Country Houses of Tasmania

With unprecedented access the photographer and writer share with us the beauty and treasures of forty of Tasmania’s finest historic homes that have previously been so private that they have not been viewed by anyone outside the immediate family and friends of the owners.

You are usually getting warm when you spot the cluster of exotic trees : the towering oaks, liquidambars, chestnuts, elms, poplars and pines. Look closely and you might spy chimneys soaring within, or, if you’re lucky, you might find yourself driving along a deserted back road of rural Tasmania, only for an imposing Georgian mansion to appear from almost nowhere and take your breath away.
Tasmania is blessed with a rich cultural heritage. Lesser known than some of the state’s famous convict-built icons are the colonial mansions that were constructed by the early settlers who braved this wild and untamed land.
As these adventurers laid the foundations of Tasmania’s flourishing agricultural industry, they also created an antipodean England in the lavish homes they built. Some of these homes are still in the same families today.
This book not only showcases some of those amazing houses but also the incredible people who have passed through them over the years, and through those people gives a glimpse into the colonial history of Tasmania itself. With only a couple of exceptions, the properties you will be granted entrance to on the following pages are private family homes. Please respect the privacy of these homeowners and the generosity they have shown in
opening their doors to you via the pages of this book.