History of Smooth Island (Tasmania)

Thomas Gabriel Read

Famous Tasmanian gold prospector Thomas Gabriel Read started the Otago Gold Rush. He was born in Tasmania, the second son of Captain G. F. Read. Between 1861 and 1864 he was prospecting for gold in New Zealand. He received a reward of £1,000 and had returned to Tasmania in 1864, where he purchased Smooth Island and was said to have taken up farming by 1865. He married Amelia Mitchell on 2 January 1869. He was admitted to a psychiatric hospital from 1887 until he died in 1894.

Edward James Pillinger

Edward married Amelia Little on 5 September 1857. Amelia was related to Mr E Vimpany. Mr Pillinger claimed to live on the island 20 August 1867. Edward and Amelia had a daughter 22 July 1874 (unknown name). Edward was engaged in a financial dispute with Thomas Gabriel Read, the island's previous owner. He was found dead in Mr Neil Lewis's run in Milford, Cambridge on 8 June 1878, in an advanced state of decomposition. He was 50 years old. An inquest returned an open verdict, however given a partly full bottle of Strychnine was found near the corpse, Strychnine poisoning was presumed to be the cause of death. Mr Pillinger's wife, Amelia, died on Smooth Island on 1 October 1876 after a 'short and painful' illness. Mr Pillinger probably sold the island between 1877 and 1878. Edward Pillinger was the brother-in-law of Mr Vimpany.

Captain James Head Quested

Born to Jane Seath (1791-1881, died in Hobart) and James Quested (1791-1877, died in Hobart) in Kent, England, in 1819. On 6 January 1827 either James Head Quested - or his father, James Quested - was sentenced to life imprisonment for the charge of aiding and abetting smugglers. He was transported from London to Tasmania on the ship Governor Ready. The same person received a conditional pardon on 9 March 1839. James Head Quested became a master mariner. James Head Quested married Anne Mack (Ann Macnamara) on 17 October 1842 in Hobart. The couple lived on Smooth Island. In 1851 James Head Quested joined the Bendigo gold rush with John Rowlands (of Brushy Plains) and a man named 'Bannan' - the group was "fairly successful" there. Quested owned and traded the ship "Boomerang" between Tasmania, New Zealand and mainland Australia He testified that a man boarded his ship in a drunk and quarrelsome manner. When the "Boomerang" was shipwrecked, Quested was accused of exaggerating the severity of the damage to obtain undue charity from the public. Quested subsequently moved to Garden Island (Either rented it from Mr E Vimpany or purchased it himself(?)) and started a butchering business. Anne Mack had a very long, elaborate criminal record, and was known to have a "very infirm temper". This was publicly noted in 1872, when she broke windows, used foul language and threw meat bones (from the butcher shop) at John Daly during her very public quarrels with him. Newspapers reported petty debt which had been unpaid, involving Quested (as plaintiff), Townsend, a boats-man Parker, Newitt and Forrest. Quested was forced to sell the island via public auction on 15 November 1880 due to court order (Daly V. Quested) dated 25 October 1880. The Daly and Quested families had a long, bitter history of petty conflict which frequently aired in public. In 1886 Jamed Quested was charged with deserting his illigitimate child in Prahran, Victoria. Quested died 30 March 1892 (At Walker street, Redfern, Sydney). He was buried at Church of England Section B No.47 at Cornelian Bay Cemetery, Hobart.

Captain Thomas de Hoghton

Thomas was born on 24 October 1845. Thomas lived in Portsea, Hampshire, in 1871. He married Julia Georgina Read on 29 March 1881 in Plenty, Tasmania. In 1861 Thomas was a cadet in the Royal Navy. In 1891 he lived in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Thomas had attempted to sell the island between 9 December 1893 and 12 January 1895. However, it may not have actually sold during this period. He may have ended up keeping the island until just prior to his death, in line with a clearing sale in 1919. Further advertisements indicate another clearing sale occurred on 29 October 1919, after the island was reportedly sold. Thomas died 29 June 1920 at age 74 at his residence in Cleveland, Holebrook-place (Pontville). Julia died on 18 July 1928.

Samuel Nicholas Wellard

Born October 27, 1849 in Hobart to Thirza "Theresa" Champion (1812–1855) and Samuel Nicholas Wellard (1812–1859). Married Harriet Morey on 15 June 1871. He died August 23, 1934, in Bellerive, Tasmania. He publicly expressed opinions on the Ralph Bay Neck Canal. One of his family members died near Smooth Island. Wellard was said to have given up the lease of Smooth Island on 16 October 1901. Samuel's will was executed 6 June 1935 and all Samuel's property was assigned to Annie Wellard, the daughter of his brother Walter William Wellard.

Barclay Gray

Barclay commissioned a survey for Phosphate Rock on the island in 1941.

History

Prior to European settlement, the Forestier Peninsula to the east of Smooth Island is believed to have been occupied by the Pydairrerme band of the Oyster Bay (Paredarerme) tribe of Aboriginal Tasmanians. They spoke the Paredarerme language. There is no recorded evidence of any remaining Paredarerme people in the region after the 1830s.

European settlement

In 1793, Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez (of the Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux expedition) was the first Anglo-Saxon to discover Smooth Island. Smooth island is found on the maps drawn up by Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, however the island is unnamed on these maps.

On 15 December 1798, Matthew Flinders was the first Anglo-Saxon to set foot on Smooth Island. It appears he spent two nights on the island. His impression of the island has been described as follows:

(They) moved on to another island which, from a distance, appeared unusually attractive. At close quarters, the island seemed every bit as beautiful as it did from afar. Its surface was smooth and the texture of its soil contained a richness which is rarely found in uncultivated land. It was estimated that there must have been at least one hundred acres of good, yielding agricultural ground. But the unhappy and unforseen part of this seemingly natural course taken by the sloop was the denial of the sighting by the ship's personnel of an isthmus which would have been of great importance to them.

But "Smooth Island", as they so aptly named it, was indeed delectable and aforded them two delightful days in exploring its scenery and absorbing its charm and beauty. They observed that the Aborigines paid this scenic spot many visits because of its garden-like qualities as compared with the stony-like terrain of the mainland which, although well-wooded and contained many kangaroos, seemed harsh and uninviting in comparison to their "Garden Island", a title it eventually acquired.

He charted the island and his passage through the region on the map Chart of Terra Australis - By M Flinders - 1798-1799 - South Coast, Sheet VI. He described his initial impression of sailing eastwards from Doughboy Island in Frederick Henry Bay towards Norfolk Bay. He wrote:

The country on the eastern side of the bay, is stony; and, wherever we landed, is wretchedly barren. The islands have a better appearance. Smooth Island, contains about one hundred acres of ground, that might answer for a garden: its soil is shallow and sandy.

He appeared surprised by the nautical ability of the Aboriginal Tasmanians:

The natives of Frederick Henry Bay, have some mode of conveyance by water; for they had visited Betsey's Island, the Isle of Caves, Smooth Island, and Gull Island; and, perhaps, the others. It has been a received opinion, that the inhabitants of this part of Van Diemen's Land have no canoes; and, had our observations been confined to the Derwent River, we should have joined in that opinion.

In A Voyage to Terra Australis he wrote, "Smooth Island ... is three quarters of a mile long, and covered with grass and a few small trees. It has been visited by the natives, as had the Isle of Caves; but from the eggs of gulls found upon both, I judge they do not go often." In the same text he also said, "Of the four islands in the bay, Smooth and Gull islands were found superior in fertility to the mainland: the first contains about 40 acres (16 ha) of tolerable pasturage".

1800s

On 22 April 1804, eleven insubordinate Irish prisoners were caught plotting to plunder the settlement's supplies at Risdon Cove and escape. The three ringleaders were flogged and at the end of April 1804, the remaining eight were marooned on Smooth Island with one month's provisions while a Captain Bowen explored the Huon River.

In 1824, Thomas Scott conducted a survey of Tasmania, producing a detailed map of Tasmania. An extract of the map is shown to the right, with Smooth Island labelled as Garden Island.

On 15 February 1836, Smooth Island was defined as lying within the county of Pembroke.

On 17 September 1839, Smooth Island was offered for sale as part of the 'Estate of Fulham'.

THE ESTATE OF FULHAM. COMPRISING about 3000 Acres, situate at East Bay Neck, bounded by the Bay, Crown Land, and Messrs. Crocker and Steele. As an Agricultural Farm, this Estate possesses advantages rarely to be met with ; 250 acres of rich wheat land is already in the highest state of cultivation, enclosed and subdivided with substantial fencing. The Homestead is most substantial and complete, with good garden and excellent water. The Residence (newly erected) comprises 15 apartments, suitable for a family of the first respectability. The produce can be shipped from the barn door. The title is unexceptionable; Garden Island is included in the Grant. For further particulars, apply to T. Y. LOWES. N.B.-A liberal credit will be given, at 8 per cent, interest, and any quantity of stock may be taken at a valuation by the purchaser.

Captain Charles O'Hara Booth (commandant of Port Arthur penal settlement) liked the idea of owning an island; in 1839 he applied to the Land and Survey Department to buy Smooth Island but was informed that, although a lease could be arranged, ownership of all islands was reserved for the government.

The Port Arthur penal settlement was in operation from 1833 to 1853. A publication from 2011 indicates Smooth Island may have been used to grow vegetables for this penal settlement, however this claim cannot yet be verified.

On 14 April 1863, Smooth Island, which was classed as agricultural Crown land at the time, was designated for sale at public auction on 23 April the following year, in accordance with the Waste lands Act. It was listed for a minimum sale price of £227. Thomas Gabriel Reid commissioned a detailed survey of the island which took place between 10 and 14 July 1863 (see survey report inset). It appears Thomas Gabriel Reid purchased the island on Thursday 21 April 1864 for only £155. A "Thomas G. Read" was recorded as living in the nearby town of Sorell in 1866 On 31 October 1894 Thomas Gabriel Read died at New Norfolk at 70 years of age. He was the second son of Captain G. F. Read. Thomas Gabriel Read was a famous gold-miner. A detailed biography of Thomas Gabriel Read is available.

On 8 November 1869, Lieutenant Colonel Mundy said, "the pretty wooded Garden Island [was] lying in the jaws of [Norfolk Bay]", suggesting that clearfelling had not yet occurred on the island. On 4 April 1870, a sailor traveling past Smooth Island wrote in a local newspaper, "Garden Island is the peaceful abode of two or three families, and its cultivated appearance renders its name quite apropos. Water is plentiful, but in dry seasons brackish, and the place is well adapted for the rearing of stock, a matter not lost sight of."

On 14 March 1878, a newspaper article reported "(In) Norfolk Bay, about two miles from East Bay Neck, lies Garden Island, which is under cultivation, and yields excellent crops".

On 26 July 1878, Smooth Island was sold at auction for £400 after real estate agents submitted the following advertisement to local newspapers:

Garden Island, in Norfolk Bay, opposite Fulham. ROBERTS & CO. Are instructed by the proprietor to sell, at the mart, on FRIDAY, 26th July, at 11 o'clock. GARDEN ISLAND, containing 145 acres (59 ha) of the most superior land, nearly all of which has been cultivated, and is now most luxuriantly grassed. It is situated within three miles of Fulham, and is passed daily by the Sorell craft. There are numerous shipping places with deep water. For richness of soil and the production of heavy root and grain crops, this property has no equal in Tasmania. To an industrious man it would be a fortune. Title-Grant. Terms: One-fourth cash ; one-fourth at six months ; balance may remain for three years at 7 per cent.

On 2 June 1883, the island was again advertised for private sale:

FOR PRIVATE SALE, GARDEN ISLAND, in Norfolk Bay, occupied by Mr. Quested. It contains 145 acres of superior land, well sub-divided, a considerable portion under cultivation; with homestead. The "Pinafore" passes three times a week. ROBERTS & Co, Murray-street

On 14 June 1884, a local newspaper reported, "Garden Island, of about 100 acres, situated about a mile off the northern limit of King George's Sound, Forestier's Peninsula, is occupied, and appears to have good soil by the newly-turned sod of the paddocks, and has upon it the buildings and paraphernalia of the average farm." On 19 November 1889, an advertisement in a local newspaper offered "100 prime fat wethers from Garden Island". From 3 December 1893 until December 1894, the island was advertised for private sale:

On 14 July 1894, Captain Jones and his crew of whale hunters (on the whaling barque "Taranna") "shifted their quarters from Slopen Island (Sloping Island) to Garden Island, as it (was) believed that 3 whales had been sighted in the vicinity of (King George Sound)". The expedition was unsuccessful, and the expedition returned to Hobart on 16 July 1894.

In January 1895, a real estate agent was used. It appears that all trees had been cleared from the island by this stage. The island was advertised as, "146 Acres Grass Land, suitable for cultivation. Easy Terms. R. DARLING, Agent,54, Murray-street."

The British conducted a survey of Norfolk Bay and Frederick Henry Bay(aka North Bay) in 1894, producing the map seen to the right. It was published on 1 October 1925

1900s

On 4 January 1900 a reader of the Mercury demanded a lighthouse be placed on Garden Island. Smooth Island was owned by Samuel Nicholas Wellard in the early 1900s. He was a well known sheep breeder who lived in Forcett, Tasmania. He died in August 1934.

On 16 November 1903, the Commissioner of Police (Mr G. 'Richardson) received a telegram, intimating that the fishing boat Stella had been lost off Smooth Island. A man named Netherton, and another, were drowned. No particulars were available.

On 21 August 1914, S. N. Wellard's nephew Chris Wellard died mysteriously after sailing away from Smooth Island. This following article was reported in the Mercury on 25 August 1914:

DROWNING ACCIDENT IN NORFOLK BAY. A very sad drowning accident, in which one of the best-known residents, of Forester’s Peninsula lost his life, took place on Friday, in Norfolk Bay, near Garden Island. On Friday morning Mr. Charles Wellard, a resident of Murdunna, took some sheep out from Garden Island to the s. s. Breone. He intruded to return to the mainland after shipping the sheep, and so, after he had put them on board the Breone, towed his bout out for some distance from the island. He then cast off, and has not since been seen or heard of. A good deal of anxiety had been felt owing to his non-appearance, and the worst fears were confirmed when his boat was found upside down yesterday morning near Eaglehawk Neck, several miles from the place where he was last seen. Mr Wellard had three dogs in the boat with him when he cast off from the Breone, and when the boat was found yesterday one of these dog was sitting on the keel of the upturned boat. There seems, unfortunately, little reason to doubt that the boat was upset by a sudden squall, or that some other mishap happened to it, and that Mr. Wellard was drowned. He was the only son of Mr. W. W. Wellard, of Murdunna, and a man of between 20 and 40 years of age. He leaves a wife and two young children.

The mystery deepened when on 2 September 1914, the Mercury provided further details of the event in their article "The Norfolk Bay Tragedy - A mysterious occurrence - The details of the event"

THE NORFOLK BAY TRAGEDY. A MYSTERIOUS OCCURRENCE. THE DETAILS OF THE EVENT.

Fuller details which have come to hand of the drowning tragedy in Norfolk Bay, by which Mr. C. Wellard lost his life, show that the whole affair is a mystery.

On the night before Mr. Wellard’s disappearance he stayed on the island with Mr. David Kingston, of Koonys. In the morning Mr. Wellard took several sheep out in his dinghy, and put them on board the s.s. Breone. He then went back to the island, and Mr Kingston helped him load the dinghy with six bags of fish manure, weighing some 7cwt ((approximately 317.5kg)), which, with a lamb in the bag and three dogs, formed the dinghy’s freight. Mr. Wellard then put out from the island in his dinghy, intending to cross to King George’s Sound on the west side of Forestier’s Peninsula and several miles from Garden Island, near which his home lay. The captain of the s.s. Breone offered to give him a tow for part of his journey, as the steamer would be going past the mouth of the Sound, and the dinghy was made fast to the steamer. As soon as the Breone got under way the captain noticed that the dinghy was slopping water over the bows. He then told Mr. Wellard he did not think the dinghy would stand towing, on which the latter asked him to cast off, which was at once done. The dinghy was then about 200 yards from the Garden Island jetty, but nor more than 60 or 70 yards from the nearest point on the island.

When the dinghy was cast loose from the steamer, Mr. Wellard at once turned round and started to pull back to the jetty. Presumably he intended to get a bailer, as it was noticed that he had not one on board. The steamer rounded a point, and those on board lost sight of him before he reached the jetty.

Mr. Wellard was never seen again, and what happened remains a mystery. He had no sail up at the time he was last seen. The dinghy is a stiff little boat, and it is hard to imagine how she got bottom upwards. The fact remains that she did turn over, and was found floating bottom upwards three days later. One of the dogs got on the bottom of the boat, and had been there three days and three nights before the boat was found.

The deepest sympathy is felt for Mr. Wellard’s family and relatives. He was a young man in the prime of life, with a wife and two young children. He had established a farm and orchard in the bush, near Murdunna, and was working hard with good prospects of success.

On 4 September 1914, S. N. Wellard discussed his nephew's death in the Mercury in his letter entitled 'Norfolk Bay Tragedy'.:

To the Editor of "The Mercury". Sir, —Being the late Charles Wellard's uncle and owner of Garden Island, I would like to explain to the public how I think the sad accident occurred. After driving the sheep on the s. s. Breonce (I would like here to say there is a good jetty on Garden Island, and all stock is loaded from it) Mr. David Kingston helped me to load the dinghy with fish manure. The dinghy is 14 ft (4 m). long and about 5 ft (2 m). beam, and thoroughly sea-worthy. No doubt, after being towed a short distance by the vessel, he re-turned to the Island, bailed out and made another start with a full load. A north-east wind sprang up when he was crossing, a little slop was going over and wetting the manure making it very much heavier. Mr. Kingston said he put the load in the bow of the boat, a very unusual thing for him to do and he was sitting down on the well (which was corked up) pulling. No doubt when he saw danger he threw the bag off the well, it being easy to get at. This would most likely cause the boat to go down head foremost, and roll over. Mr Dalton, from the opposite shore saw a dinghy about noon three-parts of the way across to the mainland. When he returned to his work he could not see it, and he presumed it was someone fishing who had gone home. It was also seen by Mr Dodridge, of Dunalley, about the same time. A bailer was picked up with name on it and several other things on Chronicle Point . Yours, etc., S. N. WELLARD.

Repeated livestock clearing sales occurred throughout 1919. These references suggest the clearing sale was due to the recent sale of the island. The family which owned the island (immediately prior to the current owners) acquired it in 1927.

In 1936 the Tasmanian Game Protection and Acclimatisation Society, assisted by the Animals and Birds Protection Board, imported 110 European grey partridges to Tasmania from England, at a cost of £150. These were liberated with Tasmania at Smooth Island, Marrawah, Whiteford and Colebrook. By 1950, these birds had disappeared. The European grey partridge is not established anywhere in Australia, at present.

Newspaper articles from the 1940s suggest that the Bellerive Yacht Club held an annual boat race around Smooth Island.

On 9 April 1946 a notice of "NO HUNTING OR SHOOTING ALLOWED ON FULHAM, GARDEN OR LOW ISLAND. TRESPASSERS PROSECUTED. S B. GRAY, DUNALLEY."

Prior to change of ownership, Smooth Island was primarily used as pasturage for livestock. They report that on some occasions up to 600 sheep would graze on the island simultaneously.

2000s

Between 2003 and 2007 Smooth Island was subleased to a local oyster farmer to transport oyster stock to and from a processing facility in Boomer Bay. The current owners purchased the property after it had been on the market for 19 days.

Satellite imagery indicates that the 2013 Tasmanian bushfires did not burn Smooth Island.

During 2013, Smooth Island was advertised for sale, with the following description:

Easily accessible from Hobart by sea-faring boat or trailered craft, a place where privacy is total, a beautiful environment second to none and less than one hour from Hobart. Smooth Island is located in Norfolk Bay surrounded by the historic landscapes of Forestier and Tasman peninsulas. The island is just a short boat ride from launching ramps, with ramps as close as Murdunna and Dunalley. On its eastern side there is a jetty located in an anchorage that is nicely sheltered from north-westerly through to south-westerly winds. A deeper water anchorage on the western shoreline provides good shelter from winds with an easterly component. The island has been farmed for many years and currently provides winter grazing for up to 600 hoggets [young sheep]. In addition to the pasture there are some forest trees, mainly Eucalyptus globulus and Allocasuarina stricta. There are also some old established Macrocarpas at the site where a cottage once stood. The vegetation concentrated around the shoreline contributes to a very pleasant and inviting coastal margin along which shelter can be found in almost any weather. The island is home to a number of seabirds. At the southern and south-western end there is a substantial mutton bird rookery. The magnetic sea eagles and wedge-tailed eagles are also frequent visitors to Smooth Island. Other birds common to the island include pacific gulls, kelp gulls, quail, a variety of terns, silver gulls, oyster catcher cormorants and gannets. The waters immediately surrounding the island provide good fishing, with flathead , trumpeter, perch, cod and Australian salmon being the principal species available. Dolphins are frequent visitors and whales have occasionally been sighted close to the island. Smooth Island would make for a wonderful hideaway lifestyle. At 58.86 ha there is sufficient land to run a substantial number of either sheep or cattle. At present it is being used primarily as winter grazing (April -Oct) for 600 hoggets. These are landed on the eastern shoreline where the jetty and stock races are located. For someone contemplating a pseudo self-sufficient lifestyle the island offers a unique opportunity. Or... on the other hand it would be an excellent location for that weekend shack with a difference. It represents a remote location but with the convenience of relatively easy access to the hotel at nearby Dunalley along with the local supermarkets, service station, hairdressers, golf course, P.O., bakery and dining options available in that village. Imagine owning your very own Island? This is a rare opportunity to make a dream your reality. surrounded by waterfront, rare opportunity to own your own private island. Only approximately 5 mins by boat to choice of public boat ramps

Smooth Island was purchased by the current owners in November 2013.

Marine survey

Between February 1995 and December 1996, a beam trawl was placed within the Zostera tasmanica site on the Smooth Island's east coast. The common name (taxa): total individual fish (% of catch) were reported as follows: Little Rock Whiting (Neoodax balteatus): 1262 (49.8%); Bridled Leatherjacket (Acanthaluteres spilomelanurus): 966 (38.2%); Spotted Pipefish (Stigmatopora argus): 90 (3.6%); Soldierfish (Gymnapistes marmoratus): 56 (2.2%); Crested Weedfish (Cristiceps australis): 45 (1.8%); Southern Cardinal Fish (Vincentia conspersa)): 21 (0.8%); Port Phillip Pipefish (Vanacampus phillipi): 15 (0.6%); Sand Flathead (Platycephalus bassensis): 14 (0.6%); Girdled Goby (Nesogobius sp.1)): 12 (0.5%); Orange-Spotted Goby (Nesogobius hinisbyi)): 7 (0.3%); Red Cod (Pseudophycis bachus): 6 (0.2%); Toothbrush Leatherjacket (Acanthaluteres vittiger): 6 (0.2%); Red Rock Cod (Helicolenus barathri): 5 (0.2%); Half-Banded Pipefish (Mitotichthys semistriatus): 4 (0.2%); Adelaide Weedfish (Heteroclinus adelaidae): 4 (0.2%); Common Weedfish (Heteroclinus perspicillatus): 4 (0.2%); Six-Spined Leatherjacket (Meuschenia freycineti)): 4 (0.2%); Castelnau's Goby (Nesogobius pulchellus): 2 (0.1%); Greenback Flounder (Rhombosolea tapirina): 2 (0.08%); Pot Bellied Seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis): 1 (0.04%); Spotted Flounder (Ammotretis rostratus): 1 (0.04%); Richardson's Hardyhead (Atherinason hepsetoides): 1 (0.04%); Long Snouted Flounder (Long Snouted Flounder (Ammotretis rostratus): 1 (0.04%); Brownstriped Leatherjacket (Meuschenia australis)): 1 (0.04%); Pigmy Leatherjacket (Brachaluteres jacksonianus): 1 (0.04%).