Beez Neez now Chy Whella - Falmouth, Tasmania

Falmouth, Tasmania

Beez Neez now Chy Whella

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Mon 18 Jan 2016 23:57

Lunch Mabel in Falmouth, Tasmania

We saw the sign to Falmouth and had to.........it was lunchtime anyway. No sooner than we had left the main road we saw a holiday bungalow called Woolly Butt, what a wonderful name.

The tiny Fire Station. We drove past Four Mile Creek and headed for the beach.

An Australian newspaper called The Age described Falmouth in 2004: Tiny village on the east coast.
Falmouth is an attractive and tiny, rather up market, village on the Tasmanian east coast 202 km south east of Launceston and 242 km north east of Hobart. In one sense it almost doesn't feel like a town at all. It is more like a collection of attractive houses on a cliff top with excellent views along the coastline.

The area around Falmouth was explored by John Helder Wedge and was first settled in 1829 by Captain John Henderson (after whom the large local lagoon is named) who acquired 2560 acres. Later that same year a similar package of land was granted to William Steel. These early settlers became the backbone of the local community so that, even after World War I, the area was still dominated by the heirs of Steel and Henderson.

As the visitor turns off the Tasman Highway towards Falmouth they will note a large Victorian homestead which was built by William Steel's nephew in 1867 for the huge sum of £1740. It was named 'Enstone Park' after World War One by LJ Steel who lived in the house until his death at the age of 102 in 1968.

Looking back from half way along Four Mile Creek. Enstone House red roof just visible [toward the left].

Looking out to sea.

Oh, ahead men were working and bollards blocked our way. No problem one of the men waved us forward and we waited while he cleared a way in to the little sandy car park.

We jumped out to explore, still revelling in the mere word – Falmouth.

First, a stop at the information board.

A hub of activity. Throughout history, Falmouth has been a port, a centre for coastal transport and a popular destination for gathering, rest and recreation.Across the estuary you can find remains from European settlement – an old stone road that ran between Scamander and Falmouth in the 1860’s. It was described as “a rudimentary, treacherous track” behind coastal dunes, which frequently bogged the coaches.

Beneath the heath. Expansion in more modern times has left a narrow rim of remnant coastal scrub around the northern and eastern edges of Falmouth from coastal winds. Near the lagoon you can also find the spectacular Tasmanian smokebush [Conospermum hookeri], which only grows on the east coast. The scrub here is a key asset of Falmouth, and vital for native vegetation connectivity in an otherwise largely cleared environment.

Local visitors can help protect native habitat and reduce the spread of weeds by disposing of rubbish and garden waste appropriately, and not disturbing native vegetation. Gardeners are encouraged to plant only local native species.

Conospermum hookeri and distribution map

A meeting place for other animals. Wetlands are of high conservation significance because they provide abundant habitat for many vulnerable animals and birds. On and around Henderson Lagoon we have recorded the following threatened species – White-bellied Sea eagles, Little Terns, Fairy Terns, Swift Parrots, Tasmanian Devils, Spotted-tailed Quolls, Australian Graylings, the freshwater Green and Gold Frog and Giant Velvet Worms [they’re not as big as they sound – they’re about 7 cms long]. Black bream are found in the lagoon.