Beaconsfield in north eastern Tasmania is located north of Launceston, on the western banks of the Tamar River.
North of Beaconsfield are the ruins of Yorktown. Yorktown was the first
settlement in Tasmania.
Aboriginal Tasmanian (Palawa) People
Tasmania was a peninsula of Australia around 40,000 years ago when Aboriginal
people first arrived in the region.
About 12000 years ago, sea levels began to rise, with the end of the Ice Age, and Tasmania became separated from the mainland.
Tasmanian Aboriginal
people became the most isolated people on Earth. Before this, Aboriginal people had travelled between modern-day Victoria and Tasmania.
Tasmanian Aboriginal Clans were based on loose associations of family or hearth groups (up to about 30) that identified with a particular country.
Aboriginal Tasmanians were primarily nomadic people, moving around according to seasons and food sources. Specific skills and knowledge were needed in hunter gatherer communities.
An area of extensive ochre deposits north of Beaconsfield may have been used by Aboriginal people.
The French expeditions of d’Entrecasteaux (1792) and Baudin (1802) recorded many observations about the Tasmanian Aboriginal people and their customs.
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| Nicolas-Martin Petit (1777–1804): Tasmanierin mit Kind in Känguruhaut (Ausschnitt), Muséum Le Havre |
Complete Aboriginal Tasmanian languages have been lost. One reasoning is that there was no written language:
words were not written down.
There are more than 250 Australian Aboriginal languages across Australia and approximately 800 dialects. These languages are closely connected to the environment they are spoken in. Aboriginal languages mostly have many words relating to rituals, spirituality, and kinship.
Historian Geoffrey Blainey wrote of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people that by 1830: "Disease had killed most of them but warfare and private violence had also been devastating".
Europeans
Abel Tasman became the first European to set eyes on Tasmania in 1642. Tasman
named it Van Diemen's Land to honour the East Indies Governor-General, Anthonie Van Deimen.
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| Portrait of Abel Tasman, his wife and daughter. Attributed to Jacob Gerritsz Cuyp, 1637 |
1790s
Multicultural seal hunters begun visiting the Bass Strait islands, as well as the north and east coasts of Tasmania, from the late 1790s, and established semi-permanent camps in the region. Trade in Aboriginal women soon began.
1800s
A government lime works was established in the area in 1816. Limestone was important for mortar, concrete and render.
1820s
The first European settlers on mainland Tasmania's North-West Coast arrived in the 1820s with the Van Diemen's Land Company;
1800s
In early 1802, French
explorers and artists from Nicolas Baudin’s ships landed in Tasmania and spent time interacting with the Tasmanian Aboriginal people. They recorded their language and culture, flora and fauna and collected objects and specimens. Most of these drawings are owned by the Museum of Natural History in Le Havre, France.
During the voyage, which charted significant stretches of
the Australian coast, François Péron, who wrote a lot about the Tasmanian Aborigines of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, on south-eastern Tasmania, also wrote a report for Bonaparte on ways to invade and capture the British colony.
Charles Alexandre Lesueur, a French naturalist, artist, and explorer, also travelled to Australia as an artist on the expedition of Baudin and Péron and made many drawings.
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| Portrait de Bara-Ourou dans l'atlas du Voyage de découvertes aux terres australes, Charles Alexandre Lesueur et Nicolas-Martin Petit |
Fearful that the French would attempt
to colonise Van Diemen's Land, caused the British to establish a settlement on the Derwent River in 1803.
Beaconsfield was first explored by Europeans in 1804 when Colonel William Paterson, the Governor of Cornwall (northern Tasmania), was on an expedition to Port Dalrymple
and established a settlement at York Town. Colonel Paterson discovered limestone at Beaconsfield in December 1805,
Tasmania was initially divided into two counties on 24 September 1804. These were Buckingham in the south and Cornwall in the north.
In the early days of the colony, under Governor Arthur, Tasmania was divided into Hundreds. Each 100-square-mile (26,000 ha) hundred was divided into four 25-square-mile (65 km2) parishes. The counties, hundreds and parishes were gazetted on 1 July 1836. Today there are 20 land districts in Tasmania.
1840s
Alluvial gold may have been found at Beaconsfield in 1847 by a man working at the Tamar Lime Works.
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| Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), Tuesday 12 March 1946 |
1850s
Settlement of Beaconsfield did not occur until the 1850s. The area was known as Cabbage Tree Hill, and then, Brandy Creek, because of the colour of the water in the creek.
1870s
Early in July 1877, William Dally discovered a rich quartz reef at Brandy Creek. The early development of the area was entirely due to mining.
The Boiler House showed the importance of steam power from 1877 to 1914.
Called the Tasmania Reef, the mine at Beaconsfield produced three times more than the New Golden Gate Mine at Mathinna and was the largest mining district in Tasmania.
In current money, about $3 Billion came out of Beaconsfield mine over the years. The Beaconsfield mine was extremely important to
the development of Tasmania, especially during the long depression and contributing to the development of the city of Launceston.
The police quarters was an old hut between Brandy Creek and the Ophir
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| Launceston Examiner (Tas. : 1842 - 1899), Saturday 15 June 1878 |
Brandy Creek was renamed Beaconsfield in March 1879 by Aloysius Weld, standing on the veranda of the Ophir Hotel,
in honour of Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield and the British Prime Minister.
By September 1879 there were three churches, four hotels, six or seven general stores, 262 houses and a population of 962 (Morris-Nunn & Tassell 1984).
Underground mining began in 1879.
1880s
In 1881 the census showed a population of 1,520.
In 1881 William Wyett commenced construction of a tramway, drawn by horses, which opened in December of that year. Changed to steam power in 1886.
At one stage, Beaconsfield had up to 12 hotels.
The Beaconsfield newspaper was called the “Tickler” in 1881.
There were 43 mining companies at Beaconsfield in 1883.
. In 1881 Mr. John
Willi
am Wyett obtained the right to
build and operate a tramway at
Beaconsfield.
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| Church trustee Henry Sands owned the Club Hotel, in 1883, Beaconsfield, TAS |
Gold was extracted using gravity, flotation and cyanidation methods.
Mining increased laterally and to greater depths. The large inflows of water required continuous pumping.
In 1883, higher productivity
was demanded of miners, so some of the Beaconsfield miners formed a miners’ association.
The school was founded in 1883.
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| The Beaconsfield State School, TAS, was built in 1883 |
The biggest bank robbery in Tasmanian history occurred at Beaconsfield in 1884. The owner of the Exchange Hotel, Richard Collins and his son George were among seven men arrested over the robbery of the Bank of Tasmania at Beaconsfield. Charges were later withdrawn, and no one was
ever convicted of the robbery.
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| Daily Telegraph (Launceston, Tas. : 1883 - 1928), Thursday 30 December 1886 |
1890s
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| Beaconsfield Band, TAS, in 1890 |
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| Post and Telegraph Office, Beaconsfield, TAS, Tasmanian (Launceston, Tas. : 1881 - 1895), Saturday 26 May 1894 |
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Luhrig Concentrating Works, Beaconsfield, TAS, Tasmanian (Launceston, Tas. : 1881 - 1895), Saturday 26 October 1895
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| Luhrig Concentrating Works, Beaconsfield, TAS, Tasmanian (Launceston, Tas. : 1881 - 1895), Saturday 26 October 1895 |
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| 1. View of Beaconsfield, TAS. 2. The Tasmanian Gold Mine. 3. The main battery. Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Saturday 2 January 1897 |
The Alicia Hall was named by Thomas Henry "TH" Walduck after his eldest daughter in 1899. The next owner, Belle Cowie, turned the building into the town's cinema and accompanied the silent movies on her piano.
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| Mr T H Walduck, Tasmanian (Launceston, Tas. : 1881 - 1895), Saturday 26 May 1894 |
1900s
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Beaconsfield, TAS, showing goldmine, Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912), Tuesday 1 January 1901
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| Weld Street, Beaconsfield, Tasmania - very early 1900s, Aussie~mobs |
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| Beaconsfield, TAS, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 13 June 1903 |
The Grubb Shaft Engine
House was built in 1904.
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| Weld Street, Beaconsfield, Tasmania - 1906, Aussie~mobs |
Holy Trinity Church in Margaret Street
was built in 1907
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| New Year Greetings from Beaconsfield 1908 (Weld Street), Tasmanian Archives and State Library (Commons) |
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| Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), Friday 10 June 1910 |
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| WELD STREET, BEACONSFIELD, TASMANIA - 1910s, Aussie~mobs |
The Tasmania Mine at Beaconsfield closed in 1914 due to the cost of pumping water from the mine. The mine did not reopen again until 1999. Some of
the original pumping equipment can be seen at the local museum.
WWI
In 1916 and 1917, referenda were held about conscription (compulsory service). A pro-conscription rally was held at Alicia Hall a few days before the 1916 referendum, with an audience of about 700 people. The rally, however, was interrupted by a "terrific" explosion, as a bomb was thrown over the fence behind the Alicia Hall during the pro-conscription rally.
Tasmanians voted by a large majority - 48,493 votes to 37,833 - for conscription.
Sergeant Percy Clyde Statton, from Beaconsfield, won the Victoria Cross.
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| Portrait of Percy Clyde Statton VC MM, an Australian recipients of the Victoria Cross during the First World War. |
1920s
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| Three of the buildings remaining at the Tasmania Mine at Beaconsfield, TAS, Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), Tuesday 22 July 1924 |
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| View of the Beaconsfield Hospital, TAS, Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), Saturday 20 September 1924 |
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| Matron and Staff of Beaconsfield Hospital, TAS, Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), Saturday 20 September 1924 |
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| Daily Telegraph (Launceston, Tas. : 1883 - 1928), Thursday 19 March 1925 |
1930s
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| Extension of Hydro Electricity to-Beauty Point OFFICIAL SWITCHING ON CEREMONY TO-NIGHT AT BEACONSFIELD NEW ERA OPENS IN TIHE HISTORY OF THE WEST TAMAR DISTRICTExaminer (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), Saturday 20 February 1932 |
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| 1. The oldest church in Beaconsfield, TAS. 2. Members of the council. 3. Members of the hospital board. 4. Weld St, Beaconsfield. 5. Bullock team. 6. Some of the former members of the Beaconsfield band. 7. Clay and stone mine at Cabbage Tree Hill. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 14 May 1932 |
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| Beauty Point Cool Store , TAS, Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), Wednesday 17 February 1932 |
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| Alicia Hall (established 1899), and Mr. and Mrs. D. Barnard's store, Beaconsfield, TAS, Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), Monday 1 January 1934 |
1940s and WWII
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F-Officer Wilbur David Parsons, RAAF, of Beaconsfield (T), photographed at his station in Britain after he had been awarded the DFC for having displayed great courage, skill, and determination in piloting his damaged bomber home.Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), Thursday 26 August 1943 |
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| Girls at the canning factory of the Tamar Valley Co-operative Co. Ltd. at Beaconsfield operating the apple pulping, coring, peeling and cleaning machines. Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), Thursday 4 July 1946 |
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| Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), Saturday 14 June 1947 |
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| Mrs Ken Hutton, of Beacons-field, who is the first municipal Mascot Girl in the R.A.A.F. Memorial Centre appeal to be nominated outside Launceston. Mrs Hutton is an English girl and during the war served with the W.A.A.F. in England as a transport driver. Her husband, who was killed in action over Germany, was a Stawell Giftwinner. Mrs Hutton will be called the Tamar Mascot girl. The Beaconsfield R.S.L. and Country Women's Association branch are working for Mrs Hutton and help from committees on both sides of the Tamar will be appreciated.Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), Saturday 19 July 1947 |
A petition signed by 143 residents of Beaconsheld and Beauty Point
seeking better water facilities was tabled on
March 21 1949.
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| Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), Tuesday 22 March 1949 |
1950s
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| THE LIBRARIAN (Miss Katherine Rugare) helps school children select books from the BeaconsfieldLibrary. In the picture are (from left) Ronald Cowie, Miss Rugare, Wendy Lean, Frank Rugare, Bevin Walker, Christine Pedder. The library is in the Council buildings. It supplies all schools in the West Tamar area. Four hundred books are exchanged with the Launceston Library every three months.Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), Thursday 4 May 1950 |
In 1953, Beaconsfield was the first town in Australia to fluoridate
the water supply.
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From left: Mrs. M. OToole, secretary of the Beaconsfield Hospital Auxiliary,
Matron E. Midgley, and Sister K. Treloggen. Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), Thursday 2 July 1953 |
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| THE New Beaconsfield school, main classrooms, ofwhich will be "open.for business" about the middle of June. TAS,- Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), Tuesday 6 April 1954, |
1960s
Beaconsfield was gazetted as a locality in 1967.
2000sDisaster and Rescue
A magnitude-2.2 earthquake at Beaconsfield mine resulted in a landslide in April 2006.
The mine collapsed on Anzac Day 2006 killing miner Larry Knight and trapping Todd Russell and Brant Webb 925 metres
underground. They were rescued 15 days later.
The mine stops in 2012 extracting gold because it is no longer profitable.
2020
In February 2020, Australian mining company NQ Minerals bought the Beaconsfield mine for $2 million.
2021
Beaconsfield Wetland project environmental cleanup begins. Since the 1870s, untreated water from the mine was pumped
into the wetlands and the cleaning process may also lead to millions of dollars of gold profits.
Abandoned tunnels run more than 1km beneath Beaconsfield.
Around Beaconsfield
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| Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre, TAS |
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| Old Beaconsfield Gold Mine cart at Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre, TAS |
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| The original Sand's Club Hotel, TAS, papers to have opened in 1883. Later remodelled in Art Deco style |
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| Former workshop of Manion's Motor Garage, Est 1924, Beaconsfield, Tasmania |
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| Former Bank of Tasmania building in Beaconsfield, TAS, established in the early 1880s. The Bank of Tasmania was a small bank established in Launceston in the 1850s |
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| Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre, TAS |
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| Beaconsfield, TAS |
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| Former Exchange Hotel, Beaconsfield, TAS, built in 1880 |
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| Beaconsfield, TAS |
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| Miner's cottage, Beaconsfield, TAS |
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| Alicia Hall, TAS, built 1899 |
Things To Do and Places to Go
BEACONSFIELD MINE AND HERITAGE CENTRE
