Alison

Touring Tasmania – Richmond and Oatlands

After leaving Eaglehawk Neck we drove onto Richmond for the night, staying at Hatcher’s Manor. It sounds very glorious and also looked fabulous from the photos. The outside didn’t disappoint, but the rooms and restaurant could have done with a bit of renovation!

Arriving around 6.30 pm we had booked to have dinner in the restaurant there, so poor hubby didn’t have to drive anymore. A limited menu and wine list greeted us. I was invited to the kitchen to see what cold whites were on offer, sadly nothing Tasmanian, too expensive I was told.

Hatcher’s Manor
Our room for the night

Hubby choosing his after dinner drink behind the bar

Intriguing pieces around the property

The owner kept three horses on the property that he told us were just left there! He used to let them out of their field and have a wander around the property. Chomping and chewing their way around the flower beds.

The man of the manor and his horses

Leaving Hatcher’s after breakfast we made our way into Richmond for a quick wander and a coffee. We had a long drive ahead of us to reach Stanley that night, almost five hours not counting the stops.

This is the route we were taking today.

Richmond

This town has a population of just over 800 and is situated in the Coal River Region. It’s most famous structure is the Richmond Bridge which was built in 1823. It is the oldest stone span bridge in Australia.


A waving hubby

Walking into Richmond itself we took a turn around the Gaol and had another history lesson. Richmond Gaol is Australia’s oldest colonial gaol, and has a great self guided tour on offer. It dates back to 1825. When you enter the different rooms the narrative starts. Sometimes it’s a bit startling hearing the screams, cries and pleas of the women prisoners. This was a mixed jail, where sleeping quarters were always overcrowded. There were also solitary cells for repeat offenders. Women were often repeat offenders attempting to escape harsh masters and preferred to live out their sentence inside a jail.

  • Door to a cell
  • Womens’ toilet
  • From the Jailer’s residence
  • Fireplace in one of the guard’s rooms

The local gingerbread house

Oatlands

I researched the drive over to Stanley to see where we could stop and what towns would be the most interesting. Oatlands was one such place and we had a quick stop here to see the windmill.

Callington Mill, a Georgian Mill built in 1837 and restored in 2010. This is still a working mill and produces quality flour.

A traditional stone wall cottage, I pretty much blend in!

We stopped at Ross for lunch, this was another very pretty historical town, but sadly not enough time to have a good look around. Next up was Sheffield, a town of murals. I took plenty of photos here, but that will be for another post!

25 comments

  1. Continuing to enjoy your road trip, I’m fascinated with windmills and it was interesting to view the stone bridge in Richmond. So very similar to the ones we have over here. Hope your week goes well Alison. Marion.

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  3. Great pictures, as usual. Your room may have disappointed you but from the photo above it looks pretty good to me. It has space and that’s what i like in a room, I have some of the cramped places that pass for de luxe rooms these days. I wouldn’t mind a few days there, and the horse look friendly

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  7. This takes me back to the road trip we did over 20 years ago – although we drove clockwise from Launceston over 10 days. Richmond is a fascinating town – I remember Ross too. Looking forward to the next instalment.

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  8. I really enjoyed reading the stories behind the photos. (Even with heaps of research behind your journey you can have surprises).

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  11. Great photos, Hatchers Manor looks like a lovely little overnight stay. I remember visiting Richmond, very quaint and a little English we thought. Seem to remember lots of tourists searching for a special sweet shop.

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