21st October 2009

Abel Tasman, the Dutch explorer who charted the west coast of Tasmania in 1642, named two of its mountain peaks after his ships, the Heemskerck and Zeehaen.

Today we are in Zeehan on the west coast of Tasmania where I was told it rains 300 days of the year, I now believe them. 7.30am...sunshine! I went to take a shower and by the time I finished my shower it was raining LOL.

We found the Zeehan Pioneer Museum, WOW, fantastic! Lots of history, lots of pictures and lots of displays. Here are just a few of the things we saw.

General Manager's Rail Car


Ore Dresser from Mt. Bischoff 1873












Mechanical Computer used at Mt. Bischoff in 1895












Penny Farthing Bicycle












Check out the size of this fotokopist camera






and the size of this Vertical Prism Process Camera by Kodak 1915












Cummings & Wilson 35mm Projector 1930



We visited the Gaiety Theatre which was first opened in 1898, and where Dame Nellie Melba once sang. The theatre has been restored but still has that old, damp smell that makes me want to throw up.


Into town for chips & cream buns for lunch and then back to the museum. We went underground to a replica tin mine and visited the blacksmiths.



I then took some photo's of the old trains for Hayden.

Beyer - Peacock Locomotive "C" 1 1885 - 1961




Dobbs & Co Emu Bay (Burnie) 1900 - 1961



No8 Krauss Locomotive 1895 - 1863












Krauss Locomotive 1907












Hand Car












Passenger Rail Car












I don't know what this one is or was, maybe Hayden can tell me.












We visited the Zeehan pioneer cemetery, what a disgrace, then it was time to say goodbye to Zeehan and head for Strahan.

We arrived in Strahan at about 2.30pm, nothing but forest and logged forest along the way. The first thing we did was head for the wharf and buy tickets on the Lady Jane Franklin II for tomorrow's 6 hour cruise up the Gordon river.

The caravan park at Strahan is excellent, if I could combine the Stanley caravan park with the Strahan caravan park you would have the perfect caravan park.

This picture was taken from Strahan lookout.











The cute ducks we saw at the wharf.












After dinner it was too early to sleep so we went to the Wilderness Railway station where I took a few more train pictures for hayden. The engine wasn't there, just the carriages.



It was still too early to sleep so we went to Ocean Beach for a while, a lovely beach, pretty rough, not really for swimming. We saw tons of mutton birds, it was cold and windy and too dark to take photo's.