely garden at the other end of the building, presented a totally different picture.
This building which was completed in 1847 and occupied in 1867 by one Richard Marriott (who was the Council Clerk and Superintendent of Police ......now that's an interesting job share arrangement) operated as a shop in the 1920's and 30's. Now, like so many of its Evandale counterparts, it is a beautifully maintained private residence.
Macquarie Street also provided us with a reminder that not all the homes in Evandale can boast a long history,
but 'Yattalunga', nestled here behind leafy front trees,
certainly can.
Apart from the architecture, leafy trees
and wonderfully maintained gardens are certainly a feature of this charming town.
This was sometimes presented a bit of a challenge when it came to taking my photos (I couldn't see enough of 'Grandma's Cottage' behind this sign to share it with you).
The grandly solid Georgian structure of 'Anjou Villa', near the corner of Macquarie and Logan Streets, presented another challenge, but I did manage to snap most of it.
And, as the nearby sign told us, it too had been through a series of names and uses since it was built. This was another example of the extent of local clout the redoubtable Rev. Russell had in early Evandale......responsible for a unique and magnificent church and this fine building to be used as a school and library.
Let me close this short but crowded historic gallop around parts of Evandale with a return to Russell Street and a new building which demonstrated how the locals respect their history and recognise its value to their local economy. These are the buildings of the Dalmeney Coffee and Book Cafe, built in 1992 in a style to complement (and indeed compliment!) the existing streetscape.
And then, just down the road.............!!!!!
So, on that somewhat jarring note, let's leave Evandale for the time and fast forward two months, to Saturday 24 February 2018, the date set for the annual Evandale Village Fair and National Penny Farthing Championships.
Mind you, it very nearly did not take place. The weather overnight was abysmal, and the day dawned little better. Pouring rain and nasty winds were not ideal for the proposed events of the day and from our newly inhabited caravan site in nearby Longford, we listened with increasing anxiety to the early local news and forecasts.
Apart from the fact that we had delayed our departure out of Tasmania to be able to attend this event, we had also arranged to share the day with a very good friend and ex-police colleague of mine who happened to be in Launceston with his good wife at the same time.
But as we were beginning to think about an alternative scheme for the day, the announcement that the carnival would proceed no matter what the heavens dished up came as welcome news indeed.
We hastened the few kilometres between Longford and Evandale and joined the growing throng in Russell Street under what you can see were less than friendly skies.
Gather they did, throughout the town, but particularly along Russell and Scone Streets which formed the majority of the raceway.
The scene at the Clarendon Arms corner was vastly different from that of our last visit,
and the empty beer garden of that occasion
was now a throng of happy (perhaps 'merry' may have been a better adjective!) souls enjoying the festivities and the odd beer (or three).
Some took dressing for the occasion more seriously
than others
but it all added to the colour of the day.
The Lake Leather footpath provided the stage for these two old style troubadours
whilst another of more modern dress and instrumentation took shelter under the awning of his mobile home as he performed in the nearby Pioneer Park.
Here, from an an array of mobile stalls
and tents, vendors catered to all tastes in both food and trinkets and whilst dodging the puddles after the recent rains might have been a problem for some,
others just took the conditions in their short stride and made them a temporary playground. What is it about kids and water?
A display of veteran and vintage cars? Of course,
whilst on the sward of several of the parks on and near Russell Street, the two wheeled, human powered vehicles of another age were on display.
Throughout the morning, protagonists lined up with these most ungainly looking cycles at the Start-Finish line on Russell Street
and were soon mounting their iron steeds with amazing agility
before hurling themselves around the street circuit at a surprisingly fast clip in a series of preliminary heats and novelty races.
I mean, this is serious stuff as far as penny farthings go. The official website programme listed a number of events to be run during the day, including:
"The feature race of the day, the National Penny Farthing Championship. The fastest eight riders advance through heats in to the final, which is over 4 laps of the circuit, a total distance of one mile.
- Separate championship races for ladies, juniors (under 16), veterans 1 (50+), 2 (60+), 3 (70+).
- Slow race (last over the line wins)
- Slalom (two at a time around witches’ hats)
- Novice Race (first time riders)
- Sprint (200 metre dash)
- Relay (teams of 4, one lap each)
- Biathlon (run one lap, ride 2, run one)
- Miss ‘n Out (last rider on each lap eliminated)
- Obstacle (run, carry bike, wheel bike, sprint)
- Consolation (for those who haven’t won a medal.)"
To be frank, this was all a bit overwhelming for the uninitiated, a group to which we certainly belonged, so I can only assume that all these preliminary events were run and won (or lost, as success in one 'race' demanded!). There was certainly plenty of activity on the track throughout the morning.
Between these daring and not so daring dashes, cycles of all shapes and sizes with similarly assorted riders took to the streets
to show off what was, in some cases, their significant skills. Some of these made the penny farthing look positively practical.
Early in the afternoon the skirl of pipes and the swirl of skirts heralded the approach of the main parade
when a number of the locals presented in their finery
and trod the still damp roadway of Russell Street. Some walked,
others rode,
This was a celebration of all things peddled, large and small, new an old, from one wheel to three
and, of course, with any crowd there is always a hanger on!
The pipers strode out in fine fashion
ahead of another assortment of human powered wheels
and others with much more horsepower up their sleeves,
although in the case of this old timer, I suspect not much more.
The stage was set for the big event, the National Penny Farthing Championship which attracts riders from overseas as well as from all parts of Australia.
By now the heats of the morning had sorted the wheat from the chaff of this highly unusual and specialised group of athletes and the finalists lined up in Russell Street.
And then they were off, around the Clarendon Arms corner and down Scone Street before
the back streets of the town brought them back to hurtle along the Russell Street straight for the first circuit of the course. At this stage they were pretty tightly bunched
as they heeled over precariously on their high perches and wheeled alarmingly rapidly around the pub corner for the second time.
By the time they appeared along this stretch again, it was a different scene with this group of four now clearly in the ascendancy.
But who won and were record times set I hear you call.....absolutely no idea! Not the faintest. The anointment of this year's winner was a remarkably casual affair conducted at the finish line, which by now was a jostling mass through which we had no hope of barging our way.
What I can tell you, however, is that these machines may well be old fashioned, odd looking and certainly antiquated by the standards of today and they would never be seen on the roads of the Tour Down Under, but by golly, they were propelled around the streets of Evandale at frighteningly impressive speeds. There were no crashes of which we were aware, and I suspect that a significant portion of the competitive skill of these fine athletes consists of remaining on board no matter what. It would be a bloody long fall from the saddle of one of these machines.
What a day it had been. The weather held, the racing was fiercely contested, and the costumes and all else that went into making the Evandale Village Fair and National Penny Farthing Championship were well up to scratch.
We had a marvellous day out with good friends, concluded admirably with a few quite aperitifs under our caravan awning before we all went out to dinner in Longford.
Let me leave our Evandale adventures with (an old) photo from the excellent 'heritagehighway' website.
What more need be said about this delightful town and this unique event. We were glad we stayed on.
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