I am a fairly recent member of the TPS.
I recently purchased at Tasmanian Stamp Auctions a postmark of "HILLEND"
Apart from John Hardinge"s entry in his recent publication, I can find no other reference to the place.
Can anybody please help - photos would be super of either the small community, temporary post office, or railway station!
Thanks in advance!
John Foster
Hillend Tasmania
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Jerry Weirich
- Posts: 349
- Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 12:35 pm
- Location: Virginia, USA
Re: Hillend Tasmania
Hi John. I can't help too much but I have been collecting material on 19th century postmasters. I've attached three references (all from the Gazette) that mentions the first Hillend post office opening near Zeehan and some subsequent appointments. These will help you get started.....
- Hillend 1899-10-20 PO Open (Gazette,Tue,Oct24,1899,p1924).png (94.11 KiB) Viewed 8209 times
- Hillend 1899-11-01 MOSB Open (Gazette,Tue,Oct31,1899,p1958).png (98.82 KiB) Viewed 8209 times
- Hillend 1899-12-01 PM,TM (Gazette,Tue,Dec5,1899,p2174).png (178.51 KiB) Viewed 8209 times
Re: Hillend Tasmania
Hillend has always been a bit of a mystery to me.
It was on the Emu Bay Railway (EBR) North of the junction to Williamsford etc and South of Renison Bell.
A quick search of Trove reveals it was the site of a tunnel on the EBR and it seems quite likely (my best guess) the town was established as a base of the tunnel construction workforce which consisted of at least 80 workers. The PO Opening and closing fits this scenario.
The Mercury of 19 sep 1900 reports: "The Emu Bay Railway tunnel at Hill-end, North Dundas, is almost completed. About 80 men were discharged last week, and it ís expected that a train service will be running through to Zeehan before the end of the year."
I also noted reports of sly grog shops, two-up schools and 'disorderly houses' in Trove newspaper reports. Obviously Hillend was the place to go if you wanted good time!
I think it is fairly well established that a horde of the datestamp for this office, which by normal measures would probably rate 4R due to its small size and limited period of opening, came into the hands of a Hobart dealer and hence we see the cds available at auction and on Ebay quite regularly.
Pete
It was on the Emu Bay Railway (EBR) North of the junction to Williamsford etc and South of Renison Bell.
A quick search of Trove reveals it was the site of a tunnel on the EBR and it seems quite likely (my best guess) the town was established as a base of the tunnel construction workforce which consisted of at least 80 workers. The PO Opening and closing fits this scenario.
The Mercury of 19 sep 1900 reports: "The Emu Bay Railway tunnel at Hill-end, North Dundas, is almost completed. About 80 men were discharged last week, and it ís expected that a train service will be running through to Zeehan before the end of the year."
I also noted reports of sly grog shops, two-up schools and 'disorderly houses' in Trove newspaper reports. Obviously Hillend was the place to go if you wanted good time!
I think it is fairly well established that a horde of the datestamp for this office, which by normal measures would probably rate 4R due to its small size and limited period of opening, came into the hands of a Hobart dealer and hence we see the cds available at auction and on Ebay quite regularly.
Pete
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John Campton
- Posts: 128
- Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2012 9:25 pm
Re: Hillend Tasmania
In Courier 57 June 2014 I briefly touched on this as part of an article on the Emu Bay Railway. The post office opened 20.10.1899 and closed 13.12.1900 with W.J. Heaps postmaster 20.10.1899-30.11.1899 and E.T. Connelly thereafter.
When building the Emu Bay railway from Guildford Junction to Zeehan engineers had to tunnel through a large hill (Serpentine Hill) seven kilometers from Zeehan. Work on this tunnel commenced in March 1899, from both sides. Work on the Rosebery end progressed faster than the Zeehan side. A work gang construction camp was established near the tunnel on the Zeehan side and this was called Hill End. It was abandoned after the tunnel was built.
Being isolated the men entertained themselves with gambling and police watched "the schools" closely to curtail their activities. By March 1900 the Zeehan and Dundas Herald (27.3.1900) indicated that gambling had come to a "standstill". The tunnel had several names e.g. North Dundas Tunnel, Emu Bay Tunnel. Records vary on the name but it is the same tunnel.
On 7th April 1900 the Emu Bay Tunnel at Hill End was holed through with breaking down and cementing of the tunnel commenced. The Rosebery side had been broken down for some distance and already lined with cement. The 400 metre tunnel was finished with the first train going through in November 1900. The line opened in December 1900. The only evidence of activity at the Hill End site is 150 cubic yards of spoil at the southern end of the portal. A greater part of the spoil from the tunnel was used as filling across the Argent River and as ballast on the railway.
Animals wandering into the tunnel were a hazard with horses and livestock regularly being killed by the EBR trains. In September 1911 a five strand wire fence was erected from the tunnel to Renison Bell. This kept livestock off the lines but it also had the added benefit of stopping the local inhabitants using the railway as a carriage way. They had to buy a ticket for the train!
The post office opening and closing closely coincides with establishment and abandonment of the work camp.
Hope this puts a bit more light on Hill End. JC
When building the Emu Bay railway from Guildford Junction to Zeehan engineers had to tunnel through a large hill (Serpentine Hill) seven kilometers from Zeehan. Work on this tunnel commenced in March 1899, from both sides. Work on the Rosebery end progressed faster than the Zeehan side. A work gang construction camp was established near the tunnel on the Zeehan side and this was called Hill End. It was abandoned after the tunnel was built.
Being isolated the men entertained themselves with gambling and police watched "the schools" closely to curtail their activities. By March 1900 the Zeehan and Dundas Herald (27.3.1900) indicated that gambling had come to a "standstill". The tunnel had several names e.g. North Dundas Tunnel, Emu Bay Tunnel. Records vary on the name but it is the same tunnel.
On 7th April 1900 the Emu Bay Tunnel at Hill End was holed through with breaking down and cementing of the tunnel commenced. The Rosebery side had been broken down for some distance and already lined with cement. The 400 metre tunnel was finished with the first train going through in November 1900. The line opened in December 1900. The only evidence of activity at the Hill End site is 150 cubic yards of spoil at the southern end of the portal. A greater part of the spoil from the tunnel was used as filling across the Argent River and as ballast on the railway.
Animals wandering into the tunnel were a hazard with horses and livestock regularly being killed by the EBR trains. In September 1911 a five strand wire fence was erected from the tunnel to Renison Bell. This kept livestock off the lines but it also had the added benefit of stopping the local inhabitants using the railway as a carriage way. They had to buy a ticket for the train!
The post office opening and closing closely coincides with establishment and abandonment of the work camp.
Hope this puts a bit more light on Hill End. JC