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| MT BARROW FROM WINDSOR PARK |
Wikipedia (the source of all such
information) tells us that Mt Barrow is 22km north-east of Launceston
and rises 1,413m above sea level.
Mt Barrow also rates a mention on Dangerous Roads.org which advises one to “avoid driving in this area if unpaved mountain roads aren't your strong point. Stay away if you're scared of heights.” Well, I'm OK with heights but don't like unsealed roads, let alone one with spectacular drops off the side so I'll take their advice ...........which is a shame as the same site claims that it is “one of the most scenic drives in the world.” I have no doubt that the views are stunning as described.
The Wikipedia entry is well worth a look and (probably because history is my thing) the discussion of how it may have come by its name is particularly interesting.
Mt Barrow also rates a mention on Dangerous Roads.org which advises one to “avoid driving in this area if unpaved mountain roads aren't your strong point. Stay away if you're scared of heights.” Well, I'm OK with heights but don't like unsealed roads, let alone one with spectacular drops off the side so I'll take their advice ...........which is a shame as the same site claims that it is “one of the most scenic drives in the world.” I have no doubt that the views are stunning as described.
The Wikipedia entry is well worth a look and (probably because history is my thing) the discussion of how it may have come by its name is particularly interesting.
Mt Barrow is so visible on the
Launceston skyline, that we tend to take it for granted, but it has,
over the years received attention for all sorts of things. In the
1880s for instance, there was great hope that gold deposits might be
hidden in the area. The first road that went all the way to the top
was built in 1940.
I'll leave it to an early Examiner
article from 11 December 1909 (via TROVE) to summarize what I'm
missing out on by not venturing up to the top of Mt Barrow: “The outlook from the
trigonometrical station at the pinnacle of this mountain is one which
on a clear day comprises a good half of Tasmania, and the panorama of
mountains, valleys, plains, rivers, settlements, cultivated and
uncultivated lands, coastline, distant island etc is not eclipsed by
any other obtainable from a mountain top in the Commonwealth.”
(And yes, it is a “trigonometrical station”
but I'll let you look that up, as I did).
