Mt Nelson, Tasmania
Encyclopedia
Mount Nelson is a suburb of the city of Hobart
, Tasmania
, Australia
. As its name suggests, it is located upon a mountain
. In the strictest sense of the word Mount Nelson is not really a mountain as its highest peak is approximately 350m above sea level. Mount Nelson is located directly above the Hobart suburb of Sandy Bay
and to the south of Hobart's CBD
. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious suburbs in Hobart.
The main road in Mount Nelson is Nelson Road, which extends up the mountain from the Wrest Point Hotel Casino
in the suburb of Sandy Bay
. It is famously known for its "bends", which consist of seven very sharp corners created as the road winds its way up the mountain. All seven of the bends have been given a name. Nelson Road is one of the oldest thoroughfares in Hobart, being laid as the path to the signal station not long after the settlement of Hobart.
, one of Hobart's four public secondary
colleges. Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
- wife of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark
- is a graduate of Hobart College. Mount Nelson is also home to Mount Nelson Primary School.
Services in Mount Nelson include:
. It is thought that there is only around 1000 breeding pairs in existence.
walking track) weave through the surrounding area. The Skyline Reserve also includes a collection of walking tracks.
s, although wheelchair users may require assistance with the path leading to the area. The Truganini memorial walk, leaving from the picnic area, is a relatively flat and easy walk, although its uneven surface and narrow width make it unsuitable for wheelchair users. The Signal Station located here was built in 1811 to announce the appearance of boats in Storm Bay. Walking tracks link with the Channel Highway, from where the Taroona bus service can be used to return to the City.
Most of the modern suburban development in Mount Nelson has taken place after 1945 when the government encouraged settlement of immigrants escaping the destruction that took place in Europe
after World War II
. During this same period the section of hillface north of the bends on Nelson Road, which used to be a firing range, was converted into university farm land for the University of Tasmania
.
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...
, 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...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. As its name suggests, it is located upon a mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
. In the strictest sense of the word Mount Nelson is not really a mountain as its highest peak is approximately 350m above sea level. Mount Nelson is located directly above the Hobart suburb of Sandy Bay
Sandy Bay, Tasmania
Sandy Bay is a suburb of the city of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, located immediately south of the central business district.The suburb is home to many large homes, and adjoins the waterfront Salamanca area and Battery Point. The suburb is known as one of the city's prestigious areas...
and to the south of Hobart's CBD
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious suburbs in Hobart.
The main road in Mount Nelson is Nelson Road, which extends up the mountain from the Wrest Point Hotel Casino
Wrest Point Hotel Casino
The Wrest Point Hotel Casino was Australia's first legal casino, opening in the suburb of Sandy Bay in Hobart, Tasmania, on 10 February 1973.-History:...
in the suburb of Sandy Bay
Sandy Bay, Tasmania
Sandy Bay is a suburb of the city of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, located immediately south of the central business district.The suburb is home to many large homes, and adjoins the waterfront Salamanca area and Battery Point. The suburb is known as one of the city's prestigious areas...
. It is famously known for its "bends", which consist of seven very sharp corners created as the road winds its way up the mountain. All seven of the bends have been given a name. Nelson Road is one of the oldest thoroughfares in Hobart, being laid as the path to the signal station not long after the settlement of Hobart.
Features and services
One college is located on the mountain - Hobart CollegeHobart College (Tasmania)
Hobart College was, until January 2009, a senior secondary college located at Mount Nelson, in Hobart, Tasmania.In January 2009 it became the Hobart Campus of the Tasmanian Polytechnic and the Tasmanian Academy, formed as part of the Tasmania Tomorrow reforms.The Hobart Campus now offers courses...
, one of Hobart's four public secondary
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
colleges. Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, is the wife of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark...
- wife of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark
Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark
Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, is the heir apparent to the throne of Denmark. Frederik is the elder son of Queen Margrethe II and Henrik, the Prince Consort.-Name and christening:...
- is a graduate of Hobart College. Mount Nelson is also home to Mount Nelson Primary School.
Services in Mount Nelson include:
- The Mount Nelson general storeGeneral storeA general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
, which caters for nearly all basic living needs. - The Mount Nelson TavernTavernA tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
serves meals and also doubles as a place for the local residents to meet and enjoy a beer over a game of pool. - The Mount Nelson Oval is a recreational sports ground which is used regularly over the weekends to host different sports including soccer and cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. Located here is children's play equipment. The ground is maintained by the Hobart City Council. - During the weekday a local bus service runs up and down the mountain every 30 minutes.
- The Mount Nelson Medical Centre, which is serviced by general practitionerGeneral practitionerA general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
s.
Swift parrot
Mount Nelson is one of the breeding grounds for the endangered Swift ParrotSwift Parrot
The Swift Parrot breeds in Tasmania and migrates north to south eastern Australia from Griffith-Warialda in New South Wales and west to Adelaide in the winter. It is related to the rosellas, with the feeding habits of a lorikeet...
. It is thought that there is only around 1000 breeding pairs in existence.
Recreational Activities
There are a number of recreational areas and activities in Mount Nelson that are popular with both locals and tourists. Several bushland tracks (e.g. the Historical TruganiniTruganini
Trugernanner , often referred to as Truganini, was a woman widely considered to be the last "full blood" Palawa ....
walking track) weave through the surrounding area. The Skyline Reserve also includes a collection of walking tracks.
Signal station
The Mount Nelson Signal Station is only a 15 minute drive from the Hobart city centre and offers visitors beautiful views over the city and surrounding areas. The lookouts and adjacent café are fully accessible, as are the toilets next to the carpark. There is a picnic area nearby with unsheltered picnic tables and barbecueBarbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
s, although wheelchair users may require assistance with the path leading to the area. The Truganini memorial walk, leaving from the picnic area, is a relatively flat and easy walk, although its uneven surface and narrow width make it unsuitable for wheelchair users. The Signal Station located here was built in 1811 to announce the appearance of boats in Storm Bay. Walking tracks link with the Channel Highway, from where the Taroona bus service can be used to return to the City.
History
Mount Nelson was originally named 'Nelson's Hill' by Captain William Bligh (of Mutiny on the Bounty fame) in 1792 in honour of David Nelson, the Botanist of the Bounty mission, as "he was the first white man on it" when the Bounty visited 'Van Diemens Land' on its way to Tahiti. Nelson was one of the Bounty crew who was loyal to Bligh during the mutiny. He died in Timor on 20 Jul 1789 of an 'inflammatory fever' caused by the long open-boat voyage following the mutiny. His funeral was attended by the Governor and officers from every ship in the harbour. The name 'Nelson's Hill' was later changed to Mount Nelson.Most of the modern suburban development in Mount Nelson has taken place after 1945 when the government encouraged settlement of immigrants escaping the destruction that took place in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During this same period the section of hillface north of the bends on Nelson Road, which used to be a firing range, was converted into university farm land for the University of Tasmania
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania is a medium-sized public Australian university based in Tasmania, Australia. Officially founded on 1 January 1890, it was the fourth university to be established in nineteenth-century Australia...
.
- In 1811 a signal station was built by order of Governor Lachlan MacquarieLachlan MacquarieMajor-General Lachlan Macquarie CB , was a British military officer and colonial administrator. He served as the last autocratic Governor of New South Wales, Australia from 1810 to 1821 and had a leading role in the social, economic and architectural development of the colony...
. - In 1880 a telephoneTelephoneThe telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
with line from city centre to Mount Nelson signal station was implemented. - In 1967 a large number of houses were burnt to the ground during the Black Tuesday Bushfires1967 Tasmanian firesThe 1967 Tasmanian fires were an Australian natural disaster which occurred on 7 February 1967, an event which became known as the Black Tuesday bushfires...
.