Hobart Batteries

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

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.