A TINY TOWN INDEED BUT WITH THE BEST PUB - WELDBOROUGH - PART 2 (THE TOWN AND 'ONE OF THOSE MEETINGS') (16 MARCH 2018)

If ever we had visited a town which was but a shell of its former glorious self, Weldborough was it. As you join us shortly on our quick town gallop up and back along the highway, its demise will be obvious. 

But it was not always so, and, as we discovered in the course of a marvellous yarn with the current owner of the pub, this place really does have a fascinating history......and is home to another Tassie 'first'! (apologies for the alignment in  these first two paras. The gremlins have been at it again).

Speaking of firsts....first things first....our campsite.

We could not have been more happily set up. Looking across the 'paddock' from our 'site', we were but a short hop from the excellent amenities block and the back of the pub.

And apart from the one other van pictured here, we were it. We had noticed that it too bore SA number plates, but thought nothing more of it....until later than night in the pub. The small wooden building nestled behind the the large trees and clump of tree ferns was rather incongruously named 'The Hilton'.

In reality it is a two bedroomed bunk house, which my nosey partner reported as being quite well found inside. Weldborough is one of the several towns in this part of Tasmania which attracts cyclists from all over Australia (and overseas). 

The tracks through the forests and ranges are renowned for their beauty and the cycling challenges they present.  Here the Weldborough pub offers both rooms within the main building and at 'The Hilton' for these adventurers to dry out, fuel up and get a good night's rest before the next day's ride.

Many other groups actually use the hotel as a finishing point for a section of their ride. After a warming coffee or two they then load their bikes onto purpose built trailers brought to the rendezvous point by the various cycle tour operators who then whisk them off to another section of the trails.

We knew that this was big business in the not too distant Derby, but had not realised before staying here that Weldborough played such a pivotal role in this rapidly burgeoning local tourist industry. Here is another shot of the bikes being loading, looking across from our patch, 

but it is the stump next to us that I want to bring to your attention. As we settled after arrival, apart from making sure I missed it when picking out patch, I had not taken too much notice of this burnt out remnant.

And then a splash of colour caught my eye and a closer examination showed that this dead stump had now become home to an array of fungus,

of varying shapes, sizes

and hues. Enchanting!

So after this brief communion with nature on our doorstep, we were off, out past the charming pub beer garden

and onto the walking path which ran beside the highway.

In this small gap in the pub paddock railing (that's us in the distance) stood the oddest little stone with its shiny silver plaque. A closer inspection showed us that this was a list of prominent local residents from 1874 to 1974. What we later learnt was that this was far from an exhaustive list.....this had been a  very busy town in its heyday.

Named after Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld, the Governor of Tasmania from 1875-1880, Weldborough was initially settled with cattle grazing in mind. And then, like many other towns in this area, in the late 1800's tin was discovered.

The subsequent mining boom brought hundreds to the area. By the 1880's the all but deserted hamlet we were now seeing was a bustling settlement with taverns, general stores, a butcher's shop, a large hotel and even its own racecourse.

Many arrived here from the port in Georges Bay, and as was the case in St Helens, the vast majority of those who came to dig out the tin were Chinese. In fact, by 1890, the 800-1200 oriental miners who landed here made Weldborough the largest Chinese community on any tin field in Australia. They were said to have outnumbered the Europeans and Weldborough became famous for its celebration of Chinese New Year.

This was a very busy mine. As has been noted in one book on the area:

"In the roaring days of the Weldborough Mine the lights were never dimmed, and with three shifts to every bed the trade 'roared on' continuously, and every prospect bore a pleasant smile."

In addition to their picks and shovels, our oriental cousins brought something else with them.....their love a gambling. More of this later!

Opposite the residents' plaque stood an old home which was typical of what we found here. What did leave me somewhat bemused however, was the sign at the front advertising plastering services....I would not have thought there would have been a great demand, but obviously it was worth hanging a shingle.







As we pushed on along the now quite narrow cement strip which was the walkway, I was more than a little relieved to see that a  very solid guard rail had been erected to keep us well separated from highway traffic.








From memory (a tad faded now) the path petered out after about another 500 metres. We wandered along the grass verge for a short distance, long enough to snap this old shed,









and a few of the local houses (of which there were very few along the highway) before turning about and heading back to the pub.















Although not long, this was a pretty walk with large trees and flowering shrubs lining much of it. In the chill of a gloomy afternoon, this short jaunt was all we needed to spark an appetite. We had already made a booking for dinner in the hotel which bore a very good reputation for the quality of its food.












The highway through Weldborough curves one way and the other, and as we neared the pub and our campground these two old wooden buildings came into view.

One was the old Weldborough Hotel, now the residence of the 'new' hotel manager and his family.

But there is much more to this rather dilapidated old building than meets the eye. It was here, in the late 1800's that the local Chinese were able to indulge in one of their favoured social activities. Believe it nor not, what we were looking at was the home of the first casino in Tasmania. The wealthy Chinese merchant Maa Mon Chin ran this gaming house, which apparently drew folk from all over the island to try their luck at the Mah Jong and Fan Tan tables. Remember how avant-garde we all thought Wrest Point was when built. That was a Tasmanian 'Johnny-come-lately' if ever there was one when it comes to Australian casinos.



The Weldborough hotel as it is now has neither the age or the history of its opposite number across the road. The original hotel established on this site in 1876 burnt down in the 1920's. Its replacement in which we were about to drink and dine rose here in 1928, a real newcomer by normal Tassie historical standards.






The weather closed in again as dusk approached. We rugged up for the short walk across the paddock past a very dreary looking al fresco table (but with the salt and pepper shakers at the ready!)









and soon made ourselves at home in the warmth of the pub bar. This hotel specialises in offering a number of MicroBrew beers on tap, and I needed no persuading that a tasting paddle would be a very good way to start the evening festivities.




Mine host was a most avuncular and welcoming chap. Although a relative newcomer to Weldborough, he had  a wealth of knowledge about the area ....and the beers he was selling!

We had a great yarn as I sipped and slurped my way through five varieties of local ales, finishing with one of the best black beers I have ever tasted.

A lack of age does not render this establishment short on warmth and charm. This tea and coffee nook is available to all house guests, and what does not show in the photo is a drying rack near the open fire in this room. Here, all who return sodden from a tramp or a ride, are invited to hang their kit out to dry in front of the flames. Now that's a homely touch!



On the other side of the bar, this doorway with its strangely juxtaposed lead light upper windows, leads out to the beer garden and one of the two outdoor eating areas. We could just imagine how pleasant this could be sitting amongst the flowers in this delightful nook on a fine and sunny afternoon (a bit of a rarity in Welborough I suspect!)







But tonight was definitely an evening to be indoors where there were several dining locations on offer.














We chose a small table in the bar area looking across the road to the old casino.

This was to be the last of our Tassie pub crawl hotels, so we splurged with a bottle of excellent Devil's Corner pinot, a wine we had savoured some weeks previously whilst in Swansea and which we knew was well worth the price charged.

As for the meals, well, they were certainly up to scratch. Liz settled for her usual chicken parmy, whilst I hoed into one of the best pub steak sandwiches I've ever been served. And the chips were stunners!

We were very happy campers, but this night had only just begun. By the time we had eaten, the place was crowded with house guests and a few locals. It was then I spotted one lass wearing a rugby top with a very familiar logo.....DWLBC! Now that would mean absolutely nothing to most, but I knew these letters stood for Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation.

How? My last stint of employment was as a Senior Investigator and Training Officer in the Investigations Unit of this South Australian Government department.(a blast from the past KG and MD!) 

And yes, when I approached the young woman so attired and mentioned my name, the penny dropped immediately. "You trained me as an Authorised Officer", she squealed. "Indeed I did", I replied, "What on earth are you doing here?"

You may recall me mentioning the other van in the paddock with the SA plates. Yep, that was her and her partner. They come to Weldborough regularly to pan for gold in the streams around the town.

Needless to say that was the spark which lit the festive fire.....we retired late and more than merry. The last pub on our list had proven to be a winner in more ways than one. Weldborough and its pub remain firmly fixed in the positive sphere of our memories.

By now we were nearing the end of this Tassie adventure. Apart from our return to Devonport where we were to catch up with two good old Cyprus mates before embarking on the crossing back to the mainland, we had two more things on our 'to do' list. 

One was to catch and cook a trout and the other to visit the old town of Deloraine and its surrounds.