The Land Without A Forgotten Dark

Wooden Boat Festival: Hunter St precinct

2009-02-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

The Hunter St area had two tents, with some smaller things around the edge. The endmost tent, shown here, had the Shipwrights Village (displays of maritime-related crafts) and a display of Indigenous Watercraft. The first tent had the Maritime Marketplace, which was crowded because of the rain and not as interesting as I remember it.

In the Indigenous Watercraft tent, there were two different traditional canoes on display, showing the differences and similarities between the two cultures.

Tasmanian Aboriginal bark canoe, which I think is made by tying bundles of bark together. This one uses a lot of melaleuca (paperbark/tea-tree) bark.

A dugout canoe from the Tiwi Islands. This one was carved from a punkaringa (also a melaleuca), using axes and power tools.

In the Shipwrights Village tent, it was still crowded because of the rain and the light was bad.

This was a demonstration of caulking, by hammering bits of rope between the timbers.

He was making half models, which are mounted on a back board and sold for hundreds of dollars.

You can have the one in the top right for $620, and just $360 for the two below. I'm not that sure I see the attraction in them, really. I mean, they're nice and original to a degree, but they're just a bit plain.

Now that I could like. Maybe not $1800 worth though.

Bit for building a boat, in various timers. The big bit is a stem crook. I can't remember or read what the others are.

Boats, wooden or otherwise

2009-02-14T01:07:00.000-08:00

I'm going to break my Wooden Boat Festival photos in three posts. There will probably be some duplication with photos I've already used.

On the water

Hunter St precinct

Off the water

One problem here, is the tall ships present are all ones I've done long photo posts on before. While I have new photos of some, it doesn't seem worth doing a whole new post for each. While I ponder on it, when they get mentioned, I'll link to previous posts (as below).

Before I get to the wooden boats proper, some of the water craft hanging around the edges....

Enterprise, Young Endeavour and cruise ship Asuka II

HMAS Stuart: Anzac Class Guided Missile Frigate

Midlands Military Meet

2008-04-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

A scattering of photos from the Midlands Military Meet at Campbell Town last weekend. Being the first one, it was a small event but we hope to grow it for next time.

There was a big metal shed that doubled as the Dealer's Hall and Exhibition Hall. Outside was a large dirt arena, where the live displays (enacting?) took place, and a scattering of displays around the outside (the Army and a collection of military vehicles). A small event is probably more social and relaxed than a larger gathering, but it puts extra pressure on those exhibitors that were there. I think both the WW2 group and the Light Horse did 3 displays each of the three days (or 2 on the last day) which was quite demanding, and it's hard being a dealer when it's quiet. (It's also hard being a dealer when you have more customers can you can deal with at once, but that's the sort of hard one can live with.) It has the potential to grow though, especially now that there is material available (photos!) to promote the next one in 2010.

(And if anyone reading this is interested in taking part or knows someone who might be...)
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Uh oh, German invasion.

But the Allied forces are onto them.

Yep, definitely dead.

The problems with boots...

Barbarians should not eat blueberry icecream. It's just wrong.

The dealers' tables were very interesting in their own right.

These are what you call specialist books.

That is a colour photo.

The Light Horse re-enactors frustrated me. They were far enough away the camera couldn't pick them up well and they sun was beside them, so the darker horses came out particularly badly. Sunday morning was overcast though, so I managed to get some usable photos (which I will put in another post).

In the ~~big, metal shed~~ pavilion, there was a corner of displays.

Anti-aircraft gun.

BANG! Setting off the 6-pounder

It can play games with your head though. On the Saturday morning, I came out of the pavilion while everyone was setting up, and saw two medievalish characters walking past some Word War II soldiers. I'm used to one twist on reality -- whether it's an old house or a replica ship or people in period costume against a modern backdrop -- but multiple twists can be jolting at first.

One very obvious thing missing from the photos is sound. The running commentary, the bang of the big guns, the pop-pop-pop of the smaller guns. You'd be standing in the pavilion talking with a dealer and suddenly World War II erupts outside :)

Light Horse re-enactors

2008-03-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

Interesting to see in the photos the things the eye missed.

There are three skill tests being demonstrated here: lopping the ball of the poles, skewering the ring hanging from the gallows and getting the wooden stake on the ground (tent pegging). These are done competitively in places.

Ross, sheep paddock

2008-03-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

Here we have a sheep paddock

with an empty house in it.

This is a short timeline of the site taken from Parks & Wildlife's web page

c. 1831 brick and thatch huts built for convict gang employed in public works

1833-5 permanent stone buildings constructed to house chain-gang employed on the Ross bridge

1841 site commenced use as male probation station and also housing chain-gangs working on the Hobart-Launceston road

1847 expansion of buildings for female convicts

1853 end of convict transportation

1854 closure of female factory

1855 factory handed over to Police Department

It's the period from 1847-1854 that is the main focus of the displays and most material written about the sight.

There is only one building still standing. Originally, it was two conjoined cottage, each of which consisted of two main rooms with a small room on the back. This is the rear cottage, with a room on either side of the door

and the little room at the back.

The front cottage has been enlarged.

The rooms on the right are the original two roomed cottage (same as the one shown earlier). Two rooms have been added on the left, with a central hallway joining them to the original part, making a four roomed house.

This is the side of the house, originally the back of the cottage. I hadn’t noticed until I was editing this photo, but you can see the doorway that must have led to the little back room (there's a sandstone doorsill at the bottom, and the a vertical line above it shows where the doorway was filled in with stone).

Inside the house is a small museum, but I'll leave that for Mr Squirrel. Anything I write about the site that will be duplicating what has been done better elsewhere on the web, in particular the Parks & Wildlife site and the Female Factory website

Inside, there is a model of the site, the two cottages are at the bottom (the addition is shown with clear walls).

On the Parks site, there's a map that shows the present day remains related to the demolished buildings.

Ross, more stones

2008-03-20T00:20:00.000-07:00

A side trip, to the hill behind the older part of town.

Through a gate

Penalty For Not Closing Gates ?10

across the railway

and through another two gates

is the Anglican cemetery, with the smaller Catholic cemetery to one side (not visible).

It's an interesting cemetery in its own right, but today's destination is further up the hill.

Also known as the soldier's or military burial ground,

because there are a number of redcoats buried here.

Philip Maher
who departed this life
on the 31st March AD 1817
and served as Quarter Master Seegeant
in the 51st K.O.L.I
during a long campaign on the
Peninsula and? Waterloo
and later Barrack Sergeant
at Ross
aged 56 years

There are not a lot of headstones up here though.

(This is a guess)
Isabella Ann
the beloved wife of
Mr Henry Valentine

Many of the surviving stones are also too worn to read.

Herbert is responsible for carving many of the headstones here, including his own (this one). Presumably Colbeck did some too but he rarely gets mentioned.

Sarah Ann Ellis
October 13th 1836 aged 1 month

In the background there is the next, and final, destination

at the bottom of the long path that runs alongside the newer cemetery (looking back up here).

Ross, the bridge

2008-03-20T00:07:00.000-07:00

So I lied :)

The Ross Bridge is on the southern access road, although once part of the highway. It was built in 1836, at the request of Lt Gov Arthur, and is another design by architect by John Lee Archer (maybe I should add a tag for his creations?). The two men responsible for building it, as both stonemasons and overseers, were highwayman Daniel Herbert and burglarJames Colbeck. Herbert's name is still well known Colbeck though has faded into relative obscurity, and when he does get a mention, he's often called John. Both did get a pardon a few years latter though.

The stone isn't standing up to elements very well and many of the 186 carvings that decorate the bridge are badly worn. (The also don't photograph very well from the riverbank.) There is, or was, a project under way to create replacements from moulds, and put the originals somewhere safe.

In the photo below, look for the face in the bottom left corner.

Ross, some more of the town

2008-03-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

Some photos of buildings today, and then I'll get onto the interesting stuff. :)

Along Bridge St, being the street leading from the Bridge. Military Barracks.

War Memorial at the intersection of Bridge & Church St (from previous post). I started adding a few notes about this, but it got long. Next post :)

Looking south up the hill. The Uniting Church is up there on the right.

The Uniting Church (formerly Methodist) was built in 1885 to an older 1838 Chapel. On the site of the chapel, there is an early Sunday School buildings and apparently some old headstones. One of the things I didn't get to look at.

The Council Clerk's House, from the back.

South along Church St are the shops and many of the old buildings.

The pub again.

The Scotch Thistle was a coaching inn, built about 1830, licensed about 1840.

Not all stone :)

Post Office

Ross, an introduction

2008-03-05T22:25:00.000-08:00

Ross sits beside the Midlands Hwy, not quite halfway between Launceston and Hobart, and just south of the Line. At the time of the second settlement in the north, the island was divided into two: Cornwall in the north, Buckingham in the south. Folk history puts the line along the 42nd latitude, and Ross is at 42°01' S. Nowadays, the (unofficial) dividing line between north & south is at Oatlands, the next town down the road.

With a settlement at each end of the island, there was soon travel between north and south. From Highway in Van Diemen's Land, by Hawley Stancombe, "Wentworth wrote in 1819 of the track between Hobart and Launceston worn by carts and stock regularly passing between the two towns, but winding about so much that it was probably a hundred and sixty miles long. [Today it's closer to 124 miles] Major Thomas Bell of the 48th Regiment was therefore commissioned in 1821 to construct portions of the road from the capital to Port Dalrymple."

1821 is the same year, according to Parks & Wildlife, that Ross was a declared a town, although there'd been a garrison there from a few years earlier.

Also from Highway: "Travellers between the north and the south, particularly those with carts, were subject to careful scrutiny by the military at various posts. Only free settlers were permitted to proceed to Port Dalrymple from the south with a load of goods, because of the robbers and trafficking in stolen goods between the two settlements."

Other than waylaying travellers, I'm not actually sure what the purpose of the garrison was. (I am writing this based on two brochures (one of which has only the barest of details) the book above, the Parks & Wildlife website, and whatever is stored away in my brain; none of them have anything else to say about garrisons in the midlands.) I assume there was some chasing of aborigines and absconders going on though.

The 1820s is rather early for a town to be appearing, but obviously things were happening in the area, possibly farming. A timber bridge was built over the river in 1821, to be replaced by the current stone bridge 15 years later. Then, again from Highway, a stock market was built at Ross in 1826 "to rival Cross Marsh and to serve as an outlet for the stock produced by northern breeders" and in 1829, "Sergeant Dan O'Connor was sent to supervise the erection of buildings at Ross, some of which are still standing between the bridge and the hotel."

Ross was also the site of a probation station and a women's prison, and once the road was put through, a coaching stop.

The road building that started in 1821 is, of course, still going on. Late in the 20th century, a number of the towns along the central section of the Midlands Highway were bypassed, including Ross. I think Ross's only reason for existence these days is tourism, because most of the services in the area are provided at Oatlands, a bigger town about 20 minutes drive to the south. Ross is a good place to stop for a drink or a meal, and for the size of the town, there is a lot of look at. I've only included some of these because I haven't had the opportunity to photograph everything.

One interesting feature of Tasmanian architecture is the use (or absence) of sandstone. It's almost non-existent in the north, mostly appearing in modern buildings. Whereas down south, it is everywhere. IIRC all the older public buildings in Hobart are sandstone, and most of the grander private houses, but also many small cottages and warehouses. The same occurs in many of the older southern towns. Oatlands claims to be the town with the most sandstone buildings, but for sheer concentration, I think Ross wins.

There are a lot of photos, so I'm going to do this over a few days (hey, come back). After my longer-than-I intended introduction, I'll just include a few today, and then next time a selection of buildings along Church St, before looking at three particular sites of interest.

The heart of the town is the intersection of Church St and Bridge St.

Shown here as you come in from the south, along the bridge. It's a busy little place.

A little more town-like if viewed from the opposite direction. :)

The four corners of the intersection were said to represent Temptation, Salvation, Recreation and Damnation and so we have:

Man O'Ross Hotel, built in the early 1830s -- a Georgian-style building, which Victorian alterations.

Catholic Church, converted from a store about 1920.

Town Hall, built 1881. The Council Chambers, the shorter bit on the left, is a stone facade to a timber building. The brochure says the facade had once been part of the "Governor of the Prison" House. The sign out the front says it's now the Midlands Community Church.

Site of the town gaol, then Council Clerk's house. There's a western wing that incorporates part of the old police building. I think that's the bit out the back (on the right of the photo).

I'll leave working out which corner is which as an exercise for the reader.

West Tamar - Beauty Point

2008-02-21T15:13:00.000-08:00

Last one :)

Beauty Point developed as a port for Beaconsfield. It's seen a resurgence lately with developments like Seahorse World. The pub got upgraded to a swanky drinking place, which is where the first three photos are taken from.

The Australian Maritime College has a campus here (their other campus shares the site with UniTas just down the road from me) and moor their ships here.

There's a park that runs along the edge of the river.

That's Bell Bay, the industrial port on the other side of the river.

We actually went looking for the shopping centre, because someone said it tells you a lot about the town. We'd just about given up on finding it when we got to this street.

West Tamar - Beaconsfield

2008-02-12T19:34:00.000-08:00

Gold was discovered at Brandy Creek in the 1870s, and it wasn't long before a substantial town, renamed to Beaconsfield, grew up. It was said to one of the biggest in the state at one stage. According to Town With a History, by Coultman Smith, in 1899, the population was "2,699, with 7 hotels, eight boarding houses, five bakers, four blacksmiths, two doctors, two watchmakers, a solicitor, a tailor, 15 general stores, six greengrocers, five drapers, a state school, and four private schools."

The mine closed in 1914 and the town soon faded away. I pulled out my books to get the dates the mine was operational and ended up with enough notes to make another post so I'll do that another day.

These days, the mine again supports the town (the new mine can be seen behind the right hand brick building), with a bit of tourism and some service provision for the local area, because up here it's far to run into Launceston all the time to go tot he shops.

An odd little junk shop, with most of the goods on the floor

and the adjoining fruit stall

Opposite the mine site, there is a relocated school house and miner's cottage set up so visitors can look through the windows. I'll put up some photos of them in a later post too.

West Tamer - Exeter

2008-02-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

Exeter is about halfway along the West Tamar Highway, in away from the river. It provides services for the surrounding area and smaller towns.

A few quick photos, including the obligatory dog on the back of a ute outside the shops.

West Tamar - Gravelly Beach

2008-01-30T20:19:00.000-08:00

Gravelly Beach, is another small riverside town.

These places have a lot of houses for the size of the town. They are close enough to Launceston that most people would go there for shopping and other services, or nearby Exeter for quick visits.

As you come into Gravelly Beach from the north, there's a long section along the river with newer houses, then the older ones and then this little shopping centre, if you can call it that.

There's a general store, which provides most of the local services, including the post office.

Opposite the shops, there is parking and the river.

Around the corner, there's a good park and playground, and the marina which is probably what brings most visitors, other than those driving through looking for somewhere to eat.

West Tamar - Deviot

2008-01-29T20:30:00.000-08:00

On the long weekend just been, we went up to Deviot because there was a bunch of open gardens and a little market. Most of the photos I took are of the gardens, so not many to show.

Deviot is a little town on the edge of the Tamar, just below the Batman Bridge.

The first thing we noticed was a lot of houses for sale, almost every second one when we first entered. You'd think someone was going to build a pulp mill in the area or something.

There are a lot of older, turn of the 20th century houses,

and some representatives of each decades some. As far as I know, it's only been a resort town. For many residents of Tasmania, especially the female ones, its probably best known for this place. There's a bit of farming, a bit of fishing, and in recent years, a lot of vineyards.

Don't know what these are. I assume Pinot Noir, that's the common dark grape in the area, but it was only a small planting, so it might be something else.

It was only a small market, just a handful of stalls, but a nice selection of goods.

We left there about lunch time, and went through Gravelly Beach, to Exeter and then further up the West Tamar to Beaconsfield and Beauty Point.

Bees

2008-01-18T18:30:00.001-08:00

Spent some time yesterday following bees around the garden. The bumble bee buzzed off after a short while, but the honey bees hung around. Annoying little buggers to focus on though.

They liked the yellow fennel flowers, which was handy because they were at a convenient height. I don't know which variety of fennel it is. I had bronze fennel, with long, red plumes of leaves, which is an attractive plant, if almost as weedy as the wild sort, I've also got a battered Florence fennel, the one with the swollen base, which somehow escaped the devastation that hit my potted plants in early January :( This flowering thing is tall and green. Either the seeds from one reverted back to the wild form, or it's a hybrid of the two.

The purple flowers are oregano, which is quite closer the ground and therefore is harder to get photos from.

Young Endeavour

2008-01-13T21:24:00.000-08:00

Young Endeavour is the Royal Australian Navy's sail training ship, a bicentennial gift from the UK to Australia in 1988.

There's no launch date, but construction was started in May 1986 and the voyage to Australia in August, 1987. That makes her a few months older than Lady Nelson. Among the older of the "new" tall ships (One and All was launched in 1985, Leeuwin in 1986. Possibly I've overlooked someone.)

The leaflet I have gives specifications:

Hull is steel, deck is plywood & teak, masts are aluminium alloy, sails are polyester sailcloth, standing rigging is stainless steel wire rope, running rigging is stainless steel or synthetic fibre.

Design speed maximums, 14 knots under sail & 10 knots under power.

Brigantine rigged (there's a diagram below in one of the photos).

So we'll start at the bow and work aft.

Both masts.

Foremast

Lower foremast.

Lower mainmast

The thing that struck me the most, is the amount of empty space there between the masts. Not all that obvious in the photos. There's this expanse of wood with nothing on it.

George III

2008-01-10T21:20:00.000-08:00

The ship slipped on quietly into the night. In the hospital the surgeon could hear the monotonous droning voice of the leadsman in the chains.

Then suddenly this monotonous droning became louder, with a note of warning. The sea had swiftly shoaled, with no apparent cause.

"Heave quick!" called the captain.

"A quarter less four," came the leadsman's ill omened answer. The water was shoaling fast. Yet the land was two miles away on the nearer side.

"Hard aport! Hard aport!" was the captain's next command.

"Hard a--", the helmsman began to answer as he feverishly leapt to swing around the spokes. He never completed that answer, for before he had time to do so the ship, with a horrid, tearing sound of timbers torn into protesting pieces was on the rocks.

"My God!" shrieked Captain Moxey. But no one heard him save the sea fowl and the convicts.

There had been nothing to mark that rock--no broken water, no greasy swirling of the sea, nothing at all.

(A. J. Villiers, Vanished Fleets, 1931)

George III (ship, 393 tons) departed the Downs on 14th December headed for Hobart Town, with a cargo of 220 men and boys. Under the command of William Moxey, she carried a crew of thirty, as well as twenty-nine soldiers from the 50th regiment, two surgeons and some women, mostly soldiers' wives.

"All went well with the ship til she neared the Line. Then someone went below to draw off spirits. It is probable that he carried a naked light, for a fire started which spread rapidly. ... For hours the fate of the ship hung in the balance for among her military stores were several copper drums of gun powder. The fire had almost reached these when two convicts, Hart and Nelson, braved the suffocating smoke, entered the powder store, seized the copper containers and removed them."

"The food was scarce and bad, the medical supplies scanty with the result that by the time the George III had picked up the Tasmanian coast after one hundred days and eighteen days at sea, she had passed sixteen poor souls over the rail and sixty more were down with scurvy. Of these, fifty were regarded as hopeless."

So it was, when Moxey gathered his officers and surgeon together, they decided to take the quicker passage along D'Entrecasteaux Channel, between Bruny Island and mainland Tasmania.

"Darkness had fallen but the moon was bright and in spit of passing showers visibility was good. Sail was shortened, the leadsman placed in the chains, the Third Officer took his station on the foreyard to look out for broken water. The wind was off the land and the ship passed safely between the dreaded Actaeons and the western shore. She had cleared the reef and her Captain was unaware of the uncharted rocks still ahead which were known only to the local whalers. There were sleeping and therefore showed no break to the Third Mate on the foreyard. Six feet o water cover this part of the reef.

"The first indication of danger was given when the leadsman called, 'Five fathoms.' The ship was moving at about one and a half knots. The next call was, 'A quarter less four.'

"Captain Moxey ordered the helm, "Hard a port." But the ship struck and began to bump and pound. The quarter boat was put over to take soundings and got three and half fathoms. In a short time her masts were over the side and her rudder was up through the poop. The poor wretches locked below were screaming to be let up and were naturally trying to breakout. The military guard was placed round the main \hatch with loaded muskets to prevents the convicts from reaching the deck. In the meantime as the gig was being lowered the forward tackle jambed. She reached the water stern first and scattered her passengers. The Third Officer in the quarter boat picked them up. As this boat was now overcrowded the officer set out but could not find any landing place, so continued up the Channel to Hobart Town. By this time many of the sick below were drowned and others who were strong were trying to reach the deck. But the guard round the hatch threatened to fire on them."

"By now the main deck was almost under water and the boatswain was trying to launch the long boat. This was washed right across the deck and soldiers on guard left their stations round the hatch and boarded her. Many prisoners then reached the deck and about thirty were carried by the sea through the bulwarks and drowned. Captain Moxey was carried over the among the broken spars. Fortunately the long boat had floated after she had been swept through the broken bulwarks and some of the people who had crowded into her dragged the Captain on board."

When the overcrowded boat got free of the wreck, they found a little bay up the coast a way and unloaded. The captain takes the boat back to the wreck and picks up another load of "women, children and invalids and as many others as the boat would carry". On his second trip back, the schooner Louisa appears, and takes off the remaining survivors.

"There were 134 lives lost in this sad wreck. They were all convicts with the exception of two of the crew, a sergeant's wife and three children."

"Dr Wyse in his evidence [at the later enquiry] said that he went below to his charges when she struck. They put their hands through the gratings and seized his hands saying, "You promised to stand by us". The Doctor had answered, "I shall remain." The Doctor continued, "The rocks were tearing through her bottom and the water rising rapidly. Two of the most deserving person got through an opening they had made but Corporal Bell ordered them back. The guard was standing around the hatchway with muskets levelled. I went to the hatchway and requested Corporal Bell to allow the two prisoners, Hart and Nelson, to come up with me. ... Out of forty boys on boards twenty were lost."

There were allegations that the soldiers had fired on the prisoners. An enquiry was held but "the evidence about the shooting was conflicting. The military, with the exception of Corporal Bell, said the shots were fire to draw attention to the wreck."

Corporal Deveril: A shot was fired but not at the prisoners. One shot only was fired down the hatchway. Soon afterwards the prisoners were up to their middles in water and they then came up.

William Nelson, prisoner: Heard shots fired but saw no one wounded.

Robert Hart, prisoner: Saw soldiers level their muskets against prisoners and one shot fired. Saw prisoner Robert Lucker fall. He was nine or ten feet away. Never saw him again.

James McKay, prisoner,: Saw prisoner Yates fall after a shot had been fired.

James Elliott, prisoner: Heard two shots fired. The first killed Robert Lucker. Saw another man fall a few minutes later. Was knocked down the hatchway and fell on Lucker's body.

Corporal David Bell: Said two shots were fired down the hatchway. Heard a cry that a man had been shot.

The Coroner and the jury made their way down to South Port where they exhumed the bodies that had been washed up on the beach for signs of being shot. Given the state of the bodies and that only two or three out of 134 had possibly been shot that, they strangely enough didn't find anything.

There's a monument to the wreck on Southport Bluff, and another one with an anchor from the wreck in either Southport or Dover. (A quick Google tells me that I thought it was in Dover.)

Not a lot of information on the web that I can find.

There is an oil painting though, by Knut Bull, 1805.
The wreck of the 'George the Third'

Also there's the book Book: An Imperial Disaster: the wreck of George the Third by Michael Roe.

Quoted sections are from Wrecks in Tasmanian Water: 1797-1950", by Harry O'May

James Craig

2008-01-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

James Craig aka Clan McLeod, iron barque, built 1874, and used for general cargo. In the 1920s, she was sent off to end her days as coal hulk in Recherche Bay, although soon after that she was abandoned and beached. There's a photo from that period on the Sydney Heritage Fleet website, along with more information. She was rescued in 1972, restored and then relaunched in 1997, and now lives Sydney. Something of a special ship, because there are very few from that era still in regular work, if carrying passengers rather than cargo.

Interesting that the 'Facts' page gives the original crew as "Master, his wife, 16 crew including 3 apprentices", I wouldn't have thought that 16 was enough.

These photos were taken at the 2005 Wooden Boat Festival in 2005 (obviously an ocean-going ship). These are my first "sailing ship" photos so there's not as many as usual :) and I can't remember many of the details, so most of them don't have captions unless I can tell what they are from the photo. Also, the camera doesn't like dark-hulled ships.

"Fo'c'sle Deck" the sign says.

Galley

Cabin for crew

Quarterdeck

Looking from the quarterdeck.

That looks familiar.

Seem to recall that this deck is a later addition, and this was all part of the hold. Which makes sense, but then the tables below couldn't have been there.

This leads up into the cabin area. See the information panel on the left which gives the layout of the ship, which I didn't bother to get a photo of because I thought I could find it elsewhere?

The next few photos are given in the order taken, to help put them in context because I can't remember any details.

From the top of that ladder, looking back to the deck/hold. If the deck didn't exist, then access to the upper deck would have been via the ladder (photo below), and the companionway (further down).

In the saloon.

>

Master's cabin, bed is on the left.

Bath off master's cabin

Windeward Bound

2008-01-03T02:12:00.000-08:00

Windeward Bound is based in Hobart, a modern brigantine built in the 1990s, from 19th C plans (from memory, their website isn't being very helpful).

Not a lot of photos this time.

These first two are from a couple of days ago, at Taste of Tasmania/Summer Festival.

These are from the Wooden Boat Festival in 2005.

I added some more photos to my website (the same ones from here are at the top & bottom).

Polly Woodside

2007-12-19T16:45:00.000-08:00

Polly Woodside aka Rona
Iron barque, built 1885 in Belfast.
647 tons, 192 feet long, max speed 14 knots.

A trading ship, coal mostly, from the end of the era of sail, although she remained in use to the 1920s, when she was converted to a coal hulk.

Original Photos

Under sail

Under sail, from a different angle

"Three masted barque about to be broken up on the rocks."

"On Her Way To The Seclusion Of Hulkland"

Before restoration

We're going to start at the bow, walk down the starboard side, then back along the port side. Then we'll go below, have a look at the hold and then the aft accommodation.

The white thing there is the deck cabin where the crew slept, and the galley is just behind it.

Inside the deck cabin.

Galley

Main mast

Companion

This would be looking back down the length of the ship, if the boats weren't in the way.

In the hold.

The deck bit here is a modern addition for the benefit of visitors, in use it would have been all hold, accessed by ladders.

Looking forewards. Beside the big, blue information panel, there's a little window that looks into the forepeak store.

Looking the other way.

This is the layout of the aft accommodation, recreated to reflect living conditions when the ship was in use.

The doors connecting the hold to cabins, and the door from the apprentices area (shown on the plans, not in the photos though) are for the benefit of visitors. Originally, these areas would also have been accessed directly from the upper deck.

Apprentices' area.

Ladder from apprentices area to deck

Entrance part of cook & steward's cabin

Master's cabin

Master's bath

Saloon

Pilot's cabin.

Companionway, connecting officer's cabins to quarterdeck.

Second mate's cabin (this one and next). Note the two bunks.

First mate's cabin (this one and next). Only one bunk in here.

Museum at Ancanthe

2007-12-18T01:59:00.000-08:00

This is an odd little place.

Its an art gallery, out in Lenah Valley which is right on the edge of Hobart, in under the mountain. Its a history is a little more interesting than that though.

From the Australian Dictionary of Biography, "in 1839 Lady Franklin bought 130 acres (53 ha) of land near Hobart Town for a botanical garden, to which she gave the name Ancanthe. Here a museum of natural history was built for her, on the model of a Greek temple, and to it the collections she had been forming in Government House were removed. They and the accompanying library were dispersed in 1853" and the little temple was left to become a packing shed for apples. It wasn't until a century later that it finally became an art gallery.

She's an interesting women to read about, if you follow the link. Also interesting is the PDF article about the museum from the Mercury's INK page.

Finally, before I get to my photos, two very different images of the building.
Painting by Curzona Allport
Lenah Valley postcard

I don't know what this front part is supposed to be.

I think its (the remains of) a memorial gateway. The two centre posts have stones under them (see below). 1937 was the time when the restoration of the building started too.

One And All

2007-12-14T01:27:00.000-08:00

Looking over my web page, I realised I haven't done entries to match all my tall ship photos. Shocking, I know!

So, I am catching up now, starting with One And All, a sail training brigantine from South Australia.

These photos were taken at the 2005 Wooden Boat Festival and the reason they weren't posted before is probably because they're not particularly good photos. The lighting was bad, and the One And All was a little overshadowed by James Craig

Neva

2007-11-13T21:41:00.000-08:00

Another tale of a wrecked ship, also on King Island.

In 1835, the Neva, bound for Sydney from Cork, hit a reef off King Island. There were 241 people on board, including 150 female prisoners with 33 children, 9 free women with 22 children, and 26 officers and crew.

From "Wrecks in Tasmanian Water" by Harry O'May:

"At 4 pm on 14 May, when Captain Peck considered she was well clear of King Island, the dreaded cry rang out, "Breakers Ahead!". She was bowling along with a good breeze and though the helm was put hard down, it could not save her. The boats were lowered but all capsized and were swept away. The sea took charge and she quickly broke up."

Of the twenty two who survived the wreck and reached shore, seven died before they could be rescued.

That's about as much detail as most accounts of the wreck provide. Although there is often a story added of the some of the women breaking into the storeroom where the grog was kept. If you're going to die, might as well have a good time first?

Villiers, in 'Vanished Fleets' gives a longer version:

"Then the helpless ship was at the mercy of the sea; she was altogether unmanageable and was driven hard up on the rocks. She swung round and heeled heavily over, while the seas which had seemed so gentle while she ran before them, swept over her and broke all round. The mast began to go, and it was evident that the shop would go to pieces quickly. The boats were lowered, but each of them in turn capsized, and every one in them was speedily drowned. In a few moments more the ship broke into four pieces -- an indication of her sea-worthiness; or lack of it -- and, with the exception of twenty two people who clung to fragments of wreckage, every one on board was drowned. The women had been asleep in their prison in the hold when the ship struck, and so little time passed between the striking and her falling to pieces that they were still barricaded behind their bars when they went to their doom.

"The few who survived the tragedy said that they could never forget the horror of those moments, the terrible screams of the helpless women mingled with the crash, and grind of broken timbers, and pervading all, the appalling roar of the thundering breakers. Of the twenty-two who reached the shore, two went mad with sheer horror of the calamity and wandering into the bush, died there. Five others died from exposure, leaving only fifteen survivors from the whole 240. Of these six were prisoners and nine were crew; no child lived. The prisoners who survived came out of their prison when the ship fell to pieces and floated ashore on hatches, broken beans and the like."

The best account I've seen in on King Island Online site

The wreck of the Neva was just a month after the wreck of the George II, on April 10, also a convict transport. On that, there is a lot written so it might be a while before I get around to posting about it.

Cataract Gorge, Launceston

2007-09-27T18:47:00.000-07:00

There are a number of ways into the Cliff Grounds. The easiest, from the city, is the walkway up from Kings Bridge, along the side of the Gorge.

Photos from last time, for comparison.

A little calmer today.

The water level is noticeably lower too (see the markings on the lower rocks).

These are the rapids.

The rocks below the waterline are interesting.

Part of the walkway.

An overview of the site.

The round area of water in the middle is the First Basin, although the names is usually used for the lawn area to left (bright green) where the pool, playground and kiosk are. On the right, are the Cliff Grounds, with the gardens, restaurant and peacocks.

The bridge at the back is the swinging bridge (Alexandra Bridge) which connects the two area. From here, just visible behind and above the bridge span, the walkway goes along the river to Duck Reach. Left, across the middle of the photo although only visible in parts, is the walkway from the bridge to the First Basin area.

In front of the Basin is the most recent (arched) walkway that connects the Cliff Grounds and Basin. This is covered during floods.

Being early spring, the peacocks are showing off, full tail curving and shimmering. No hens to be seen though. From behind, for variety.

My purpose today is walk up to the Eagles Eyrie, where I haven't been before, and check the Daffodil Walk, while the daffodils are out, because I usually miss them.

The walk to the eyrie goes up behind the chairlift, which is the third way to get from the Cliff Grounds to the Basin.

What would you call him, Chairlift Supervisor? I liked the little display on the wall of the hut, although it didn't photograph very well.

Up the path

That's the car park if you come down into the Cliff Grounds from Trevallyn. I think it’s the lower path, because there are steps leading up from it. Upper middle of the photo is the walkway down to the cliff grounds.

This is the Eyrie. There's a rock just behind it, which is perfect to sit on. It would be a good place to write or rid. Pity it takes so long to get there. Not the walk up, but getting to the start of the walk.

Back along the Gorge, with a view of the city. There's Mt Barrow in the background, with no snow.

There's the First Basin (white area behind the trees is the pool, smaller orange patch on the edge is the playground, with the kiosk behind) and West Launceston. The long, flat mountain at the back must be Ben Lomond.

Going back down, this is A step.

From the bottom of the step.

No need to fly when there's a chairlift.

This is Daffodil Walk, and the daffodils are out! Although it's short and there aren't that many flowers.

However, there are more daffodils on the bank below, so if I go down there

That's better.

On the way out, the sun has moved around so now there's the too dark/too bright thing happening again. That's the Tamar River Cruise boat. They cut the noisy engine when they run up the gorge, and you've surrounded by quietness and cliffs. Worth going on.

Hobart Batteries

2007-08-15T16:36:00.001-07:00

Before I post photos, a bit on the old batteries around Hobart to provide some context.

I find these interesting for two reasons. The first, the obvious, is the acquiring of knowledge and possibly usefulness in future of writing. The second, they are there, but you don't realise they are there.

The Kangaroo Bluff battery is well known. The gun behind a brick wall, pointing over the river, is a common postcard image, but that's usually all that's show. Have a look at that picutre, so you can why, when I finally walked up there one day, I was surprised to find all this.

If you look at the photo of Alexandra Battery from yesterday, you can just see Sandy Bay Rd between the hill and the houses.

That's the main road through the southern suburbs. So easy to drive pass and not know its there.

Those two are the only extant ones.

There's a map on the Parks & Wildlife site that shows all the locations.

The Queens Battery was where the cenotaph is now. The State Library has a couple of photos of it: this one from about 1900 and this one is c. 1875, and another in the Australian War Memorial collection.

Prince of Wales & Prince Albert are located in Battery Point. AFAIK one was where the Castray Esplanade now runs (the road that follows the shoreline around into Salamanca Place). The other was built above it, in what is now the park behind the signal station.

I believe both were demolished in the 1880s.

The one that is marked on the map as Mona Street (proposed) I don't know about. Some web sites have it as the location of the battery that gives Battery Point its name, but that's from the Mulgrave Battery, built in 1818. I love that picture, it's such a formidable and technologically advanced structure.

South Esk in FLood

2007-08-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

I didn't end up getting any worthwhile photos of the rolling brown water as I walked up the side of the Gorge. Even when the light wasn't a problem, there was nothing to provide a sense of scale.

Except when there was a painter down by the water.

I'm all for painting on site, but hmmm, I'm not sure that's the best time & place for it.

It loses a lot at 500 pixels wide.

Most lovely place though, and unless you've been there, you really can't appreciate how close it is to the city centre. It's literally on the edge of the city. Kings Bridge, where the path that runs along the Cliffside starts, is probably 10-15 mins easy walk from the Brisbane St Mall.

First Basin & the playground. The edge of the swimming pool can be seen!

Now onto the bridge. I haven't taken many photos from on the bridge in recent times because the battery would run out before I got there :(

The bridge from the lookout.

The First Basin & playground from the lookout

Now I was organised and took a photo of the sign, so I wouldn't have to check what the name of the bridge was when I writing this.

That's the date of the original bridge though. I'm fairly sure it was replaced, but when I went to see, all I found was this and that confused me. :)

The shadows on the water & rock didn't show much at all when looked at directly.

On the way home, I went down to the edge of the river.

Cataraqui

2007-07-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

Looking through Blue Gun Clippers and Whale Ships of Tasmania, by Will Lawson & the Shiplovers Society of Tasmania, first published 1949, I found a bit on the wreck of the Cataraqui. It's one of the sadder shipwreck tales.

On 20 April 1845, the Cataraqui left Liverpool carrying 370 emigrants, mostly families. By the 3rd August, they were just a day out of Melbourne, coming through Bass Strait, with "all on board looking eagerly forward to reaching arbour after the storm which had beset them for several days.

"In the early morning, with warning, the ship struck off Boggy Creek [west coast of King Island] when she had all sail set. A prudent shortening of the sail on the previous evening had been so scoffed at by the surgeon, who was at loggerheads with the captain, that Captain Findley decided to carry on. The ship was making at least 10 knots when she crashed on to the rocks, about 100 yards from shore.

"The Cataraqui broke up at once, scattering her human freight into the cauldron of raging waters. The position was hopeless, and of 408 person on board, only nine won to shore. Daylight presented a horrible scene to these lucky survivors. For about two miles the beach was strewn with the dead, mostly females, for the ship was carrying a large number of married women, with their families, and girls to Australia."

Wrecks in Tasmanian Waters, by Harry O'May, has a longer passage including:

"By 5 a.m. all below decks were drowned but daylight revealed about two hundred persons still clinging to the wreck. Every wave took its tool and by 4 p.m. she had parted and many went into the sea. Lines had been stretched along the vessel to supply the survivors with something to grip. Some had endeavoured to make a raft. At 5 p.m. she parted again but still seventy poor souls clung to the forecastle. All night the sea washed over them and at daybreak on the fifth only thirty survived."

The final part comes from Villiers' Vanished Fleets: Strange Tales of the Sea, when some of the survivors realised their only hope was to try to reach shore:

"Mr Guthrie, the first mate, clutching to a spar, plunged into the sea and was carried over the reef to the shore. There he found a passenger who had escaped during the night and one of the crew who had got ashore in the morning. Six other seamen swam, or with piece of planking, floated ashore. Soon afterwards, the remains of the Cataraqui disappeared beneath the sea. These nine men were all who survived; only one migrant reached Australian shores."

Parks & Wildlife Service, Shipwrecks of Tasmania

Grave of 245 bodies from the wreck of the Cataraqui on King's Island

Loss of the Cataraque/Cataraqui: From British Parliamentary Papers 1846
That last page has a list of passengers.

Going

2007-07-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

These are a pair of conjoined cottages down by the river. They were for sale last year. The 'for sale' signs have since gone, just before I took this first photo.

I'm wondering if they'll be demolished or "restored" soon. I took these photos on Wednesday, with the new camera.

Action Dog

2007-07-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to take some photos of the terrior in action for ages, so I thought I'd try today.

The first attempts were inside.

That didn't work too well, so we went outside.

Got her in mid-jump!

Trotting: legs on opposite corners moving at the same time (the right fore & left rear). Ears and tail both alert too.

Big walk

2007-05-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

Today was our favourite annual RSPCA fundraising event -- the Million Paws Walk.

In Launceston, it starts at Inveresk near the market site, goes along the flood levee beside the North Esk, through Heritage Forest and back along the levee.

Photos didn't come out very well. It's not easy trying to focus camera while trying to keep up with little dog.">

The stars of this story are Jaz (Hurry up! There are dogs ahead of us! What do you think this is! A walk!?) and Dora (There are strange dogs everywhere. Can I hide behind you?)

Heritage Forest used to be a tip, then it was turned into a park (and a competition held to pick the name).

Dora has this steady trot that she could probably keep up all day. Jaz takes the "fast out of the gate and we'll get through the later bit somehow" approach.

The little white dog at the front took a dislike to the red dog on the left. Jaz was quite happy to take them both on, but we were a bit far back for her.

About ten minutes before the end, Jaz slowed down and fell right back behind me, so I was almost dragging. We started up the levee and she picked up, although dragging a bit. I carried her for a bit, but she wasn't too happy about that.

Then they both decided to pick up the pace and start trying to pass all the walkers ahead of us.

The end is in sight!

Made it!

So did lots of other people.

Now we're off for another walk!

Cataract Gorge & Cliff Ground

2007-05-04T17:42:00.000-07:00

Just some random photos from today. One day I'll get organised and look through the hundreds of others I have and pick out the better ones to put up. But being so many, it's a big job :|

Also, they're not always images that do well as small photos. They need to be poster sized photos! So shrink yourself down a bit...

Walkway up ahead

And back the way I've come

You can just see a part of the walkway from the first two photos (just left of the ) formed by the yellow branch).

This is the usual postcard view. This is the spring version

And there's the city, yah!

Franklin House

2007-04-17T05:43:00.000-07:00

(Rated G incidently)

Franklin House, in Franklin Village, on the edge of Launceston. Heading south, there's about a handful of houses before the city boundary.

This was the first property obtained by the National Trust in Tasmania, when it was it was rescued about 1960.

Built in the 1830s, it's a typical Georgian "gentleman's cottage", with a central hallway that the room open off. Upstairs is a little different. Two bedrooms open off the landing, as you'd expect, but the front two rooms joins together to make one large living room, that can be divided with a wooden screen that folds back.

The other interesting room, is on the far left there. It was a school for boys, where all the proper family sent their sons.

At the rear of the house, there's an open courtyard with a wing on each side.

North side (straight into the sun, yay)

with the stable on the end

The stable window is interesting. It looks like you turn the knob and the sticks hold up the louvres.

The other wing

With the kitchen up against the house.

The gardens are quite lovely, in season.

SV May Queen

2007-04-02T02:10:00.000-07:00

One set of photos I forgot to post from the Wooden Boat Festival. (By 'forgot' I mean I didn't get a good photo of the whole ship on the day, so I had to look through old ones to find one and I hadn't got around to it, and I also wanted to incorporate some of the information from the brochure, but I have no idea where it is and the website it helpfully uninformative, so you can make up your own words.)

Just in you were starting think all the sailing ships were modern replicas, here's the SV May Queen, a trading ketch built in 1867 and used to transport timber and stuff. "Australia's oldest sail trading vessel still afloat and on of only four wooden vessels from that era still afloat in the world."

She sat in Watermans Dock for long time, being restored. Despite the poor light, this shot gives a good overview.

At the Wooden Boat Festival (ooh, I have walked past this ship so many times and now it's open! Quick, where's a gold coin). We come in over the stern and down into the black hole.

Down in the hold. From the bow, looking along the starboard side. That light on the left is annoying.

Despite the light, it's dark down here.

With the flash on. There's a display panel on the right there.

Looking along the deck, towards the stern. The main mast is on the right. Both masts have fore & aft sails.

Just to keep things interesting

2007-03-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

Friday was interesting, weatherwise.

The first sail was at 12.30 pm, a small school group. It was warm (having looked at the weather observations, I'll change that to hot. It got up to 30oC, unusual for late March) and there was very little wind. At first the river was smooth, no movement at all, although that changed a bit later on. As usual, we motored up under the bridge, turned around, made sail and came back down the river under sail. Some of the kids didn't think we were moving. It was hard to sure. We were moving, at 1.5 knots (2.8 kph or 1.7 mph). As a guide, the average walking speed is about 3-4 mph or 5-6 kph.

The second sail was at 6.30 pm, a group of staff from another school. By now it had come over overcast and the wind had picked up (looking at the weather obs again, it got up to 39 kph in that period, with gusts up to 63 kph). We went further up the Derwent than usual, up towards the rain. Just an occasional drop at first, then picking up until we're talking about finding the raincoats. In the meantime, the ship has been turned around and the motor turned off, and there comes the call to make sail. Just two sails though,because of the wind -- fore course and top.

Now she's moving. The water is foaming on either side of the bow. Found out the next day that we passed under the bridge, in the wind and the rain,

(file photos)

at 6.2 knots. I've heard somewhere that her maximum speed is about 6 knots.

The sun set on the way back up the river, that's where last night's photos are from. In the dark and the wind, some of the crew went aloft to furl the course "clipped on at all times", which required a lot of shouting as us down on deck had to hold the lines and let them out as required. Usually they're left to hang loose when their sail is being furled. The top sail (top gallant, which had been loosened but not used) had to wait until we were berthed. They weren't going up there in that weather.

On Saturday, the wind settled down, but it turned cold. 15.5 oC was the highest temperature recorded in the city (I'm told to expect up to 5oC colder out on the water). Speeds varied between about 1.8 & 4.4 knots. Quite normal, but so cold, even with fleecy jacket.

(And a little side note. On the second harbour sail on Saturday, there were a bunch of boys there for a pirate birthday party. I got bored at one point and took out the squirrel to take some photos. This got the usual questions from the crew near me, one of whom suggested I put him up on the spanker

which involved climbing up on the aft cabin. That got the attention of another of the crew, who decided to occupy the young boys for a few minutes by having them look for the squirrel on the ship. All to the amusement of the nearby passengers.)

A couple of photos

2007-03-24T05:06:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of photos. Will write a bit for them tomorrow.

Trip report: Day 4, All gone

2007-03-20T05:18:00.000-07:00

This one should be short.

I started the morning by walking up along the river, to the beach.

That's back the way I've just walked. There's the ferry, on the left, the light from the squirrel photos on the right in front of a big yellow building, the cement silos in front of Endeavour are almost in the middle. You can't quite see the black masts in the smaller photo. The city centre such as it is, is beyound and to the right of the yellow building.

It's a longer walk than I thought, but it's nice though.

This was a bit weird. I thought the seagull had happened to land near the galahs, but as the flock moved away from me, the seagull stayed with them. Wether it's a seagull with an identity problem or it was going for safety in numbers, I don't know.

That's the Bluff, with the lighthouse. The beach is into the left a bit.

There's the beach, beyond the stretch of black rock. It's quite a nice beach, if rather busy. There a surf lifesaving club based there and you're supposed to swim between the flags. At least, there used to be. Beens years since I've gone there.

Not today though. I had two hours to fill in. The plan was to walk up along the coast for almost an hour, then walk back.

Devonport, in the middle part, is laid out in a grid and I had to be back to a point that was roughly south-easterly of the beach area. So if I headed back that way through the streets, I'd back in plenty of time.

There's a street headed in the right direction, probably the only diagonal street in that part of the city.

Haven't I seen them before, like 3 days ago in Launceston?

At the end of the this street, I walked for a few more blocks and got to William St, which I'd walked up the week before so I knew it ran north-south and at which point I'd have to change direction to get to the right place. But, at this point it should have been running parallel to the street I was on, not across it. Problem. Maybe it turned at some point. I walked along it and ended up heading towards where I'd started. A bit of a worry. I back tracked to the point where I'd deviated from my course and started walking what I thought was the right way. Maybe. I'd got turned around somewhere. All around were houses, some quite new so maybe I was walking towards the edge of the city, rather than the middle. There was a hill ahead. I know there was a hill further south that I'd walked up the week before, but that was much further to the south. Most likely I was walking west. No indicators of where I was. Although I saw a bus turn the corner at one point. A bus stop might help, except there were none along this road :( It was overcast too, so it was hard to find the sun. It's over there, almost directly to my left. Hmm. It's 9.30 am, the sun should be in the east. If I'm walking south, then the sun would be on my left. Ha. If I'd stuck with my original route, I would have been right. I head left/east a bit and hit William St again, and this time it's running in the right direction. A couple of blocks further down and I'm in the area I know.

I get back to the wharf just on 10 am.

It's a morning tea to say farewell & thank you to the volunteers.

A rather nice morning tea too. Some of the Endeavour's crew in blue & the captain in white.

We talked and ate, and the some of us went back on the ship to help pack up.

Just I get to that, this is something you won't usually see. It's removed so visitors don't trip over it.

For steering, the rope runs from the barrel of the wheel

to the tiller.

All the museum stuff is packed away when they leave port, and unpacked at the next destination. At sea, the cabins are used by supernumeraries (paying passengers) so they have to be set up too. There's a few hours work in that.

It was interesting though, because when you're looking over the displays, you miss a lot of the details.

Like the metalwork on this desk. It's not something you'd consciously notice if you looked into the cabin, but it adds to the atmosphere. It's like world building for a novel. Even if the reader/viewer doesn't notice all the details, together they create the illusion that this setting is real. How can it not be?

Also, as I said quite often about the officer's cabins, every time you look at a display, you see something you missed. When you're packing one up though, you notice everything.

This woollen coat is lovely. According to the guide book, it's copied from one owned by Parkinson, one of the artists.

Once I'd done packing up Green's cabin, I went down to the midimates mess and packed the master's cabin. I do like them dominoes. What isn't fun though, folding up sheets without them dragging on the floor, when you can't stand up.

With the cabins pretty much done, I went out to the mess deck and helped clear the table. It's just Mark & me & Diana left of the volunteers now. The crew are happy to have us helping. One of the quickest pack up they've had.

For lunch we had left overs from morning tea.

The final thing to do was the hammocks.

That's Diana, who is a very lovely person by the way, folding one up. She told me what to do -- like them out, put the ropes here and then do this and that, and I wasn't really paying attention. I laid them out and let her fold them. Once the hammocks over the tables were done, we did the ones in the marines' area, in where it's low. That;s where I caught my foot on an anchor lashed to the side, startled myself and then rammed my knee down on the seam along the edge of the deck. Ouch. Although other than the initial bang, it didn't hurt much. It wasn't until I was lugging my bag back to the bus that it started to hurt. It got better though. Same knee that kept getting bashed when I was playing hockey too.

After the hammocks were done, and more goodbyes said, it was time to leave.

From this

to this

It was a wonderful 3 days. Friendly guides, friendly crew, friendly visitors. Apparently one visitor had just come back from a trip to England and he'd gone over Victory. He thought we did a better job.

Words and photos are all very well, but if you get a chance to visit HMB Endeavour replica, and they're aiming to get to as many ports in Australia as possible, go and have a look over her. And if you're able to spend a couple of days as a guide, that's definitely worthwhile :)

Trip report: Night 3

2007-03-19T05:28:00.000-07:00

Shipkeeping involves sleeping on the ship overnight and getting up during the night for a period to make sure everything is as it should be. Sleeping in hammocks is optional, I assume, as we were asked if we wanted to.

Made up and ready for me.

We used the ones in the marines' area, because they were easier to get into. I asked how they got into the higher ones and got a demonstration. It involved grabbing a beam and pulling yourself up by the arms. !

There were three volunteers and three, I think, of the crew, which meant a 90 minute session for everyone. At eight, we were taken around and shown what had to done on our rounds.

In the engine room, check the water pressure, check the level of water in the bilge and check the temperate of the cool room and freezer.

It's a little weird, going from recreated 18th C to late 20th C by climbing down a ladder. The masts run through the engine room too, the main mast anyway. Can't remember where the mizzen went.

Go up a level and check great cabin. Up onto the deck to check the mooring lines and gangway. Across the wharf to check the rescue boat hasn't escape. Then record the wind speed & direction, and the state of the sea, well, river. Keep an eye out for anyone causing trouble.

That's done on the hour, every hour.

I was scheduled for 11.30 to 1 am. I considered staying up, that's not that far off my usual bedtime and if you wake me up in the middle of the night, I'm not all that coherent. On the other hand, I could go to bed at 9.30 and have a two hour nap, which I'm used too. And I was tired.

I got in the way I was told, because there was a beam there which made it easier to get in & move around. However that meant I was looking straight into a light, so I turned around in the hammock, and got all tangled up. Sleeping bags are good for getting tangled in on a flat bed. Bah. I did get, sort of, sorted out though. I was also told it's best to lay on your back, or you'll fall out, but you think I can sleep laying on my back? Rolling onto my side is the cue to go to sleep. I also discovered that, see that black square thing? That's a porthole, it's more noticable in the first photo. A draught comes through there. The sides of the hammock come up and cover your body, but it still blows over your ear.

I must have fallen asleep though, because it seemed only a few minutes later that Mark came to wake me up, although I was awake at the time.

In the middle of the night, this ship is dark and very quiet.

Stern windows in the great cabin.

You know there are people around you sleeping and out there somewhere is the rest of the world but it doesn't you touch you.

Especially up on deck.

The masts have lights on them, which makes the timber glow quite nicely. The moon was being dramatic too.

The 90 minutes went quite quickly, and I was soon back in my hammock. I had a large light behind which made it hard to sleep, but I did doze a bit. We were woken up at 6.30 am. Getting out of bed involved leaning to the side and there, you're up. Much easier way to start the day than that get up and out of bed thing.

Had breakfast. Took some more photos.

I'm reminded of one visitor, when I was talking about the guns being fired, who asked "but what about the cannons?" Too easy to forget that not everyone speaks the same "language".

And the visitor in the great cabin the day before, the one who put black and white film in his camera, because it seemed appropriate for the ship.

Went off to kill time until the farewell morning tea at 10 am.

That's a new day though.

Trip Report: Day 3, More of the same, or not

2007-03-16T04:46:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning I get up, pack up and check out of the hotel. Its a bit weird checking out when I've still got almost two days in Devonport.

Today should be a better day. Yesterday was a good day, but in the morning I was unsure about everything. Once I had some idea what I was doing, it was fun.

Most people would have gone through the ship on the weekend, especially as the regatta was on. That that didn't, have yesterday. So today is expected to be quiet. Except for the 80 school kids who are arriving at 10.30 am. After some discussion, it's decided that one of the guides will escort each of the 6 groups of kids around to tell them about the ship. Of course, this means changes to the rosters to cover where those guides should be.

My roster for the day is diagonal. I'm going to each of the 11 spots in the order they're on the sheet, so that is:

On-shore gangway
Exit gangway
Companionway
Lunch
Foredeck
Firehearth
Mess Deck (tables)
Mess Deck (hammocks)
Break
Midi-mates mess
Outside gentlemen's mess
Great cabin
Upper deck.
On-shore gangway
Companionway

Right. So at 10 am, I put squirrel into my pocket and go onshore. It's quiet, as expected.

The tent on the right is the gift shop and ticket booth. Then there's a series of information plaques (that look like little tables in the photo) before reaching the gangway. The first couple finally reach come up to me, I put her bag in the cloak bin and send them on.

After they've gone, I look in the cloak bin and see the box of information brochures that every visitors is supposed to get. Oops. I put the box out where I can see it.

I can't hear the bell from over here, but Hannah turns up to relieve me at 10.30 so I go to the other side. I've only been here a few minutes, when one of the crew, I forget his name but I did know it, I think it's Craig, comes up and asks me to take over the companionway instead. I take the radio and go a few steps down the deck. It's still quiet. No sign of the kids yet. A couple of visitors turn up, so I tell them to go around there and up onto the foredeck. I take a few squirrel photos, but it's a bit sunny.

At 11 am, this is where I'm supposed to be, so I stay there. Eventually the school kids turn up. Each of the 6 groups will come through about 15 mins apart. It'll take them about an hour to look after over the ship and they'll be all done by 12.30. Really.

The first guide goes over to talk to the group before they come on. The first group go up to the foredeck, as usual, the second group get sent aft, to the 'upper deck'. A couple of non-school visitors turn up so I suggest they go below first rather than around to the foredeck, to get ahead of the kids.

The first lots of kids come off the foredeck and over to me. We send one of the adults down first, in case the kids get into trouble going down, and then each kids. Turn around so you're facing the steps like a ladder and grab hold of the rope, that's it, slowly, now grab hold of those ropes on the side and, that's it, keep going. Right, who's next? Repeat for each kid. Then the remaining adults go down.

At 11.30 I'm supposed to be going for lunch but who wants lunch at 11.30? So I say I'm happy to stay there. Another group of kids. Send the guide with them down first. Then an adult. Turn around so you're facing the steps like a ladder and grab hold of the rope, that's it, slowly, now grab hold of those ropes on the side and, that's it, keep going. Right, who's next? Repeat for each kid.

The school kids are spaced quite a way apart, so I wander around during the quiet times and take some photos. A few more visitors. I tell them how go down, and are they sunglasses? You'll want to take them off because it's dark down there.

Another group of kids come through. They're mostly good at going down, once they get the first step or two out of the one. One girl was very nervous and I didn't think she'd get down. One boy insisted on going down face out. Turn around the face the steps. Turn around the face the steps. Turn around the face the steps. Fortunately he had small feet. One got into trouble partway down but his teacher sorted him out. Not a problem, just slow. And repetitive.

Another group of kids.

Another group of kids. Diana is the guide, I think. She doesn't want to go down first. I do tell her I've sent three groups of kids down with no problems by now.

Another group of kids. I've sent four groups of kids down with no problems, so don't worry.

It occurs to me I've been here for almost 2 hours and dealt with almost all of the school groups.

Make that all of the school groups. I've sent down 5 groups of kids by now, don't worry.

There's no one on the foredeck, as I'm supposed to be there next, I run up and dig the bell. Ding! The guy who comes up with me tells me it should be Ding Ding for one bell.

Now it's 12.30 and I'm supposed to be on the foredeck. I go and find Caroline, who is filling in for a missing guide, and tell her I'm going to lunch instead. She thinks this is a good idea. I have the rest of my Subway sandwich for lunch.

Half an hour later, and I'm back at the firehearth. I don't like the firehearth, I've decided. It's my least favourite place. There's a slow steam of visitors. One girl with an older boy asks me my name. That's not a normal question and I mess up my own name, "I thought so," she says. She's Kadey, and the boy's Shaun (and I probably spelt that wrong). Terry's kids, as she puts it. My father. Ah. Well. Now that's a good way to put someone off their spiel.

I'm on the table next. The guide before, on the fire hearth, likes to talk but he doesn't mention the part about each table having a bag that's taken up, with the number on it, which I think is the most interesting part. So I add that to my little talk. As I say to someone later, you could go around this ship twice and get a different story each time.

From here, I walk all the way over to the hammocks. I've decided I don't like any of the mess deck positions that much. There's lot of little things to mention but no connections between them. I'm talking to one couple when another turns up, so once the first lot have gone, I have to go over what I didn't say to the next lot, and in the middle of this, another visitors turns up. Bah.

After here, I have a break. I don't remember having it,but I remember saying it was break time.

Now, to the midi-mates mess. It was quiet in here, so I let Mr Squirrel have a look about. At 3.30 no one comes to replace me. It's one of the radio position so I stay there and end up being there for an hour. Lots of photos. Not too many though, because I'm in the great cabin next and I haven't had a chance to take photos in there yet. (I'm not all the sure I was even in there on the first day, because I didn't take any photos.) Four o'clock comes around and it looks like no one is going to come and relieve me. According to the roster, he should be on the hammocks so I duck out and look for him. He is. I give him the radio and duck up the great cabin.

I said yesterday why I don't like this spot, which people coming while others are there and it's hard to know when to talk. Usually when I start talking, people turn around or come close. Once there was no response from the newest arrivals so I stopped after a few words. Bleargh.

There's one man who'd been through there before but had come back with his father. The father thought it was all wonderful and talked to me for a while. He had a cheap film camera, that he'd put b&w film into, because it was appropriate for the ship. I took a couple of photos of the two of them. I wonder if they came out all right?

At 4.30 pm no one came to relieve me. I was getting a bit sick of this "no show" thing. Still, it had quietened down. A few visitors came into the gentlemen's mess, but they were slow coming all the way through. More time to take squirrel photos.

Five o'clock approaches and I check where I'm to go to next, and who is supposed to relieve (definitely) me. Then I notice, although I was rostered to the "Upper Deck" at 4.30 and that's highlighted, I was also down for "Great Cabin". So that's why no one turned up to relieve me.

I am relieved at 5, so I head up to the gangway. Not a lot to do now, obviously. There's still a few visitors below and we're just waiting for them to leave. I suck over to the giftshop for a look, and pick up one of their model ships.

At 5.30, I cross over the gangway and wait over there for the last of the visitors to leave. Just before 6 pm, they do go.

Then we head down to sign in the vests and it's all over for the day. Except I don't leave, because I'll be staying there overnight.

Trip Report: Day 2, The Final Session

2007-03-16T01:14:00.000-07:00

Now I go down to the final information position Mess Deck (Tables), which is on the opposite side to Mess Deck (Hammocks). Visitors come through from the fire hearth, stop here, and then go onto the hammocks. It was 4 pm, only one visitor came through while I was here.

Here 50 (the cards says; everything else says 65, hmm 94 total on board, which is 6 commissioned officers, 15 warrant officers, 53 able seamen, 12 marines, 9 gentlemen & servants, 1 astronomer & servant, that's 97) men ate, six at each table, sitting on the sea chests, which they'd used to store their belongings. Each man had to supply his own spoon, mug and bowl. Many of these were made from wood, although there was some pewter and pottery. Each month they'd elect a 'Captain of the Mess' who was responsible for taking their food up to be cooked.

The fore table here has stuff for the cook to use. The rear table was used by the marines. The barrels over the tables held vinegar. You can see over here where where the sailmaker has been working.

That's taken with no flash. Where the grating is above, it's well light. Along the sides, it's obviously darker.

Looking down through the grate...

From here, I go back to the midi-mates mess. Do you think I need the card now? I do, but only because I forget some of the names.

At 5 pm, I'm finally outside, off the ship actually -- the onshore side of the gangway. The ship is open until 6 pm, but no visitors are allowed on after 5 pm. So there's not a lot to do here. If there's anything cloaked, I have to get it out when that visitor leaves, but there's not. I take some photos.

Endeavour has no figurehead, but some lovely stern carvings. Unfortunately, there's a fence across the wharf so you can't be behind to see all of them. This is the side window of the great cabin.

I find the little things like doors, locks and portholes interesting.

At 5.30, I move to the other end of the gangway. Although we sort of wander around and talk. See off the last of the visitors. Take more photos.

Looking across the waist towards the foredeck.

Back the other way. You can see the gangway there.

Same direction, starboard side.

Then it's down below to sign in the vests, and that's it for the day.

I stop in at a place that offers Internet for 5 minutes. Wander over to Subway and get a foot long sandwich, of which I eat half once I'm back at the hotel. I watch some TV. Take some photos, of the cement train and the ferry.

The ferry, it's II tonight, leaves before it's dark so I take some photos. They're actually the ones I used for the first night, of it turning. It's a bit closer when it comes back down.

Then I go to bed, and sleep.

Trip Report: Day 2, Finally, It's After Noon

2007-03-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

Lunch time! I dropped my vest, water bottle and cap in the sea chest nearest the fire hearth. (We'd been told to wear blue or white tops if possible and I only had two decent blue t-shirts. I took them and wore the navy blue one on the first day, which worked well while guiding, but. I wasn't quite keen enough to head into city wearing Lady Nelson on my t-shirt and HMB Endeavour on my cap :)

The plan for lunch was to drop camera batteries at hotel room to recharge and grab something to eat. I had a bright idea though. If i bought another card for the camera, I could take photos and retake them without worrying about running out of space, and thus, put less demand on the battery. I had ten less minutes that I should have had and I wasn't sure where to do to bu a new card. As I looking for somewhere to get lunch, I saw Harvey Norman up the road a bit, so I walked up there. It was a little bit more than I wanted to pay and they didn't want to serve me anyway. *sigh* I walked back to the Mall to look for something for lunch. Now it was 2.13. I had to be back at the Fire hearth at 2.30, so I had 17 minutes to get something to eat, eat it, go back to the hotel, grab battery and then walk to the ship. Possibly. Then I saw a Tandy shop. Did I have time to drop in there and buy a card? It was on the way back to the hotel, and if I could get back to the hotel by 2.20, I'd be right.

Lady in Tandy was serving someone with a big order but I must have looked impatient because she served me while he was looking for his card. 2 mins. Bakery two shops down that sells pies. I think meat pies are the least economical way to get a meal ($4 for a bit of pasty & some meat, bah) but it's food. Eat while I'm walking back to hotel. Grab battery, swap cards in camera, put drink in fridge in common room and back downstairs. 2.25. Walk quickly down the road, over the overpass which is obviously unlocked at this time, and collapse on the sea chest near the firehearth as the bell sounds. Am I good, or what?

Get dressed and I'm ready to go. Fairly straight forward session and then onto the great cabin. Is is supposedly one of the areas guides prefer to do. Each to their own, I guess. There are a lot of unrelated bits to talk about. People are wandering about and you don't know if they're listening. Other people come in, while you're in the middle of talking so they hear some of it and not all, unless you start again, then someone else comes in. It might be easier if it was busier (just talk and not try to keep track of who has heard what) or less busy.

There's a short passage leading from the Gentlemen's Mess (actually it's the Officers Mess and Gentlemen's Cabins), with a washstand on one side and a cabin window on the other.

The great cabin is usually occupied by the captain and, it's probably the biggest space of all (actually the mess deck is bigger but point is made), but when Banks and his scientists were on board, they used this cabin.

On the table, you can see some botanical prints. You might have noticed Dr Solander's cabin when you first came up the ladder (not in the photos though, I was sitting with my back to it). Every plant speciment collected was drawn, dried and taken back to England. On the end of the table are the charts, you can look through them.

The cabin on the left here, behind all the doors, is Cook's cabin.

You can see it through the window just before the door, you might have seen it when you came in. The cabin over to the right is Banks' cabin.

He's said to have been 6'4 tall, so he preferred to sleep out here and his two dogs slept in the cabin. They were used for hunting down game (a greyhound & a spaniel), so they did earn their keep.

Banks' desk is just there. The books above it are taken from a list of 120 books that he brought with him, the actual editions were researched and the bindings recreated.

The stove is copied from one that was recovered from the wreck of the Pandora, who was wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef while bringing back Bounty mutineers.

On the walls and beams, you'll see various gifts given by native people to the Endeavour on her recent visits. (Two mentioned in the guide book are) The long one hanging over table there (a taiaha) and the carved one nearby (a manaia) are gifts from the Maori people in gratitude for the Endeavour replica returning the souls of five men killed by Cook in 1770. (Both visible in the next photo, which is taken with no flash, so you can get an idea of how light the room was. The other photos are all taken with the flash on, so the immediate area is lit but the rest is dark.)

In the stern post is a brass ring, inside that is a trunnel. Did you see the small black circles on the deck? Under those are the trunnels, the long wooden nails used to hold the planks down. That one was taken on the US space shuttle Endeavour in 1992. Then it was put there to create a symbolic link between sea and space.

The floor does slope a bit, but it would have been moving this and that way, and then that way too. Have you been up on the foredeck and seen the bowsprit? In some storms, that would end up in the water so you can imagine how much the ship moves. Still the artists managed to draw with a steady hand.

Feel free to have a look around.

The window has been taken out and put in that holder on the side.

Those stern window seats are very nice to sit in.

Trip Report: Day 2, Yes, It Is Still Morning

2007-03-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

After break, now I'm on my own, and on the Mess Deck (Hammocks). There are four flash cards here. Three tied together and, untangle, ah, the fourth one is the same as the first, but not tied on. That might not be so bad. A couple stop at this spot and I read through the first card. They know about lead lines & log lines, so I don't go over them again. They move on. I forgot about the cat. Bugger. Next time.

Here on the mess deck was where the sailors lived when they weren't working. There were three watches so at any time, a third of them would be gone, but the other two thirds would be in here. Unless they were at anchor, when all would be in here. It got rather crowded.

Here above the mess tables is where they slung their hammocks. Each man had a spot, see up here where it has MM7, and then over here, there's another MM7. So his hammock went from there to there. Here, you can see on either where MM8 and MM6 slung their hammocks. Each sailor had 14" of space.

The officer's cot (far right on the photo) wouldn't normally be here, it's just for comparison. They got 18" of space each.

Down under there on the left, is where the marines slept. You have the sailors here, and the officers up at the stern, and the marines are in the middle here, in case of a mutiny.

The lead line is this. Have a hold, but be careful, it's heavy. Don't drop it. That's to measure how far down the sea bed is. Whatever is on the sea bed will get pick up in the hole at the base, so you can tell what it is as well as far down.

With the log line, this bit is thrown over and it's dragged out. When the first of these knots is reached, the glass is turned over, and they count how many knots are dragged out in the 28 secs. Which gives the speed in knots.

The cat-o-nine tails is over here, with its red bag, so you can let the cat out of the bag. It was only used up on deck though, because there wasn't enough room down here to swing a cat. (Sorry.)

Now, bend over and go through to the midi-mates mess, make sure you don't put your head up until you're sitting down.

Another lot of visitors come by, but before I can talk to them, we're told HMAS Perth is about to leave. The Endeavour crew is intending to fire a couple of guns at her, ao everyone heads up to watch. One of my visitors doesn't want to climb back up the ladder, so I stay down with her until the last minute, which is why there aren't any interesting photos.

When the guns go off, we're supposed to cover our ears. I didn't, but it's quite thundery. They're copied from the original Endeavour's guns dropped on the Great Barrier Reef when the ship got stuck there. 4 pounders, I think. These ones usually fire blanks, but when they were going the east coast, out away from everything, I'd told they tested one and it went for a kilometre.

Back down, and it's time to move on. Back to the midi-mates mess. This is good. I know this one. It surprised me how quickly I was to do a spiel without referring back to the cards. The second time I did the firehearth, I only looked at the cards for the bits about they actually ate. The midimates mess is easier. Although I still need to read off the bits about each person though. When there are no visitors, there is a lot to look at and it's a nice little area. Except that I bashed why head on the beam just inside the door. Keep your head down, all the way, right?

It's also one of the radio spots. There are 3 spots where the guide has to carry a radio in cases of problems. In these areas, you have to wait for the next guide to turn up so you can give the radio before you move on. When the bell sounds at 12.30, no one comes and so I'm stuck there. I'm starting to think I'm going to be here for the whole session, but after 15 mins the next guide turns up.

So I leave, through the left hand door, up the ladder to the right and take the empty spot outside the gentlemen's mess.

This is also one of the places you have to stay until you're relieved, because it's a traffic control area. Visitors come up there, go through the door into the gentlemen's mess (off to the right on this photo), come out of there and go up to the deck. When it's busy, it must get chaotic, but today is quiet.

There's no talking that has to be done here, although there's no guide in the mess, because it's the first place guides are pulled from when they're need elsewhere. But sitting outside, one can talk with visitors in there, or any who might be waiting outside.

Sydney Parkinson's cabin is there on the right, and the door at the back leads through to the great cabin.

Gentlemen means the scientists who were accompanying the rich young man who was financing much of the trip. The primary purpose of the Endeavour's expedition was to obverse the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. By doing this in different locations, scientists thought they could work out the distance of the earth from the sun. So in a cooperative effort, different countries outfitted expeditions to various obscure bits of the world. The British went off to Canada, I think, and Tahiti. Cook also secret orders, to search for the Great South Land, the large land mass that had to be down there somewhere to balance the land mass in the northern hemisphere. They didn't find it, it not being there, but they charted the west coast of New Zealand and the east coast of New Holland.

The gentlemen's cabins are around the outside of the gentlemen's mess. Sporing's cabin is over on the left. Note the fold down table, which is quite a practical piece of furniture. That gives a good view of the black circles on the deck too, that show where the trunnels are.

At 1 pm, I'm supposed to be going up to the exit gangway, but no one comes to relieve me, so I stay where I am. I don't care. It's an easy spot. And you can see outside.

Once it gets to 1.30, I start to worry. This is getting into my lunch hour and I have to go and do things.

Trip Report: Day 2, The Morning

2007-03-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

The firehearth is the first stop once you go down the companionway. I think there should be something more interesting for the first stop. A visitor is impatient to see what's there and an stove, no matter what sort of stove, is not something you want to stop and look at right then.

A new guide, for the first couple of sessions, is paired with someone more experience until they get an idea of how to do things. I'm not actually sure I ever got the name of the guy who was at the firehearth with me. Name tags would have made things much easier. Anyway, the first two visitors arrive and he starts talking to them. Meanwhile, I'm reading one of the "flash cards" which has the information on that spot on one side and things that guides should be aware of on the other. As I listen, he's talking about how one man from each mess would come up to the stove with the food, which isn't on the card. He's still going when the next lot of visitors turn up. Eep. I tell them the bit about the tables and the food being brought up, and then start to read from the card. I soon discover that the words on the card weren't, well they might have been intended to be read out, but they're not written in a way that is easy to read out loud. I stumble on some of the phrasings and need to stop and redo some sentences.

The next visitor that I have to talk to, I put the card aside and give my version of what it said, although I have to read the bit about what they ate each day. That was a bit much to remember.

The stove was state of the art when it was first made. It's actually a working copy. The BBC made a documentary back in 2001 (The Ship) and they used the stove to cook all the meals for six weeks.

On the side here, is where the wood goes. This whole thing here is full of water and these coppers are where the food is put in and boiled. Now, at each of the table, six men sat and for every meal, one of the men would bring up the food in a rope bag, that would then be cooked in the copper.

Each bag has a wooden tag with a number on it, and when the food was cooked, the numbers was called and the man would come up, get the food and take it back to the table. This way, Thompson, the one-handed cook, was able to cook for 94 men over 3 years.

On this side is a oven for cooking pies and bread for the officers and gentlemen.

Around the back here is a spit. As you can see, the oven is sitting on stones to protect the deck.

Breakfast was taken at 6 am, it consisted of wheat porridge and scurvy grass. At midday was dinner of boiled salt beef, sauerkruat and vegetable, as you can see in the barrels.

Cheese and pease pudding were sometimes added. The evening meal was eaten cold -- whatever a man had saved from dinner and once a week raisin pudding. There was a daily allowance of one gallon of beer and a pound of dry biscuit.

Around here are the cabins and workshops for the bosun, sailmaker and carpenter. They're used as cabins by the modern crew.

Then the bell sounds and the half hour is up.

I head over to the midi-mates mess.

John (or Jim, sorry) is here and he talks to the first lot of visitors while I read the flash card. The first thing of note about this area is the headroom, or lack thereof.

This is at the end of the mess deck.

When the collier Earl of Pembroke was converted to a Royal Navy exploration ship, they had to add an extra deck and, structurally, the easiest place to put it was here. In the middle of the ship, that worked out well, but towards the stern, the officer's mess and great cabin are above.

To get through here, you bend over and walk along to the door of the midimates mess and, make sure you keep your head down still, you go in and sit on one of the sea chests. Now you can put your head up.

This space in here was the midshipmen's and mate's mess. Here eight young man hung their hammocks, ate and socialised. When they weren't working, this is pretty much where they lived. They kept their belongings in the sea chests. A lot of the mess supplies were kept on shelves and along the back. One of the midshipman was Johnathon Munkhouse, who was 17. He was the younger brother of the surgeons. Another man in here was master's mate, Richard Pickersgill, age 19, he'd been to Tahiti before, two years earlier on the Dolphin.

Around the sides are the officer's cabins. Although they slept in there and worked at their desks, they messed up above. A lot of effort has gone into making the contents of the cabins as accurate as possible. The curtains and linen in the cabins is hand loomed and hand sewn. The journals are on handmade paper.

On the right here is the master's cabin. Robert Molyneux was just 22. His job was navigation, (something I've forgotten) and keeping stores. He held equal rank with the lieutenants and was in charge of the third watch. Except for the headroom, he's got one of the bigger cabins.

Next to him, is the third lieutenant. John Gore was American. Above his bunk, you'll see a gun. He'd said to be the first man to have shot a kangaroo. He was one who brought the ships home at the end of the third voyage, after Cook was killed in Hawaii.

On the end, just outside the door, is the captain's clerk's cabin. He was responsible for some of the record keeping on the ship. He doesn't seem to have been too popular. He got his ear cut in a brawl in his cabin. How enough men managed to fit into his cabin to have a brawl is the question.

On the other side, the gunner's cabin is at the far end, outside the door. He was responsible for the guns and cannons. He got punished for stealing rum, but rejoined Cook for the second voyage.

Next along on the left is the surgeon's cabin. The equipment in his cabin is apparently put together from an actual list. William Munkhouse was the older brother of one of the midshipman. Both brothers died on the voyage. After leaving New Holland, the Endeavour stopped at Batavia in the Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta).

The story I was told was that in order to avoid picking up the diseases that were prevalent in Batavia, they didn't get water here but instead stopped at a small island, however the water here was also foul. Whether it was picked up there or in Batavia, malaria and dysentery killed almost 1/3 of the crew on the way home.

The last cabin on the left is for the second lieutenant, Zachary Hicks. He was second in command after Cook. His journal can be seen the cabin, it was copied by quill onto handmade paper. He died of TB.

The stern loading ports here are used for loading timber and things too long to come down the hatches.

Have a good look in the cabins, there's a lot to see in each one.

When you're done, go out that door on the left and there's a ladder on the right. Go up there and you'll find the officer's mess.

My next half hour was a break. Which sounds like a good idea.

Trip report: Day 2, In Which Things Start To Get Interesting

2007-03-14T17:29:00.000-07:00

The guides that hadn't been on the Endeavour before had to show up at 8.30 am on their first day for a look over the ship. So I left the hotel at 8.15 (cream coloured building in the middle of the photo)

I come up to the intersection,cross over to the river side and then walk down past

to

which is locked. During the times the ship was open the public, there was a guy sitting a shed thing nearby who was, one assumes, unlocking the electronic gate. 8.18 is outside this time and I'm not sure what to do. Another guide turns up and we decide to wait for a few minutes to see what happens. After 5 minutes, another guide turns up. There's a phone at the top of that display panel thing and he picks it up and asks them to open the gate for us. Aha.

Once the gate is open, you go up the overpass, along and then back down. Down would be easier if the steps weren't see through.

Then another walk along the wharf, to the ship.

That's HMAS Perth (Anzac class frigate) at the back, looking quite small from this angle.

Comparison:

	Perth	Endeavour
Launched	20 March 2004	9 December 1993
Displacement	3,600 tonnes	550 tonnes
Length	118 metres	33.3 m (end bowsprit to stern 43.7 m)
Beam	14.8 metres	8.89 metres
Ship's company	About 173	16 permanent, 40 voyage
Sails	None	27 (9 square, 8 f&a, 10 studding)

So we go aboard and then around looking lots for a while, until Caroline turns up. She's the volunteer herder. The order of the tour is the same as it is for visitors. From the gangway, you go down to the waist and around the companionway to the foredeck, then back down the companionway, facing the steps like a ladder. Stop at the fire hearth, then then mess deck (tables), then mess deck (hammocks.) Now you bend down and go through to the midi-mates mess. After looking at everything in here, you go out the other day, up a ladder and through another door into the gentlemen's mess. Keeping going through here into the great cabin. When you've looked around here, you go back out through the gentlemen's mess, up the companionway and back onto the deck. Head towards the stern, which takes you past the tiller and then back to the gangway.

Got it?

9.30 is morning meeting. Here the blue vests are issued every day (not the number and write your name next to it). The new guides are given a water bottle, with a blue strap, which seems a bit long, until I realise that if I put the bottle in my pocket, the neck strap is just the right length. We also have a choice of a hat (with a small brim around it) or a cap (standard visor out the front bit). I take a cap because I need one.

We also get the daily roster. There are various stations which are either traffic control (e.g. at the top of the companionway) or information spots. You spend half an hour in each one, either directing visitors or talking to them. The bell rings, you move to your next rostered spot. Usually, when the bell rings, you move on as soon as possible, but there are a few places where you have to wait for the person relieving you to turn up, and that's where it gets fun.

At 10 am, we go to our places. My first rostered place is at the fire hearth. Next post!

Trip Report: Day 1, Devonport

2007-03-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

Because I was preoccupied with packing, I had forgotten about the Wooden Boat Rally over the weekend at the Seaport. I had meant to go down to have a look at. Little enough happens in Launceston, yet I still manage to miss things. Also found out late on Sunday that Duyfken was there.

In the end I went down to the bus depot an hour early (4 pm instead of 5). Once I'd got rid of my bag, I walked over to Royal Park and then down through the Seaport to see if there was anything remaining at this late stage.

Silvers Circus has been set up in Royal Park for a few weeks. I'd had some thought about going down to see if there was anything worth photographing, but hadn't got there.

They were packing up today.

Approaching the Seaport, things looked quiet, or maybe that should be normal, for late Sunday afternoon. There's always decent amount of traffic along here now, up through Royal Park, dropping off a bit through Kings Park, and then picking up again at the start of the Gorge. It wasn't that long ago that a developer wanted to put a hotel on Kings Park, justifying it because the area was hardly used, which it wasn't, then.

Approaching the Seaport.

That looks... hopeful.

Note the rowing club on the opposite bank.

Still a bit there. Definitely have to remember to go next year.

I still had half an hour to fill in, so I walked over Charles St Bridge (which gets the name for most originally named bridge in the city)

to see if I could get some photos from the other side of the river, at the rowing club

The trip up to Devonport was uneventful. Once we reached Devonport, I kept an eye out for the dark masts. In Hobart, the Endeavour was quite prominent. I had a good idea of where to look, near the cement silos. Nothing obvious though. A big, grey warship, and there just in front, a little brown ship.

I had originally booked at the YHA Hostel, which is where I stayed when I went up last week. It's quite a way out of the city though, about ¾ of hour walk and although $25.50 a night isn't a bad rate, it adds up over 3 nights. I didn't think it was worth it for the amount of walking involved. After some suggestions from others at the training session, I ended up at the Alex, which is on the road the runs along the river, just up from the cement silos. $35 a night for a single room, but if I did shipkeeping one night, that's what I was going to pay anyway. It's quite convenient.

So I get there Sunday evening. $45 per night for the room, she says. ! Or you can have a bed for $20, although you might have to share. That sounds better.

So, that's the bed.

I like the colour scheme in this place too. Flash makes it look lerky though.

Once I'd spread stuff around the room a bit, I went for a walk to get a drink and kill time. I heard the ferry making a bit of noise so I wandered down to the river to have a look while I was drinking.

There were already a dozen people here, and more at other points along the bank. I guess it's a bit slow in Devonport on Sunday night.

The highlight of the show seems to be the cars unloading.

So I made a quick movelet so you can enjoy it too. It needs music, or something. Definitely something.

After that excitement, I went back to the hotel.

There's a common room for guests. That photos makes it look a bit dowdy, but it was a nice room with a modern kitchen and a big TV. It was also directly opposite the ferry terminal, so I had a good view of the big red thing. I took a few obligatory photos and didn't think much more about it, until I looked out the window later and noticed the sun was setting.

It made for an interesting, always changing view, with the different colours of the sky and the ferry's lights.

I did wonder, as it was facing down river, how it got out. Backwards?

I ate the rice I'd taken with me and ~~edited~~ wrote a new scene. ABC was showing Kylie Minogue's Showgirl concert, which looked like it might be worth watching. It was. Listening though, well, I thought she might have gained some "depth" over the years. Repetitive lyrics and simple tunes, bleargh.. It's pop music, yes, and some people like it,yes. I think she's trying to go beyond that though, but the songs are still the same even if you're wearing a leopard print, bodysuit, with or without boxing gloves. Although one has to admit, Locomotion isn't quite the same when many of the dancers are wearing black straps.

Sometime after sunset, the ferry finally moved down the river, obviously with the intention of turning. How does something that long turn in a narrow space like that? Slowly.

I went to bed a bit later. Outside the window of the room is this motor thing that keep going on and off and changing the sound it made all night *sigh*

A Curiousity

2007-02-28T17:05:00.000-08:00

This is a mile stone that used to be on the Midlands Hwy. On one side it has the distance to Launceston and on the other side it has, well, it doesn't have the distance to Hobart Town. That bit is blank. It's not an anomaly either. There's a bunch of them now at Clarendon, and every one is blank on the HT side.

Of course, the question is why?

Australian Wooden Boat Festival, 2007

2007-02-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

To open the festival, there was a Parade of Sail, from down the Derwent up to Hobart. I was watching up beside the CSIRO complex, on Battery Point (the actual point). Very little wind and rather overcast. As the guy sitting near me said, it was like watching grass grow. I took these photos to kill time, because through the camera, none of the sails were visible.

An observation here, how easy is it to identify anything at that distance? They do it in books all the time, once a sail has been sighted. Of that lot, Endeavour is easy to pick and I was fairly sure that one was Lady Nelson, but I couldn't be sure until they were much closer. The other ships I couldn't pick. A ship would have to be very familiar or have something distinctive about it, to identify it as soon as it became visible.

(It's easier in the photo because they're not moving and sails and hulls can be picked out, and it's a good half to three-quarters of an hour after the ships were first spotted)

All those tall ships and not a square sail to be seen. They don't look the same with just fore & aft sails :\

Duyfken is a replica of a Dutch ship that in 1606 made the "first historically recorded voyage to Australia". Quite a lovely little ship and open to the public.

Of the open ships I went on, I took lot of photos. I could put them in their own journal entry, or add them to the list of things to be put on my website, one day.

Dinghies.

There were a lot of temporary walkways, pontoons I guess they are, sometimes a chain of them. This one, you had to climb down a ladder to reach.

The Wooden Boat Festival is for all sizes of boats.

Three ships...

Endeavour, which is a replica of Cook's ship.

Enterprize and Rhona H. The latter used to be in Launceston.

Enterprize is a replica of the topsail schooner that carried settlers from Launceston over the strait to start Melbourne.

This boat was outside the marina, where the water was rough, and it was moving a lot. The dog was sitting there on top looking quite happy, and enjoying all the attention.

Pine clinker

This year the Wooden Boat Festival took in Hunter St and Victoria Dock, where the fishing boats are.

A long tent on Hunter St held the Maritime Market, which has interesting stalls in it.

Like a shop that sells books about boats, and ships and all related things. Didn't stop here long, in case I saw something I wanted. I did pick up a catalogue with their website address on it.

The adjoining stall had photos. I did stop here, and bought one of Windeward Bound in full sail & James Craig, out on the water but no sails :(

There were also working displays.

These are cute. Three snails and two doglike animals, from rope.

May Queen was open. She's an old ketch, built in the 1860s, that was restored a few years ago. "Australia's oldest floating wooden sail trading vessel". I have other photos from other days.

Model boat marquee

Marine engine display

How to tell the age of a sperm whale by its teeth. Vertebrae from a sperm whale just behind.

Entertainers, alongside Duyfken

I love the steam boats, although I got better photos last time.

Sarah Island

2007-01-30T22:06:00.000-08:00

Experimenting with posting photos.

In keeping with the shiny new header, some photos from Sarah Island, old convict settlement in Macquarie Harbour, on Tasmania's west coast. The penitentiary up on the hill, slipway, gaol and bakery.

First post

2006-09-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

Blog title is courtesy of GameBot.

I thought I should have a nice, new shiny blog. I must say, I much prefer the way LJ handles layouts -- better range of patterns/colours schemes & easier to customise. If only it was as easy to make small tweaks (as with the Blogger templates).