Mon, 16th Feb, 2015 Trial Harbour to Mackintosh Dam (Zeehan Museum)

Here we are 6 months down the track. Still loving the life. Very windy night but all good. Cool again with overcast sky, 23 degrees. As we pack up black rain clouds start rolling in. Head back up the narrow road again.

Stopped at the top for a photo of the clouds.

Managed to get a photo of Walrus as we head back.

Into Zeehan. Steve went off to the mechanic to try and get the rim welded. We headed into the West Coast Pioneers’ Museum. Some moulds of the precious metals. Lots of information about mineral exploration, mining etc.

Went outside to check out the mining equipment and trains in between the rain showers.

Steve is across the road.

Leanne rang the old alarm bell for the Zeehan Fire Brigade. Glad no one came running!

Another piece of wood stave pipeline from Lake Margaret Power Station. It was originally made from Oregon Pine imported from Canada. It was rebuilt in 1938 with King Billy Pine.

This little hut houses the Zeehan steam driven power station equipment. Sentinal 400rpm  compound steam engine, Thomas Parker Limited  220 volt 110 kw direct current generator and marble backed switchboard. Zeehan was one of the first Australian cities to install electric street lighting.

Rick found the entrance to the ‘mine’ which is under the building.

There was a video of a chap being taken on a tour of the Rosebery mine in 2009. It was very interesting. We felt we were in the mine as it smelt of dirt and diesel and was dark too. Took video of the ‘edward scissorshands’ machine that was drilling holes in the roof then another arm would swing up and put in the ‘nail’ to hold up the mesh reinforcing.

Some of the machinery used in the mines too that are run on compressed air so no bad fumes.

A great model of the underground workings of the Renison Tin Mine which was the world’s largest underground tin mine. This model was constructed at the mine by the miners on light duties from 1970s to 1990. There are well over 160km of road network underground. It amazes me how it doesn’t all collapse.

Some models displaying drilling in the mine.

A replica miner’s hut called “Koonya Retreat”.

A well with lots of other machinery in the background. There are doing a marvellous job restoring old relics and saving them from the scrapyards.

Check out the drag saw blade.

The stamper from Koonya mine is a Californian stamp. It was based on the Cornish stamp  but are more rapid in motion and the heads and lifters were made to rotate so that they wore more evenly. A single head could also crush 1.5 tons of ore compared to only 1 ton for a Cornish stamp.

This poor old girl is believed to be the original Krauss Locomotive that travelled up and down main street and around Zeehan from 1907. It had been sitting in the Rotary Park for 18 years.

Into the Blacksmith’s shop.

Then the Wheelwright’s shop. Even us girls were enjoying checking out all the old stuff.

 The note on the coffin says “The person who made it had no use for it; The person who bought it didn’t need it; The person who is using it didn’t see it.

Outside there was heaps of old machines, trucks and this train/carriage thing that I figured used to take the miners to work.

In another shed was the motor vehicle display – still a work in progress. Steve didn’t come in with us so needed to take lots of photos for him.

This is a battery operated floor crane from Mount Lyell Smelter in the 1920s.

How’s this for a camera – used to photograph maps for the Mount Lyell Mine in 1960s.

Another shed was the Mine Blacksmith’s shop.

I think these are used to drill with.

There was also another shed full of machinery that the volunteers are working on and another shed of boating displays. We headed into the main building. This is the Mansonic Club’s room. It was very interesting to learn about its history and its rituals and symbols. Freemasonary is a society of men founded on high ideals and sound moral principles. Symbols of the ancient stone masons are used to illustrate various moral values. For instance, stone mason’s tools are all given a moral significance – eg. the Square teaches us to be on the ‘square’ with all mankind. The Plumb Rule teaches us to be upright in all our undertakings.  I just thought it was a weird bloke’s club with secret handshakes etc.

Next door was the rebuilt Police Station and Court House. Lots of information around the walls.

The book of crimes.

Some police weapons on display in the police station.

The station depicted the early 1900s.

Criminal’s information from the Hobart Goal. We wondered how it was a crime to conceal a birth.

 Some were so young.

Next was the Gaiety Theatre, built in 1898 and the Grand Hotel.

Old photos of Dame Melba who sang here.

The boys would like this full sized billiard table made in 1920.

Another large room was full of “ladies” things.

Especially this favourite - the washer and wringer.

Info about early life for the women.

Sarah Island and the women there.

More information about other prominent women of the early days of this area, like the wife of Robert Sticht, the first mine manager in Queenstown.  Some old photos of Penghana.

Lovely house “Ormiston” in Strahan, circa 1910, home of the Henry family.

Beautiful day bed.

Looks like Millaa staircase with all the stuff stacked around it. The building is under restoration so we are lucky they have done so much for us to see.

The pool room/bar which is part of the Grand Hotel.

Lots of lovely old posters.

The Theatre was lovely with an upper seating area that is under restoration.

On the big screen was the story of all this area which was very interesting. This was the Gordon River cruise which went to Sarah Island so we have just about seen all of it.

Gorgeous pipe organ.

Back in the Museum itself I got Leanne to take a photo of me trying to get on the Penny Farthing.

Dad might be interesting in this. It is a carbon-arc blue print machine. Amazing.

Mount Bischoff Ore Dresser was great to watch when someone pressed the button.

Another one for Dad - Vertical Prism Process Camera. Originally built in 1915 for Eastman Kodak in New York. It was used for block printing or possibly lithograph printing negatives, using wet plate photography. It was converted for roll negative paper photo copy use.

A mine display with information about the Windlass.

There is a world class crystal and mineral collection taking up a few rooms. Found some local minerals.

For Steve – a nice gold specimen on quartz from Queenstown.

Zeehan from the north east showing Mt Zeehan in early 1890s.

Oertling Gold Balance.

Another one to inspire Steve – a great nugget found near Bendigo in 1870!! It weighed 31.57kg.

Interesting fact about the Fossil Hat.

A mechanical computer used at the Mt Bischoff Mine office in 1895.

We headed out to the van to have lunch and rest our brains. Steve was enjoying resting and reading his magazines, he was history overloaded!! He didn’t have any joy with welding the rim so he swapped the used tyre onto another rim so we were still using the same tyre tread. We headed back into the Museum while he headed for the ice cream shop!!

Into another mineral room with bigger displays.

 Lots and lots of displays of Crocoite.

Adamsfield was a mine on the way out to Gordon Dam. Should have gone for a look!!

Now that’s a lovely piece of Opal.

Another room had a video telling of the 1912 North Lyell Mine Disaster.

Good map explaining where the mines are around Queenstown.

Upstairs there were heaps more rooms each dedicated to a town/mining area on the west coast. So much to read we were getting brain overload. Reading about places we had been made sense and I read some of the ones we were heading to.

Some great Queenstown photos.

The aerial ropeway from Zeehan to the mine at Williamsford which we will check out when we do the walk to Montezuma Falls.

Info about the Gaiety Theatre and an old film projector.

Great photo of Ocean Beach and Henty River, 1982.

Aerial shot of Trial Harbour, 1982.

We are now history overloaded so decided to follow Steve’s lead and we all headed for the ice cream shop. Very nice. The Museum definitely was worth the $15 entrance. The lady said when we left that some people do it over two days – wish she had told us that before!!!

People had mentioned that Lake Mackintosh was a great free camp so we decided to head for there, which is just north of Tullah (40km away).  Headed off back past the mine called Denison Bell – with a strong sulphur smell. Up and down the hills again through natural forests. Passed the turn off to Montezuma Falls (will do that tomorrow) and through Rosebery (200m). There was an overnight camp there which looked ok when we drove past. Up an 8km range to 490m elevation (should have stopped at Rosebery). Mt Murchison was covered in cloud (1275m). Down to cross Lake Rosebery on the Murchison Bridge (180m). Through an old mining town of Tullah where a few vans were parked by the boat ramp. Turned off down the dirt road to find Lake Mackintosh. We had to cross over the dam wall which was very narrow.

The power station was below.

Then we went over the spillway. Hope they don’t get a lot of rain suddently.

We stopped in a cleared area where there was another 6 vans parked for the night. We walked down to check out the water’s edge for a camp site but there wasn’t enough room.

Around the other side was the boat ramp.

A bit further around was another cleared area but the backpackers had parked in the middle of the road. Great views of the lake though.

Looking back to the dam wall.

Mt Romulus (955m) in the distance.

Certainly a lot cooler here 21 degrees at 5pm. Set up vans in the cleared area with the others. Another spider had settled in the ramps so I let out a good squeal when I put it under the tyre and he popped out.

We enjoyed a drink looking at the trees rather than the water.

The cold chased us back into the vans though. Rick put out their left over meat from tea to see if there were any animals during the night.