Saturday 15 September 2012

Tasmania Day 7 and Day 8



 Day 7


Historical Homes, Clarendon, Franklin and Entally

So with Marc still in Melbourne Miss S and I took the opportunity to have a look at some of the historical homes in the local area. Those of you that know me well know that I loooove old houses…….

The morning started at just after 9am as we arrived at Clarendon House.


                                                    The front vista of Clarendon House.


Clarendon House took fifteen years to build and was completed was in 1838. James Cox one of the richest and most influential men in Tasmanian history commissioned it. Clarendon house is a three-story house built in the Georgian style. It has servant quarters downstairs. The house is beautifully decorated through out with many items of furniture either identical to or similar to the pieces in the house during it’s hey day.



Miss S enjoying the view from one of the upstairs windows

The estate also consists of a walled garden, stables with servant’s quarters attached, several other outbuildings including a shearing shed. The gardens surrounding the house are extensive and very well tended. It was a beautiful place to visit and we were allowed to wander freely through the house and gardens unhindered.


The woolshed at Clarendon Estate.


After Clarendon we headed back towards Launceston and visited Franklin House.


Franklin house

Franklin House was built in 1838, by Mr Britton Jones the licensee of the nearby Sir Wallace Inn. Mr. Jones was a bit of an entrepreneur he never intended to live in the house he built it to rent out.

It was rented to the Hawkes family and it was quickly converted to become a school house
Eventually the Hawkes family purchased the house and resided in it for some 50 years. Eventually at some point the house was abandoned and fell into disrepair.

A mile marker positioned outside referring to the distance to Hobart Town, sadly you can’t see the distance on the marker.

In 1960 the national trust was founded in Tasmania for the specific purpose of purchasing, restoring and maintaining this house.

Entally Estate was our late house to visit for the day. Entally was founded in 1819 by Thomas Reibey II. Thomas Reibey was the first son of Thomas and Mary Reibey. If you go to your wallet and pull out a twenty dollar note you will see a lady on one side of it . . . .she is Mary Reibey. 
Entally house was a two storey structure built in the regency style.  The stair case in the first part of the house had amazingly shallow steps and a very low handrail, it was pretty challenging negotiating the downward climb, but we were pre warned and was aware of the risks.


Entally House.

The grounds included a lovely Glasshouse, a chapel, stables, farming equipment sheds, barn, a coachmans cottage and a blacksmith’s shop. The estate was lovely and was probably my favourite of the three. We enjoyed a lovely Devonshire tea in what would have been Entally’s Guest bedroom.

Inside the glass house at Entally.


Day 8

Bridstowe estate and Marc returns

We had a very late start this morning, I mean let’s face after all the early starts to see everything we deserved a lay in , after all it is a holiday. Anyway we headed up towards Lillydale to the Bridstowe lavender farm, we almost gave this farm a miss as we new it would not be in flower and we thought it probably wasn’t worth the trip . . . . . . . . Well Marc had been chatting with someone in Melbourne and they said that the estate was definitely worth the trip even when it wasn’t in flower ( also Marc had been surfing the net and was keen on a few of the culinary items that were available). So Miss S and I headed off and I would have to say that the Lilly dale area is the loveliest area I have had the pleasure of driving through, so green and lush.


The vista at Bridstowe

Marc’s advisor was definitely right it was absolutely worth the drive, the estate was lovely even without it’s flowers and the gift shop was packed with lot’s and lot’s of goodies…

 
Another view at Bridstowe with our Prado in the shot just to show how huge the fields of Lavender are.


Anyway enough for now

Until tomorrow

The Knights

2 comments:

  1. Hello travellers.....great to see and read all your travels to and in Tasmania. It brings back memories of our trip there a couple of years back, although it's amazing how people find and see different things in the same places......so we'll have to go again now!!...lol.....I should ask if you have taken any sewing with you, Trish, but I think not as you look to have a busy schedule.........now I've found you I'll keep travelling each day with you.......tasted any lovely pinots yet?....I loved the Tassie reds when we were there......

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  2. love all those pics..........would be wonderful to wander the old houses............

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