ENTALLY HOUSE
We visited several colonial estate houses on this trip, and I think Entally House was my favourite. It does not seem to receive the same publicity as Woolmers Estate, so is a hidden treasure. We were shown around by Carol Barnett whose enthusiasm was infectious. This house was built in 1819 and its history shows how convicts done-good had potential in this new land which they would never had had back in Britain. The mother of the first owner of this house was Mary Reibey, transported to Tasmania at the age of 14 for stealing a horse. She became a nanny on board ship and then nanny to the Governor of Sydney. Always spotting an opportunity, she was a great businesswomen and, with her ex-East India Company husband, built a huge fortune in shipping, property, and the provision of supplies. Her eldest son, Thomas Haydock Reibey II, became Premier of Tasmania from 1876 to 1877. Carol started to tell us that he’d left the clergy in disgrace before entering parliament, but a sudden arrival of other visitors to the house meant we could not take any more of her time. The early settlers of Van Diemen’s Land were certainly an interesting bunch.
Nowadays, Entally House is a privately owned house with beautiful gardens. When we were there, they were setting up the grounds for a wedding party.
Just imagine sitting out on this veranda and taking in this view.
The new owners of the house had furnished it with period pieces (mostly from UK) so you could a real sense of what it would have been like to live here.
We spent quite a while walking around the out buildings here and enjoying the sunshine.
LIFFEY FALLS
We had to drive up a long windy narrow gravel road to reach the falls, and then had a pleasant walk through large ferns and very very tall trees.
There wasn’t much water in the river, so the falls were less spectacular than expected.
Walking back to the car park we saw a sign directing us to a tall tree; this was an understatement!
DELORAINE
After driving through rich farmland, with very healthy looking cattle, horses, and sheep, we finally arrived in Deloraine. But since it was 4 pm, everything was closed! So, we walked along the main street, observing the small sculptures dotted here and there, and wondering what that mountain was in the background?
There was a railway line going through the town, and an old engine in the park. This engine came from Manchester, UK, and serves as a reminder of how much stuff had to be imported half way across the world to help establish this colony.
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