Tamar Island (located in the Tamar Island Wetlands Reserve, just off the West Tamar Highway between Riverside and Legana) was first noted by
Europeans in 1804, when it was named “Upper Island.” Tamar
Island has always been crown land, but over the years has been used
for a variety of purposes, and sometimes privately leased.
Convict labour was used to reclaim land in the wetland area as early as the 1820s. In the
1880s it became the base for an on-going dredging operation to allow
ships better access to the Launceston port. (This is obviously not a
new issue). Derelict ships and barges were also used to try and
block part of the river and increase the flow in the main channel.
By this time, the island was known as “Pig Island.”
There was a report in The Daily
Telegraph (Launceston) in 1900, that mentioned a man with a suspected
case of bubonic plague, being confined to “Pig Island.” This
seems to have been a pragmatic rather than planned response to the
perceived threat.
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THE BOARDWALK TO TAMAR ISLAND
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As time went on, the recreational
potential of the island was recognized. In 1906 there was a
privately funded proposal to erect tea rooms and another name change
to “Tamar Island” ensued. (Other suggested names included
Panogana (white mud),and Kuawatto (afternoon) but the minister had
the final say, and clearly favoured the literal). Various expensive
ornamental trees were planted, but eventually the plans foundered due
to the unforeseen costs involved in building a suitable jetty. By
1917, such plans had been abandoned but despite applications, the
Marine Board was reluctant to lease the ground for grazing as
livestock would likely destroy the trees.
There are many stories associated with the island. I'ts easy to find the old oak tree that has now all but consumed, a rusted plough once left behind, legend has it, by a grief-stricken widowed farmer who abandoned the land. and you won't find it hard to find lots of references on-line to
Bruno the marooned bull.
The Tasmanian state government
purchased it in the 1980s, and incorporated it into the Tamar River
Conservation Area
https://www.environment.gov.au/water/wetlands/publications/wetlands-australia/national-wetlands-update-february-2012-15
contains interesting information regarding the wetlands of which
Tamar Island is an integral part.
The whole wetlands area is a
photographer's dream – its great on a sunny day, but in winter,
when the trees are bare, the tide is low and the skies are dark and
threatening its even better!
