Taroona, Tasmania
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| Taroona Hobart, Tasmania |
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| Postcode: | 7053 | ||||||||||||
| LGA: | Kingborough | ||||||||||||
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Taroona (an Aboriginal word meaning sea-shell) is a major residential suburb approximately 15 minutes drive from the centre of Hobart, Tasmania on the scenic route between Hobart and Kingston. Although on the edges of the City of Hobart, Taroona is actually part of the municipality of Kingborough.
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[edit] Traditional Owners
The traditional owners of the lands now known as Taroona were the Aboriginal people of the Derwent estuary. Sadly relatively little is known about the indigenous people's use of these lands, although some shell middens are said to have been found along the shorelines. [1]
[edit] European Settlement
The first European settlement of the area now knows at Taroona took place in the early 1800s, when land was granted to settlers who had relocated from Norfolk Island. For the remainder of that century, the area was largely used for farming, and was sparsely populated. In the first half of the 20th century, more large and elegant residences were built, as well as beach shacks and cottages which were used for seaside holidays by the residents of Hobart.[1]
After WWII, significant subdivision of Taroona was undertaken, and the suburb's population rapidly expanded. Having been developed mainly in the "era of the automobile", Taroona was from the beginning a commuter suburb, and it has a notable absence of commercial or retail premises, with not even local corner stores servicing most of the area.[1]
[edit] 1967 Bushfires
In February 1967, southern Tasmania was engulfed in the most viscious wildfires on record, resulting in many deaths. Taroona was the closest suburb to the city of Hobart to take the full brunt of the fires, which swept across the suburb in the mid afternoon, wreaking havoc, and destroying many homes. Children and residents fled to the river, and many people's survival was due to the refuge the safe waters provided.[1]
[edit] Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
Taroona was the childhood home of Tasmanian-born Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, who attended the river-side Taroona High School before completing her High Schooling at Mount Nelson's Hobart College and embarking on her tertiary degree at the University of Tasmania.[citation needed]
[edit] Shot Tower
Situated on the Channel Highway, just past Taroona is one of the State's most historic buildings, the Shot Tower. The Shot Tower is a 48m (150ft) tall circular sandstone tower constructed by Joseph Moir in 1870 from locally quarried sandstone blocks. Lead shot was made by dropping molten lead through a sieve at the top of the tower and by the time it hit the water at the bottom it was cold and spherical in shape. A climb up 259 steps to the top of the tower gives a wonderful view of the Derwent Estuary.[2]
[edit] Truganini Reserve
Just before reaching Taroona is the Truganini Reserve, named after the woman cited (with some contention) as the last surviving "full-blooded" Tasmanian Aboriginal. A steep track leads from the reserve through forest up the side of Mount Nelson to the semaphore station at the summit that offers superb views over the Derwent River. The return walk takes around an hour and a half.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "Taroona 1808-1986, Farm Lands to a Garden Suburb" Taroona Historical Group, 1988
- ^ Guide to Tasmania's Historic Places - Shot Tower Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service Retrieved November 14, 2006
