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Waratah accommodation, restaurants, history, things to do

Waratah is a town in far north western Tasmania. It was constructed to support a tin mine at Mount Bischoff. The town is built at the top of a waterfall, and water was diverted from the stream to provide water for mine sluicing and processing.

Tin was discovered at Mount Bischoff by James "Philosopher" Smith in 1871. You can visit the Waratah Museum with its collection of local historical artifacts, photos and personal stories. A replica of 'Philosopher' Smith's Hut sits next to the Waratah Museum, demonstrating the conditions of miners during those early days.

The mine operated successfully at first. The easy ore was all extracted by 1893 when sluicing was discontinued. Mining continued opencut on the face of the mountain, and underground.

The underground mine closed in 1914, but surface mining continued for some time before it also ceased after the price of tin slumped in 1929. The mine was reopened by the Commonwealth Government in 1942 to support the war effort, but it finally closed in 1947.

While you can no longer visit the Mount Bischoff mine you can visit the Kenworthy Stamper Mill a working historical artefact and the last mining operation to be conducted on Mount Bischoff. The Stamper was relocated from Dead Mans Gully to a purpose-built facility in the centre of town.

At its peak the town, which now has only a few hundred residents, had a population in excess of 5,000. A tramway to Burnie was established in 1878 by the Van Diemens Land Company(PEP), and this was later converted to a steam railway in 1884, and taken over by the Emu Bay Railway Company in 1897.

Waratah remained isolated from the rest of Tasmania until 1963 when a connecting road was finally completed.

Waratah's 19th century prosperity is perfectly expressed in St James Church which was built in 1880. In 1889 the Mt Bischoff mine was being lit by electricity. The mine manager, H.W.F. Kayser had the electric light connected to the church. Thus St James became the first church in Tasmania to use an electric light. The church is located in Smith Street.

The old Courthouse has been restored to house the Waratah Museum, which was officially opened in 1986. The museum displays a range of memorabilia from the mining hey day of the town, as well as other information on the social and economic development of the area. Waratah is about a 75 minute drive from Devonport.

Waratah is a good base for exploring the Tarkine, and you can choose from bed and breakfast, caravan and camping ground and hotel accommodation.