Ben Lomond (Tasmania)
Encyclopedia
Ben Lomond, 1,570 m AHD
(5,151 feet), is a mountain in the north of Tasmania
. It is east of Launceston
in the Ben Lomond National Park
. Tasmania's premier Alpine skiing
operations are located at Ben Lomond and it is one of two mountains with downhill skiing facilities in the State
.
Its accessibility from Launceston
, together with the existence of a ski village on the plateau make Ben Lomond an all year round favourite for tourists and hikers. Access to the village and summit can be made via several walking tracks or via a zig-zag road known as "Jacobs Ladder".
of the same name and was given by Colonel Patterson, who founded the first settlement in northern Tasmania in 1804. In 1805-6, Colonel Legge explored the plateau.
In September 1829, John Batman
(aged 28), with the assistance of several "Sydney blacks" he brought to Tasmania, led an attack on an Aboriginal family group together numbering 60–70 men, women and children in the Ben Lomond
district of north-east Tasmania. Waiting until 11pm that night before attacking, he "...ordered the men to fire upon them..." as their 40-odd dogs raised the alarm and the Aborigines ran away into thick scrub, killing an estimated 15 people. The next morning, he left the place for his farm, with two badly wounded Tasmanian men, a woman and her two-year old boy, all of whom he captured. However, he "...found it impossible that the two former [the men] could walk, and after trying them by every means in my power, for some time, found I could not get them on I was obliged to shoot them." The captured woman, named Luggenemenener, was later sent to Campbell Town gaol and separated from her two-year old son, Rolepana, "...whom she had faced death to protect." Batman reported afterwards to British Colonial Secretary, John Burnett, in a letter of 7 September 1829, that he kept the child because he wanted "...to rear it...". Luggenemenener died on 21 March 1837 as an inmate at the Flinders Island settlement.
Later, Rolepana (aged 8 years), child-survivor of a massacre by a 'roving party' led by John Batman, travelled with him as part of the founding party of Melbourne
in 1835. After Batman's death in 1839, Rolepana would have been 12 years old. Boyce notes that Rolepana was employed by colonist George Ware at 12 Pounds a year with Board on Batman's death, "...but what became of him after this is also unknown." However, Haebich records Rolepana as having died in Melbourne in 1842 (he would have been about 15 years). She also says that:
In late 1830, as the infamous 'Black Line' (also known as the Black War) was being disbanded elsewhere in Tasmania, George Augustus Robinson
spent a week in north-east Tasmania, searching without success, for the "Ben Lomond-Penny Royal Creek people". In December, 1830, with 33 Tasmanian Aborigines having been removed to nearby Swan Island
, Robinson sent a party to look for the Ben Lomond people, again unsuccessfully.
After the failure of the 'Black Line' in 1830, Colonial Governor George Arthur
announced on 14 March 1831 his new policy of the removal of Aborigines from Tasmania. By then, 34 Tasmanian Aborigines were interned on Swan Island
. In August, 1831, Robinson "....gave an unequivocal commitment that if hostilities ceased, Aborigines would be protected and have their essential needs met by the government while being able to live and hunt within their own districts. These concessions, combined with the promised return of their women from the sealers, were the documented terms under which Mannalargenna joined [Robinson's] embassy." But Robinson's commitment was deceitful. As Boyce notes, "Robinson must have been well aware that the agreement he had reached with Mannalargenna contradicted his own undertakings to the Aborigines Committee and the executive council [to Governor George Arthur
]." Mannalargenna insisted in his August 1831 negotiations with Robinson on "...a direct meeting..." with Governor George Arthur
and in October 1831, he got this in Hobart.
Mannalargenna
, an Aboriginal leader who organised guerrilla attacks against British soldiers in Tasmania during the period known as the Black War
, was a Plangermaireener (one of the 3 bands) elder, and in 1835 became the first Aborigine in Tasmania to be given a "Christian" burial.
Historian Henry Reynolds notes of George Augustus Robinson
: "His [Robinson's] guilt and need for self-justification were clearly apparent in a eulogy he delivered on the death of Manalargenna in December 1836. He paid generous tribute to his old companion's intelligence, resourcefulness and affability. Robinson clearly thought him a great man. What is more he understood and sympathised with Manalargenna's political views. The chief was, Robinson explained, 'fully sensible of the injustices done to himself and people in the usurpation of his country by the white intruders'. But now Manalargenna would go to heaven, he told the [Tasmanian Aboriginal] community [interned on Flinders Island], which was much better than returning to his homeland. Mannalargenna died of pneumonia as an inmate on the Flinders Island Aboriginal settlement.
Mannalargenna is also recorded as the leader of the "Oyster Bay Tribe".
Walter George Arthur, son of a Ben Lomond
elder, was the Wybalenna "activist" who petitioned Queen Victoria in 1846. Historian Henry Reynolds book, Fate of a Free People, covers the activism of Walter George Arthur. Walter George Arthur was born about 1820. His father Rolepa, was a "...leading man of the Ben Lomond
tribe.." and known to Europeans as 'King George'. Walter was separated from his family in unrecorded circumstances and lived for several years around Launceston, Tasmania
as one of numerous vagrant children. When taken into custody by George Augustus Robinson
he was a "professional thief". He was sent to the Boy's Orphan School in Hobart
in 1832. In 1835, he was sent to Wybalenna settlement on Flinders Island
where he remained until 1838. He and his wife Mary-Anne went with Robinson when he was appointed Protector of Aborigines at Port Phillip [Victoria], returning to Flinders Island
in 1842. In 1856,while living at the government settlement of Oyster Cove, he applied (but was refused by the Superintendent] for permission to hire a convict pass-holder to work on his farm. In 1858, he and his wife applied for land in the Huon Valley
near Hobart under the Waste Land Act. They were told they would have to abstain from alcohol for a year before he would be considered. Soon after May 1861, he drowned in a boating accident on the Derwent River
as he and another Tasmanian Aborigine, Jack Allen, were returning to Oyster Cove from work on a whaling ship.
The 19th century artist, John Glover (artist)
, captioned one of his Tasmanian paintings, Batman's Lookout, Benn Lomond (1835) "...on account of Mr Batman frequenting this spot to entrap the Natives." Between 1828 and 1830, Tasmanians in this region were shot or rounded up by bounty hunters like John Batman
.
In 1950 a Parliamentary Standing Committee recommended that Ben Lomond be developed as a ski resort. The Australian National Championships were held at the site in 1955. In 1963 the access road was extended to the top of the plateau via the steep and scenic "Jacobs Ladder". Subsequent developments have included new ski lifts, visitor facilities, a licenced inn and accommodation, sewerage system, and improved access. The Ben Lomond Skifield Management Authority was formed in 1995 to manage the Skifield Development Area.
Today, Tasmania's premier Alpine skiing
operations are located at Ben Lomond, 60 km from Launceston
. Located in the Ben Lomond National Park
, the village is at 1460m and the top elevation is 1570m. A number of club lodges provide accommodation and the mountain has fine views which stretch to the ocean. In 2010, the Department of Parks and Wildlife released a plan for the Ben Lomond ski area recommending snow making machines, the enhancement of snow play areas and the development of a possible snow board park.
Australian Height Datum
The Australian Height Datum is a geodetic datum for altitude measurement in Australia. According to Geoscience Australia, "In 1971 the mean sea level for 1966-1968 was assigned the value of zero on the Australian Height Datum at thirty tide gauges around the coast of the Australian continent...
(5,151 feet), is a mountain in the north of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. It is east of Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
in the Ben Lomond National Park
Ben Lomond National Park
The Ben Lomond National Park is located in the northeast of the Australian state of Tasmania, about 50 km east of Launceston. The park has an area of 18,192 ha and was established on 23 July 1947...
. Tasmania's premier Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
operations are located at Ben Lomond and it is one of two mountains with downhill skiing facilities in the State
Skiing in Tasmania
Skiing in Tasmania takes place in the high country of the state of Tasmania, Australia, during the Southern Hemisphere winter. Cross country skiing is possible within the Tasmanian Wilderness and two small downhill ski-fields have been developed at Ben Lomond and Mount Mawson...
.
Its accessibility from Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
, together with the existence of a ski village on the plateau make Ben Lomond an all year round favourite for tourists and hikers. Access to the village and summit can be made via several walking tracks or via a zig-zag road known as "Jacobs Ladder".
History
The name is taken from the Scottish mountainBen Lomond
Ben Lomond , , is a distinctive mountain in the Scottish Highlands. Situated on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, it is the most southerly of the Munros...
of the same name and was given by Colonel Patterson, who founded the first settlement in northern Tasmania in 1804. In 1805-6, Colonel Legge explored the plateau.
Aboriginal land-owners of Ben Lomond
The Ben Lomond tribe consisted of three and possibly four bands totalling 150–200 people who occupied 260 km2 (100 sq mi) of country surrounding the 182 km2 (70 sq mi) Ben Lomond plateau. Until 12,000 years ago, the plateau was covered by an ice cap, leaving it largely devoid of soil and lacking in resources.In September 1829, John Batman
John Batman
John Batman was an Australian grazier, businessman and explorer who is best known for his role in the founding of a settlement which became Melbourne and the colony of Victoria.-Life:...
(aged 28), with the assistance of several "Sydney blacks" he brought to Tasmania, led an attack on an Aboriginal family group together numbering 60–70 men, women and children in the Ben Lomond
Ben Lomond
Ben Lomond , , is a distinctive mountain in the Scottish Highlands. Situated on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, it is the most southerly of the Munros...
district of north-east Tasmania. Waiting until 11pm that night before attacking, he "...ordered the men to fire upon them..." as their 40-odd dogs raised the alarm and the Aborigines ran away into thick scrub, killing an estimated 15 people. The next morning, he left the place for his farm, with two badly wounded Tasmanian men, a woman and her two-year old boy, all of whom he captured. However, he "...found it impossible that the two former [the men] could walk, and after trying them by every means in my power, for some time, found I could not get them on I was obliged to shoot them." The captured woman, named Luggenemenener, was later sent to Campbell Town gaol and separated from her two-year old son, Rolepana, "...whom she had faced death to protect." Batman reported afterwards to British Colonial Secretary, John Burnett, in a letter of 7 September 1829, that he kept the child because he wanted "...to rear it...". Luggenemenener died on 21 March 1837 as an inmate at the Flinders Island settlement.
Later, Rolepana (aged 8 years), child-survivor of a massacre by a 'roving party' led by John Batman, travelled with him as part of the founding party of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1835. After Batman's death in 1839, Rolepana would have been 12 years old. Boyce notes that Rolepana was employed by colonist George Ware at 12 Pounds a year with Board on Batman's death, "...but what became of him after this is also unknown." However, Haebich records Rolepana as having died in Melbourne in 1842 (he would have been about 15 years). She also says that:
- Batman openly defied Governor Arthur and [George Augustus] Robinson by refusing to hand over two Aboriginal boys in his employ: Rolepana (or Benny Ben Lomond) and Lurnerminer (John or Jack Allen), captured by Batman in 1828. He claimed the boys were there with the consent of their parents,....He also demonstrated a strong proprietorial interest in the boys, when he told Robinson they were 'as much his property as his farm and that he had as much right to keep them as the government'. Indeed Batman was convinced that the best plan was to leave the children with the colonists, who clothed and fed them at no expense to the government and raised them to become 'useful members of society'. In a series of letters to Governor Arthur, he 'pleaded hard for the retention of youths educated by settlers and devoted to their service'.
In late 1830, as the infamous 'Black Line' (also known as the Black War) was being disbanded elsewhere in Tasmania, George Augustus Robinson
George Augustus Robinson
George Augustus Robinson was a builder and untrained preacher. He was the Chief Protector of Aborigines in Port Phillip District from 1839 to 1849...
spent a week in north-east Tasmania, searching without success, for the "Ben Lomond-Penny Royal Creek people". In December, 1830, with 33 Tasmanian Aborigines having been removed to nearby Swan Island
Swan Island
-Australia:* Little Swan Island, Tasmania, Australia* Swan Island , Australia* Swan Island , Australia-Falkland Islands:* Swan Islands, Falkland Islands* Weddell Island, formerly Swan Island, Falkland Islands-United Kingdom:...
, Robinson sent a party to look for the Ben Lomond people, again unsuccessfully.
After the failure of the 'Black Line' in 1830, Colonial Governor George Arthur
George Arthur
Lieutenant-General Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet KCH PC was Lieutenant Governor of British Honduras , Van Diemen's Land and Upper Canada . He also served as Governor of Bombay .-Early life:George Arthur was born in Plymouth, England...
announced on 14 March 1831 his new policy of the removal of Aborigines from Tasmania. By then, 34 Tasmanian Aborigines were interned on Swan Island
Swan Island
-Australia:* Little Swan Island, Tasmania, Australia* Swan Island , Australia* Swan Island , Australia-Falkland Islands:* Swan Islands, Falkland Islands* Weddell Island, formerly Swan Island, Falkland Islands-United Kingdom:...
. In August, 1831, Robinson "....gave an unequivocal commitment that if hostilities ceased, Aborigines would be protected and have their essential needs met by the government while being able to live and hunt within their own districts. These concessions, combined with the promised return of their women from the sealers, were the documented terms under which Mannalargenna joined [Robinson's] embassy." But Robinson's commitment was deceitful. As Boyce notes, "Robinson must have been well aware that the agreement he had reached with Mannalargenna contradicted his own undertakings to the Aborigines Committee and the executive council [to Governor George Arthur
George Arthur
Lieutenant-General Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet KCH PC was Lieutenant Governor of British Honduras , Van Diemen's Land and Upper Canada . He also served as Governor of Bombay .-Early life:George Arthur was born in Plymouth, England...
]." Mannalargenna insisted in his August 1831 negotiations with Robinson on "...a direct meeting..." with Governor George Arthur
George Arthur
Lieutenant-General Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet KCH PC was Lieutenant Governor of British Honduras , Van Diemen's Land and Upper Canada . He also served as Governor of Bombay .-Early life:George Arthur was born in Plymouth, England...
and in October 1831, he got this in Hobart.
Mannalargenna
Mannalargenna
Mannalargenna , a Tasmanian Aborigine, was the chief of the Ben Lomond tribe . His wife was Tanleboneyer and he had five known children, a son, Neerhepeererminer and daughters Woretermoeteyenner, Wottecowidyer, Wobbelty and Teekoolterme.Following the arrival of the Europeans in the area, he led a...
, an Aboriginal leader who organised guerrilla attacks against British soldiers in Tasmania during the period known as the Black War
Black War
The Black War is a term used to describe a period of conflict between British colonists and Tasmanian Aborigines in the early nineteenth century...
, was a Plangermaireener (one of the 3 bands) elder, and in 1835 became the first Aborigine in Tasmania to be given a "Christian" burial.
Historian Henry Reynolds notes of George Augustus Robinson
George Augustus Robinson
George Augustus Robinson was a builder and untrained preacher. He was the Chief Protector of Aborigines in Port Phillip District from 1839 to 1849...
: "His [Robinson's] guilt and need for self-justification were clearly apparent in a eulogy he delivered on the death of Manalargenna in December 1836. He paid generous tribute to his old companion's intelligence, resourcefulness and affability. Robinson clearly thought him a great man. What is more he understood and sympathised with Manalargenna's political views. The chief was, Robinson explained, 'fully sensible of the injustices done to himself and people in the usurpation of his country by the white intruders'. But now Manalargenna would go to heaven, he told the [Tasmanian Aboriginal] community [interned on Flinders Island], which was much better than returning to his homeland. Mannalargenna died of pneumonia as an inmate on the Flinders Island Aboriginal settlement.
Mannalargenna is also recorded as the leader of the "Oyster Bay Tribe".
Walter George Arthur, son of a Ben Lomond
Ben Lomond
Ben Lomond , , is a distinctive mountain in the Scottish Highlands. Situated on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, it is the most southerly of the Munros...
elder, was the Wybalenna "activist" who petitioned Queen Victoria in 1846. Historian Henry Reynolds book, Fate of a Free People, covers the activism of Walter George Arthur. Walter George Arthur was born about 1820. His father Rolepa, was a "...leading man of the Ben Lomond
Ben Lomond
Ben Lomond , , is a distinctive mountain in the Scottish Highlands. Situated on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, it is the most southerly of the Munros...
tribe.." and known to Europeans as 'King George'. Walter was separated from his family in unrecorded circumstances and lived for several years around Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
as one of numerous vagrant children. When taken into custody by George Augustus Robinson
George Augustus Robinson
George Augustus Robinson was a builder and untrained preacher. He was the Chief Protector of Aborigines in Port Phillip District from 1839 to 1849...
he was a "professional thief". He was sent to the Boy's Orphan School in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
in 1832. In 1835, he was sent to Wybalenna settlement on Flinders Island
Flinders Island
Flinders Island may refer to:In Australia:* Flinders Island , in the Furneaux Group, is the largest and best known* Flinders Island * Flinders Island , in the Investigator Group* Flinders Island...
where he remained until 1838. He and his wife Mary-Anne went with Robinson when he was appointed Protector of Aborigines at Port Phillip [Victoria], returning to Flinders Island
Flinders Island
Flinders Island may refer to:In Australia:* Flinders Island , in the Furneaux Group, is the largest and best known* Flinders Island * Flinders Island , in the Investigator Group* Flinders Island...
in 1842. In 1856,while living at the government settlement of Oyster Cove, he applied (but was refused by the Superintendent] for permission to hire a convict pass-holder to work on his farm. In 1858, he and his wife applied for land in the Huon Valley
Huon Valley
The Huon Valley Council is a Local Government Area of Tasmania. It is the southern-most local government area in Australia.It encompasses the town of Huonville, on the Huon River, some surrounding towns, and many protected areas and forestry plantations...
near Hobart under the Waste Land Act. They were told they would have to abstain from alcohol for a year before he would be considered. Soon after May 1861, he drowned in a boating accident on the Derwent River
Derwent River
-Rivers:* Derwent River which flows through Hobart.It may also refer to:* Derwent River which crosses the Birdsville Track at Mungeranie in the Lake Eyre Basin-See also:...
as he and another Tasmanian Aborigine, Jack Allen, were returning to Oyster Cove from work on a whaling ship.
The 19th century artist, John Glover (artist)
John Glover (artist)
John Glover was an English/Australian artist in what is known as the early colonial period of Australian art. In Australia he has been dubbed the father of Australian landscape painting.-Life in Europe:...
, captioned one of his Tasmanian paintings, Batman's Lookout, Benn Lomond (1835) "...on account of Mr Batman frequenting this spot to entrap the Natives." Between 1828 and 1830, Tasmanians in this region were shot or rounded up by bounty hunters like John Batman
John Batman
John Batman was an Australian grazier, businessman and explorer who is best known for his role in the founding of a settlement which became Melbourne and the colony of Victoria.-Life:...
.
Skiing
The Northern Tasmanian Alpine Club formed in 1929 and pioneered trips to the mountain and improved the access track. In 1932, a chalet was built at Carr Villa, and construction of a road from Upper Blessington to Carr Villa began soon after. It was finally completed in 1953.In 1950 a Parliamentary Standing Committee recommended that Ben Lomond be developed as a ski resort. The Australian National Championships were held at the site in 1955. In 1963 the access road was extended to the top of the plateau via the steep and scenic "Jacobs Ladder". Subsequent developments have included new ski lifts, visitor facilities, a licenced inn and accommodation, sewerage system, and improved access. The Ben Lomond Skifield Management Authority was formed in 1995 to manage the Skifield Development Area.
Today, Tasmania's premier Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
operations are located at Ben Lomond, 60 km from Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
. Located in the Ben Lomond National Park
Ben Lomond National Park
The Ben Lomond National Park is located in the northeast of the Australian state of Tasmania, about 50 km east of Launceston. The park has an area of 18,192 ha and was established on 23 July 1947...
, the village is at 1460m and the top elevation is 1570m. A number of club lodges provide accommodation and the mountain has fine views which stretch to the ocean. In 2010, the Department of Parks and Wildlife released a plan for the Ben Lomond ski area recommending snow making machines, the enhancement of snow play areas and the development of a possible snow board park.
See also
- Highest Mountains of TasmaniaHighest mountains of TasmaniaThe Australian island state of Tasmania has a diverse range of geography but a prominent feature is the mountains of the island.Overall Tasmania is comparatively low-lying with the highest point at 1614 metres...
- Skiing in AustraliaSkiing in AustraliaSkiing in Australia takes place in the high country of the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, as well as in the Australian Capital Territory, during the Southern Hemisphere winter....
- Skiing in TasmaniaSkiing in TasmaniaSkiing in Tasmania takes place in the high country of the state of Tasmania, Australia, during the Southern Hemisphere winter. Cross country skiing is possible within the Tasmanian Wilderness and two small downhill ski-fields have been developed at Ben Lomond and Mount Mawson...
- Mount MawsonMount MawsonMount Mawson is situated in the Mount Field National Park in Tasmania, Australia. The mountain is located approximately 89 kilometres north west of Hobart and 232 kilometres from Launceston by road...
External links
- Ben Lomond National Park – comprehensive information on the Mountain and National Park.
- ski.com.au snow report – daily snow report for skiers.
- WikiSki Directory