History of the Central Highlands of Tasmania

In 1929 the Hydro-Electric Department name was changed to the Hydro Electric Commission, or the HEC as we called it, and they were given far-reaching powers to harness the state’s waterways. The HEC would then go on to enable Tasmania to be 100% powered by Hydroelectricity with 30 power stations and 54 major dams. An electricity cable was installed across Bass Strait in 2006 called Basslink, which provides excess power to the mainland.

Arthur’s Lake

The dams the Hydro-Electric Commission built, also created the world’s best Trout fishing destinations. Our favourite fishing spot was Arthur’s Lake, which had been found in 1825 by the Assistant Surveyor in northern Van Dieman’s Land, John Helder Wedge, who was sent to find the source of the Lake River, which he found at Arthur’s Lake.

Arthur’s Lake originally consisted of the Blue Lake and the Sand Lake, with the Morass Marsh in between. The Upper Lake River was then dammed, which flooded the valley and created Arthur’s Lake. Water is pumped from Arthur’s Lake into the Great Lake, which then flows through the Poatina Power Station.

Arthur’s Lake was our favourite, because that’s where we caught the most fish! The Arthur’s Lake Trout also has a real pinkish flesh, which made them the most flavoursome Trout. Our favourite spots were Hydro Bay and Jonah Bay. Now whilst there were good roads around the lake, they didn’t actually extend to the lake or the camping grounds. The roads were constructed to easily access the infrastructure the Hydroelectric scheme had in place, not to make it easier for the fishermen. So to get to the camping grounds there were little tracks the fishermen had ‘created’ whilst driving to them. There was no construction involved, just people driving the same way all the time, which created tracks that other people followed. These were not good tracks, they were not easy to drive on, it was very slow going, as they were rutted and had many holes. When it rained they were even more treacherous as the land was very swampy and you were lucky not to get bogged. But the journey was worth it, as the campgrounds were right on the lake and you could see where the fish were feeding, or rising, as we called it, as they’d make a little splash when they ate the bugs. A couple of times we went even further around the lake and tumbled down to Tumbledown Creek. I swear it took longer to get around the lake than it did to get to the lake in the first place. But Tumbledown Creek has its own charms and it was nice to be in a new spot. To be fair, there were easier places to get to a campsite, but as you would expect, those tended to be overcrowded and not close to the best fishing spots.

When they dammed the Upper Lake River and flooded the valley to create Arthur’s Lake, they didn’t cut down the trees beforehand and all the trees died. So all around the lakes shores are forests of dead trees, which can be quite pretty. The fish loved these trees, because there was plenty of bait for them to feed on. So it was also a great place to fish! But it was also so easy to snag your lure on the trees.

Hydro Villages

The HEC found that access to the Waddamana power station was difficult, because it was in such a remote location and there was a lack of roads to get workers on-site i.e. there was only a horse-drawn wooden tramway. So they started building housing on-site for workers in 1915, to attract and retain employees in the construction phase. It started as canvas tents and primitive single men’s quarters, then improved to demountable buildings that were moved between villages as required. The houses on-site were initially only for senior staff, until 1940 when all employees gained access. At Tickleberry flats in Tarraleah, married staff were given timber to build their own accommodation, so that partners could join them in the remote locations.

Many Hydro villages were then built in some of the most remote areas of Tasmania and my Dad lived in most of them during his career. I received great pleasure as he drove us through them, explaining where he lived, and what he got up to.

Bronte Park

Bronte Park is a Hydro village in the Central Plateau of Tasmania, just 3km away from the geographic centre of Tasmania. It was built in the 1940s to house workers building the Tungatinah and Nive River schemes. By the 1950s, 700 workers lived there with a store, police station, post office, school, cinema, hospital, dairy, and a church. David and Robin Wiss then purchased Bronte Park from the Hydro Electric Commission in 1991, after they had been leasing it since 1978.

We would drive through Bronte Park regularly to get to Bradys Lake, where our neighbours the Meaghers owned a shack, which they kindly allowed us to use. We would also regularly have dinner at the Bronte Park Chalet, while listening to all the locals having a raucous chat.

Bradys Lake

Brady’s Lake was created between 1952-56 as water for the Tungatinah power station on the Nive River. Bronte Lagoon flows into Brady’s Lake via a canal, with a steep gully into Brady’s Lake that is used as a whitewater slalom course. But we also caught many big Trout in the gully, as they would wait in the current for food to wash down.

There’s also a fantastic community of shacks at Bradys Lake, probably the best community of shacks in the Central Highlands. The Meaghers shack at Bradys Lake was a beauty with comfy beds, a warm fire, kitchen, and a living room. We spent many weekends fishing in Brady’s Lake and Bronte Lagoon.