Henry Woods Old Man of the Mountain

2nd Edition

Publication No. 289   Size: A4   Weight: 215 grams

Introduction

My interest in Mount Wellington began the first day I arrived in Tasmania in 1960. Coming down the Midlands Highway, after alighting from the 'Princess' at Devonport I was disappointed in not seeing more mountains. Where were all those beautiful mountains I had read about before deciding to come to Tasmania?

It was not until years later through my interest in early Tasmanian history did I learn that the first road between Launceston and Hobart had to follow the contours so as to have the easiest way of travel for the horses and carriages.

On our approach to Hobart, I was to see my first mountain close up. It was Mt Wellington, a beautiful sight standing majestic against a beautiful blue skyline. I fell in love with it from that moment.

Little did I know then that I would spend the next twenty years living in its shadow at Fern Tree, and still do but at a far greater distance at Rosetta.

I first became aware of the amount of history that the mountain held when I began to research an ex-convict called James Dickerson who had taken walkers on excursions from Hobart to The Springs and then on to the newly discovered Wellington Falls in the 1840s.1

My attention was drawn to the unusual story of a Mr Woods who had lived with his wife at The Springs from the mid-1850s till the 1880s.

This part of the book was to stay on hold mainly because of my interests straying elsewhere and the fact that I could not find out very much about this interesting character called Woods, as he was mainly called Mr Woods in what I had read and I could not trace him as there were too many men with the surname Woods.

Every now and again I would attempt to complete the book but after adding a few more interesting points it would be set aside.

A couple of months ago on the family history list I am on I noticed that someone wanted to know where Vauxhall Gully was. I knew that I had seen this name in connection to the Woods story and emailed the person who had made the enquiry and to my surprise it was to do with this particular Mr Woods. This led to many exchanges of information between us, my being able to give some background on his life at The Springs and Anne being able to give me information on the family story. 2

From there this very interesting unknown part of our history unfolded until on being asked to do something for National Family History Week in 2010 I decided because of the mountain being so well known by old and young people alike, that I would try and complete the story and present it at the State Library.

1 'Nature in Its Wildness Form'.

2 Anne Merrick g, g, g, grand daughter of Henry Woods Sen.

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