WHY THE NAME? - PENGUIN - PART 1 (THE TOWN) (12 - 16 FEBRUARY 2018)

In our planning we had decided to make Penguin our base from which to explore a quite spectacular Tasmanian hinterland tourist attraction, the Leven Canyon, and to wander somewhat further afield along the north coast to Ulverstone and surrounding districts, so we were more than pleased by the fact that our chosen caravan park was very much to our liking (despite the storm, which I have to say was an event in its own right....easy to say when all tucked up!).

Before we do all that there is the town itself, and from our park a wander along the entire length of the CBD'S main street (actually called Main Road!), was less than challenging. 

But why the name Penguin? I suspect the fact that this question is even raised is a comment on the inherent suspicion we have all developed about accepting on face value what I would term 'the bleeding obvious'. 

Good old 'Aussie Towns' again provides the answer, in its usual style........."No prizes for guessing how Penguin got its name. The noted botanist, Robert Campbell Gunn, observing the large numbers of fairy (little) penguins along the coast decided that the name was appropriate. He named the settlement in 1861."  (as a quick aside, you may recall that we met the notable Mr Gunn when we came across his statue in a Launceston Park).

The good folk of Penguin have made much of its quirky name, as any who roam the CBD will quickly discover, and whilst the history of Penguin and its development is not nearly as involved as that of many north coast towns, it does come with a fascinating twist as we shall see shortly.

But firstly, as is my continual want, some initial perspective, courtesy once again of Google Earth and my new 'drawing toy'. The red arrow designates our park site with the rocky pool in front of it and the sands of Johnsons Beach nearby. I have attempted to show the proximity of the railway line past the caravan park with the blue arrow.

The yellow arrow shows the position of Beecraft Point, beyond which the Penguin 'beach' runs east along the length of the town CBD. 

Despite the fact that there are two beach areas here, the knowing swim at a much more attractive seaside setting just west of the town. Preservation Bay, which we shall visit later, is a delightful cove, where testament to its local and visitor popularity comes in the form of a large Surf Lifesaving Club and a free camping area. 

With no winds screaming out of the west at us like unleashed Valkyries, and our awning again out and anchored, we were off to see what Penguin had to offer, beginning at the beach side park just east of our caravan park.  

Here we found a surprisingly extensive miniature railway set up, complete with its own very colourful station,

and even a pair of tunnels, presumably the home of the engines and rolling stock given the padlocked doors. 

The line curved around the knoll atop Beecraft Point, and we walked out along the road which had brought us into our park












where we came across this interesting information board which explained the origin of the name.












At this point we detoured down the roadway towards the sea where the sign on the wall of the building in front of us indicated that this was the Penguin Scouting movement hall.












What appeared to have been the original town boat ramp stretched out across the rocky headland,










with its much more user friendly replacement nearby.










Even short jetties provide grand vantage points, and from this at Beecraft Point we could see up the estuary of the rather non-descript Penguin Creek and beyond to one of the town's two old wooden churches of note and the homes of a few Penguin locals on the hill above this end of the town.

From here we could also see the main section of the Penguin CBD 





























and the large building which is the second of the two town churches of note,

and finally, this view looking back along the short pier to the more than imposing scout hall and the old boat ramp.














As you will have already seen, Beecraft Point and the mouth of the Penguin Creek were anything but picture postcard pretty, but the scenery did improve as we walked on.









As we left Beecraft Point and made our way onto the walking path which would take us into town, I was amused to note the words on the plaque below the 'Penguin' sign. It read, 'the sound of the waves'. We have already been there, done that!








This foreshore walking path which extends west from here to the hub of the town,















brought us firstly past the Penguin Railway Station













before we came to the beginning of the 'main drag', and here we came to what is arguably Penguin's most notable building. 











It is without a doubt its most striking.......the gables, spire, windows and doors of the the beautiful Penguin Uniting Church,












seen here from what I think is its most spectacular angle.











As would be expected, there is a real story behind this unique building, as I discovered when I opened the relevant website. I then had to tussle with a problem....should I include all the detail or attempt an edit? I chose the former and shall leave it up to you, dear readers, to make your own decision as to how much you view!

"The building represents an exotic variant of the “Federation Carpenter Gothic’ style, displaying Eastern European influences, namely keyhole windows, and scalloped and horseshoe arches. The floor plan, excluding the vestries, has the keyhole configuration as well.



Architecturally the building represents an innovative variation of nineteenth century church design and the use of decorative timber elements marks a considerable technical achievement.

FEDERATION-refers to the architectural style in Australia, predominantly in the federation period c.1890-c.1915. The period refers to the federation of Australia on 1st January 1901, when the Australian colonies collectively became the Commonwealth of Australia.

CARPENTER GOTHIC- North American architectural style in the late 19th century. These structures adapted Gothic elements such as pointed arches, steep gables and towers. It is characterised by its profusion of jig-sawn details, whose craftsmen-designers were freed to experiment with elaborate forms by the invention of the steam powered scroll saw. A common but not necessary feature is board and batten siding.

FOUNDATION STONES- There are 8 foundation stones, laid on the 20th August 1902. Donations of 10 pounds were made by a number of members and their names were perpetuated in the foundation stones. Rev. W.H.Bowe laid the fifth stone but before doing so deposited a tin containing ‘the usual mementoes’. Today there is only one stone showing, this is on the North Western corner. The others were covered because they were deteriorating with the weather.

The architect of the new building was Mr. J.Macfarlane of Melbourne, and the contract was awarded to Mr.F.Steven for the sum of 645 pounds. The building ran into financial difficulties and completion of the project was delayed . The Church was opened on 10th May 1903 with the final cost of 1100 pounds.

The square tower contains the staircase to the upper seating area. The square spire is approximately 16 metres high. The external walls are bullnosed weatherboards and the window sills are made of Huon Pine. The building consists of an octagonal congregational auditorium with planned seating for approximately 400 downstairs and 100 upstairs.

Local timbers have been used inside eg. blackwood, celery top pine, and Tasmanian Oak. The walls contain a diagonally panelled timber dado with reeded dado rail. Hardwood is used elsewhere within the internal linings including the ceiling."

So there you have it, and although we didn't actually go inside this extraordinary edifice, the same site provided me with this photo of the church's interior, or at least part of it.






But the question remains, why is it that Penguin is home to this magnificent building? Folks, despite some quite extensive research, I have no idea!

As you would probably expect, from this point on, the town architecture did not stand a competitive chance, and we soon discovered that Main Road was not home to row upon row of old and interesting buildings, but there were plenty of penguins.

Immediately next door to the Uniting Church we came to the Penguin Beachfront Apartments and the offices of Harcourt Real Estate. 








I have included these two relatively nondescript buildings for a reason. They provide the perfect introduction to one of the more significant events in Penguin in recent times. What we saw as we paraded along the foreshore path was a far cry from what had been attempted by a group of property developers here in Penguin from 2005 to 2008.

This group had tried to buy up a significant number of the buildings on Main Road with the aim of transforming this strip into one of four storey residential and commercial buildings. The public reaction to this plan could best be described as mixed, and those opposed to the scheme hit on the idea of heritage listing as much of the CBD as was possible to stymie the developers. From what we saw, I suspect that many of these listings were achived on the basis of some pretty thin evidence.

However, the campaign was successful, and eventually the developers lost interest in the fight and withdrew. Penguin remains as it has been for quite some time, to the obvious delight of many who live here.

A number of benches were dotted along the walking path, each set of which was backed by a low wall decorated with colourful mosaics.

As we pushed on further into the CBD, we spotted a couple of what appeared to be information boards. Indeed they were,









and here we discovered one of the significant factors relating to Penguin's development, the historical twist to which I had referred earlier.

Who would have thought that the Victorian gold rush could have had such a bearing on the development of this little north coast Tasmanian town. 
























As a result of our travels around and beyond Penguin, we can certainly attest to the fact that the veggie and dairy industries are thriving in this part of the Apple Isle. 

Without having gone into it, I strongly suspect that this rather grand building which bears the name 'The Maddison' and is a holiday rental premises, was undoubtedly one which now carries heritage listing.

By now our push along the foreshore had brought us to the centre of the CBD,














where beds of flowers added some colour. 

Here we discovered a kiddie's playground

before we arrived at the most photographed feature of this small town, its 'Big Penguin', built and placed here on the foreshore in 1975. As you would expect, this too has its own story, and I'm about to get lazy again.

This from 'Aussie Towns': "The idea of constructing a 3.15 metre Big Penguin was the brainchild of George Daniels, the President of the Penguin Traders Association. The idea was to erect the Big Penguin in 1975 as part of the town's centenary celebrations. 

A problem arose when the penguin could not be delivered by the Hobart firm which had won the contract. Amazingly a Devonport designer, R.M. Foster, stepped in and created a prototype which was based on a picture of a penguin in one of Mr Daniel's daughter's storybooks. The Goliath Cement Company at Railton built the penguin out of ferrocement and installed it in three days. It was later coated with fibre glass and the result has become one of Tasmania's most photographed tourist attractions."

And 'when in Rome......'!

This part of town also hosts the local War Memorial, which stands overlooking the sea at the point where the walking trail comes to an end.

From here we could look back along the beach to Beecraft Point and I have to repeat my earlier observation about the state of the Penguin 'plage'. To us it was somewhat less than appealing, and a far cry from what we found at Preservation Bay.

Not more than a hop, step and jump from the Big Penguin, the mural on the end wall of the local bakery and the street bin below it continued the theme.

I was particularly taken by the little fellow standing at the painted window, complete with a chef's hat!

This Main Road premises was constantly well populated, and our one visit confirmed the fact that the pastries coming from the ovens at the rear were of a fine standard.

Like the bakery, the municiple library building also has a place overlooking the sea.

By now we had come to the point where Main Road intersected with Crescent Street and here the railway line again made its presence felt.

Beyond this point, still walking eastwards, we came to a group of larger buildings, 

which included the relatively modern Neptune Grand Hotel, a watering hole where, on the basis of our one brief visit, the name is something of a misnomer, well, at least the 'grand' bit.

Here too we found another group of buildings which may well feature on the heritage listing....they looked to be the oldest we had seen to date.

It was at this point that the Penguin CBD as such comes to an end, and we duly made an about turn and toddled back on the other side of the road, 

where the local vet was in on the 'penguin' act,

and I almost tripped over yet another of the penguin bins.

Naturally, the local Visitor Information Centre featured yet more of the little seagoing creatures which gave the town its name. We did pop in and for once it was your scribe who emerged with a small trophy....a very orange 'Penguin' T shirt. Of course, herself was not empty handed......another stubbie holder was added to our collection!

This creative trader was determined that his or her penguin would be seen, no matter how large the vehicle parked in front of their premises.

And so with another closer look at one of the foreshore seat walls (and a much better view of the decorations!)

and this last example of your scribe's pictorial self-indulgence,

our stroll through the Penguin CBD came to an end. I have to comment that it was not quite what I had expected, but then expectations built entirely on the presentations of others are axiomatically limited to their point of view. We now had a much broader picture, one which extended well beyond the 'Big Penguin' and its immediate surrounds.

Because our visit did not include a Sunday, we did miss out on one of the town's other well known attractions.....the largest under cover market in the State, but 'them's the breaks'!

And, as I have commented previously, our experiences with Little Penguins over many years on Kangaroo Island, where we rubbed shoulders with them at very close quarters, meant that we had no inclination to scamper down to the beach at dawn or dusk to watch the passing penguin parade.

Penguin has been described as "a picturesque seaside town with a pretty esplanade" (Discover Tasmania) and "a delightful seaside town in the Tasmanian north coast with a finely honed sense of humour about its name.....[and] a quite serene charm...." (Aussie Towns).   

We could not disagree with either.