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Location
Why Stay In Hamilton? Maydena
Hauler Media Release
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Hamilton is well located as a
stopping point in Southern Tasmania. The township sits in a
pleasant valley sheltered by the rugged, often snow-capped South
West Mountains close-by.
Clear skies make the local
climate one of Tasmania's best. The hottest part of Tasmania in
the summer, but always cool at night. Tasmania as a whole
deserves better press for its weather. |
The evening light gives wonderful
photos, with sunsets over the mountains to the west regularly
spectacular and the aurora borealis sometimes too.
Hamilton is a pleasant and interesting little historic township. St
Peters is the second oldest church in the State, there are over 30
heritage buildings and historic sites here plus platypus and trout in
the Clyde river
Places of interest are in all directions. National Parks, forests,
rivers and lakes are only minutes away by car. Most other historic towns
in southern Tasmania are within an hour or so. Central Hobart is an easy
and scenic drive of about an hour and worth doing several times. The
airport is around 75 minutes away.
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Colonial plans had Hamilton
becoming the major town for the region. Excellent soils and
climate lent to an obvious agricultural industry - growing wheat
for bread, oats for horses and barley for beer made a strong
local economy. Then, good
gardening meant good living.
As tourism grew in Tasmania in
the early 1980's others pioneered the conversion of old
buildings for 'colonial accommodation'. Green protestors against
construction of a dam on the Gordon River made global news, won
Commonwealth Government support for World Heritage listing of a
large section of western rain forest in 1984, put Tasmania's
wilderness on the international tourist map and increased
significantly the numbers of visitors travelling through. |
Excellent photo opportunities
throughout the town, and very special light particularly in the evening
enrich the experience here
By car:
10 minutes - Hamilton Plains Road, see historic dry stone fences,
fabulous views
(2 km towards Hobart, turn right).
15 minutes - Lake Meadowbank - platypuses, water birds, trout fishing -
go early or late when it is still (which is often) for magical water
reflections, sometimes mists and far-away sounds.
(8 km towards Ouse, turn left towards Ellendale).
30 minutes radius - Bothwell, New Norfolk, Plenty, Bushy Park,
Pontville, Ellendale, Mt Field National Park.
60 minute radius - central Hobart, Kempton, Oatlands, Styx Valley [with
theworld's tallest known hardwood tree/eucalypt/flowering plant (euc.
regnans over 90 metres), the world's tallest Christmas tree and the
'Chapel Tree']
90 minute radius- most of southern Tasmania Lake St Clair National Park,
Hobart Airport, Richmond, Ross, The Great Lake, Mt. Wellington summit
and Huonville.
Travelling West to Hamilton from Hobart:
take the A1 to Granton, then the Lyell Highway, A10, through New N
orfolk and continue west.
Following the Derwent river the road sweeps through quite picturesque
fertile farmland with heritage buildings and views of mountains and
forests. Sometimes the mountains have snowcaps.
The river is often mirror calm and is a bird sanctuary with black swans,
little ducks and native hens about and numerous scenic stopping places.
Travelling East from Queenstown, the A10 winds through steep wet
mountain country, wild |