We recently travelled to Tasmania and, although not planned, we visited The Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre. You may remember the men, Todd Russell and Brant Webb, trapped in a mine for 14 days. Well, this is where it happened.
As I mentioned, we visited purely by chance. Ashok, a friend whose boat we sailed from Launceston to Hobart for the Wooden Boat Festival, was taking us to Beauty Point, where the vessel, Windrose, was berthed. We stopped on the way to get takeaway Indian food for dinner. That Indian restaurant is in Beaconsfield. We also went to Beaconsfield to visit the Miners Gold Brewery. That was when we decided to go to the Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre to learn more about the town’s history, the mine and, of course, the Beaconsfield mine rescue.
Alluvial gold was detected in Beaconsfield in 1847, but it was not until 1877 that anyone found a payable gold reef. Soon after, Beaconsfield became Tasmania’s most prosperous settlement. When the rush for gold first hit Beaconsfield, previously named Brandy Creek, the town consisted of a drapery and a grocery store. Soon after, the once quaint village was teeming with people.
Mining at Beaconsfield
At the peak of the gold rush, 700 men worked the gold mine, removing a staggering 26 tonnes of gold, before closing in 1914 at the beginning of World War 1. The mine reopened in 1999, and in 2006 part of the mine collapsed, killing one man and trapping two others. The mine closed in 2012.
Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre
In our opinion, the Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre should be on your must-do list, especially if you are travelling with children. It is a well-presented and informative museum with something to interest absolutely everyone. The Beaconsfield Museum has a fabulous collection of interactive activities allowing kids (including us big kids) to touch and play with many historical objects, including old telephones. There are, in fact, over fifty hands-on exhibits. The interactive exhibits are indicated with a yellow handprint and include panning for gold, crawling through tunnels and climbing to the top of the tower. Click here for a quick look at some of the interactive attractions.
Once we paid for our tickets, we received a map and guidance from helpful staff on how best to see everything. Below is just a glimpse of what this historic site has to offer.
The Mine Rescue
This section has an in-depth display of the Beaconsfield mine rescue. The exhibition takes you through the rescue day by day. It is an extraordinary story of strength, determination and survival.
Todd Russell and Brant Webb had been working in a tiny steel cage attached to a telehandler operated by Larry Knight. Unfortunately, Larry did not survive when the earthquake caused the mine to collapse just before 9.30pm on ANZAC Day, 2006. Todd and Russell were trapped in the tiny cage a kilometre below the surface. They were unable to stand or even sit for 14 days. It is unimaginable… I can’t stand sitting on a plane for more than 9 hours; Imagine 14 days! The exhibit includes a cage you can poke your head into, to get an idea of the area’s size.
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The Diprose Room
The room, named for Thomas Diprose (1918 – 2008), houses much of Tom’s collection of restored machinery. Tom began searching the area for abandoned machinery in the early 1950s. He found rusty, worn-out machinery at farms, old sawmill sites and mines, which he restored to working order.
The past and current life of miners
At the Beaconsfield Museum, you can see some of the differences between early life as a miner to what it is like for miners today (or not so far in the past). Wander through the old ruins, visit the old miner’s humpy, pan for gold, and then take a look in the miners’ changerooms to get an idea of how miners’ lives have changed.
That is just a little peek at what awaits at this fascinating museum for you to explore. So stick this museum on your bucket list; you won’t regret it. Tell me in the comments below what you think about this museum.
Want more to see and do in Tasmania?
Coal River Valley Wine Tasting / Mole Creek Caves / Sheffield – The Town of Murals / Tamar Valley Wine Tasting
More museums around the world?
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum / The Killing Fields / South Australian Maritime Museum / South Australian Aviation Museum / National Railway Museum / 13 Must-Visit Museums from Around the World / Arltunga – A Ghost Town / Naples – Catacombs / Naples – Herculaneum Ruins
More Information
Currency
Australian dollar – AUD – written here as $
Visit the Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre
Cost – Adults $19.50 / Concession $15.00 / Child $7.50 / Family $48.00
Location – 39 km north-west of Launceston on the West Tamar Highway
Opening hours – Daily 10:00 – 16:00 (Closed Christmas Day & Good Friday).
Phone – 03 6383 1473
Email – [email protected]
Tips for visiting the Beaconsfield Mine
How long to expect a visit – 1.5 to 2+ hours.
Tours – guided tours and self-guided (map)
Facilities – toilets, gift shop, function area, parking, reference library.
Food/restaurant – No. However, a barbecue and playground are just outside the centre, so take a picnic lunch.
Dress code – Some areas are outside, so dress appropriately for the weather.
Wheelchair access – Yes. However, access to some areas may not be possible for people with reduced mobility.
Map – Click here for the centre map
Getting to Tasmania
We flew to Tasmania on a direct flight from Adelaide. Try WayAway for cheap flights with cashback.
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Accommodation
We typically book our accommodation through booking.com. We like the convenience of booking online, and we can usually pay for our accommodation on arrival at the hotel/resort or room. Also, booking.com advertise many different accommodation styles in Tasmania, so you are sure to find the perfect place.
Where we stayed in Tasmania
Horizon Deluxe Apartments
Cost – We paid $249.00 per night
Pros – Fabulous apartment. We enjoyed the view, the spa, and the bed. Fully functional kitchen. Since it was a wet and windy day, we decided to cook a roast lamb. TV had Netflix.
Cons – None; it was fabulous.
Verdict – Luxury. We would stay again. It was lovely.
Mole Creek Cabins
Cost – We paid $160.00 per night
Pros – The cabin-style accommodation is very nice and comfortable. The kitchen facilities were suitable for cooking. It was a very relaxing place. I liked having a heater and heating lights in the bathroom.
Cons – None; it was very pleasant cabin accommodation.
Verdict – This was good accommodation. It would suit families.
Wrest Point
Cost – We paid $136.89 for the first night and $152.10 for the other.
Pros – Nice size room in the motel section. Everything was pleasant. I like having a table with chairs in the room. The iron and ironing board came in handy, as did the safe. We had a meal at the Bistro. The roast was delicious, and I liked that you could order small or large serves.
Cons – The bed is not super comfortable, but it does suffice.
Verdict – Pleasant place for a few days.
Car Hire
We hired a car during our Tasmania trip on several occasions. It made getting around the island much easier. We were able to visit attractions with little fuss. Car rental was particularly helpful when travelling outside of the major cities to places such as The Mole Creek Cave and when going to multiple destinations such as Wine Tasting in the Tamar Valley & Coal River Valley. Check out GetRentacar for car rental at the best prices in all countries!
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Photo Credits
Beaconsfield by Stephen Michael Barnett
Packing apples by Hedgejay
Beaconsfield mine and heritage centre – interior by Fairy Duff
Beaconsfield Gold Mine Museum by Sarah Brabazon
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