I'll keep it meaningful. Like a t-shirt.

Today’s travel notes

Yesterday I took a round trip down Australia's east coast. We started off just north of Sydney and drove through the city, past Wollongong to Kiama, Berry and Kangaroo Valley, then through Mittagong back to Sydney.

My impressions? Just out of Sydney yet so very different.

It's an easy day's drive. You're never more than two hours away from the city, but of course there are lots of unavoidable scenic views, lunch opportunities and shopping stops. These tend to slow you down, so do take them into account. In my experience, your round-trip velocity depends largely upon your companions. My Travelling Companion is a bit of a liability in this respect.

The previous paragraph notwithstanding, I did enjoy the views. There are some good photos below, including some of me suspended in the usual fashion over some breathtaking drop. There was also a bit of wildlife, including those big furry grasshoppers*, your common-or-garden sulphur-crested cockatoos, the wilder black cockatoos, a coupla kookaburras, plus galahs, ravens and butcher birds.

Also along the side of the road was the occasional self-service kiosk, where you can take fudge or potatoes or whatever and leave the money in return. Honesty rocks!

* "Furry grasshoppers" -- That's what we locals call the kangaroos :)

A word of explanation: worm or caterpillar?

Some of my readers may be concerned about the difference between a worm and a caterpillar, and in particular you may be wondering which one I am.

In my experience, caterpillars are ephemeral and fickle creatures, apt to take flight when things get tricky. Your humble worm is here to stay.

Travel tip

Never underestimate the return trip.

Recommended restaurant

Berrylicious cafe, 89 Queen Street, Berry.

Excellent hamburgers, a variety of breads and some good options for vegetarians.

The book I’m in

The Radiant Seas, by Catherine Asaro.

The photos

Me suspended over the drop at Bulli Lookout, with Wollongong in the distance. Here's a tip --- if you're coming from Sydney down the Princes Highway (route 1) towards Wollongong, ignore the first turnoff labelled "Bulli Lookout". It takes you to a private hotel and an inferior lookout point. Instead, drive past the hotel or take the second turnoff to Bulli Lookout. Anyway, here's me and the view:

Me waiting for the blowhole to blow at Kiama:

FYI, here's a "duh" moment --- a sign next to the blowhole says something like this:

"Danger. Do not go beyond this point. Deep hole and blowhole."

Me not getting wet:

Me at the drive-through bottle store in Berry. Check out the hubcaps on the wall:

Kiama Post Office:

Kiama outcrop behind the blowhole, and the blue blue sea:

In the hills approaching the town of Kangaroo Valley:

More of those hills (do you see what I mean about the TC being a bit of a liability with respect to stopping for photographs of anything that moves or doesn't move):

Hampden Bridge, outside the town of Kangaroo Valley:

A worm's eye view

You'll see some pictures taken from a worm's viewpoint in my earlier blog posts too. Now I've decided to put this sort of picture in a special section.

Kiama rock looks volcanic, with lots of small cosy holes:

Autumn leaves in Berry:

Brother caterpillar tripping the light fantastic (on plastic sheeting in Berrylicious Cafe):

Hair lichen on a post near Kangaroo valley:

That's it for today dudes.

Afgelopen dagen hebben we weer volop mooie en erg leuke beesten gezien. Zo stonden we op een camping met 'tamme' kangaroes, parkieten, met alle kleuren van de regenboog en kookaburra's.

Kangaroes hadden we natuurlijk al eerder gezien. Maar de kangaroes op de camping verroerden geen poot toen wij een foto kwamen maken. Ze vonden het best! Je zou ze zo kunnen aaien en de verleiding is erg groot... Maar het mag niet. Je mag ze ook niet voeren. Overal staan bordjes met uitleg. Het is niet goed voor hun 'dieet'. Daarbij kunnen de beestjes aggresief worden als ze honger hebben en gewend zijn om hun voedsel normaal van mensen te krijgen.

Miriam ondervond dat al even toen ze een appel at in de buurt van de kangaroes. D'r was er een 'als de kippen bij' en stond op zijn achterpoten klaar om Miriam te bespringen. Brrrr Mim heeft gauw de appel in haar jaszak gestopt. Ze stond druk gebarend voor Skippy 'er is niets te eten'. De kangaroe keek alsof ie dacht 'ben jij gek of ben ik het?'. Mim koos vervolgens het hazenpad want een volwassen kangaroe op achterpoten is toch wel errug groot!

Nee, het 'wildlife' voeren we niet. Of nouja... bijna niet. Want nadat we gezien hadden dat vele campinggasten de vogeltjes voerden wilde we dat zelf ook weleens beleven. Zulke gekleurde vogeltjes hebben we thuis namelijk niet. In de Van Wassenhovestraat wonen alleen maar (huis)mussen. En ook in de voiliere van 'dun ouwe Cees' zagen we nooit zoveel vrolijke vogels tegelijkertijd. Jeroen heeft daarom 's ochtends heel stiekem een boterham met zijn vrienden gedeeld. Wel moest Miriam de kraai, die vervolgens ook kwam schooien, wegjagen. Die pastte niet op de knie ;-)

Oh, hier willen een paar vrolijke vrienden de groeten doen aan 'dun ouwe Cees'.

He pap, als je deze gekleurde vrienden in je voilere had, zou je de boel dan ook opgeruimd hebben?

Kookaburra's hebben we al eerder gezien. 's Avonds hoor je kookaburra's hard lachen. Vooral als er een aantal bij elkaar zitten maken ze een enorm lawaai. Erg grappig. En voor de oplettende kijkers: Mim had er een op haar hoofd in een vorige posting. Oke, een trucfoto, het beest zat natuurlijk gewoon op een paal. Toen we hem voor de eerste keer 'troffen' wisten we eigenlijk alleen dat hij overal in Australie voorkomt en dat er een liedje over de vogels is dat alle schoolkinderen leren. Wij zingen nu ook altijd voor hem. De oorspronkelijke melodie zijn we echter kwijt. Wij zingen daarom hard & vals: 'Heeeeeeeeeej kookaburra' (melodie 'eeeeen kopje koffie'). Laatst hoorden we echter dat kookaburra's vleesetende vogels zijn. Ze vangen slangen en gooien die van flinke hoogte naar beneden. Daarna wordt het dode beest lekker opgepeuzeld.

Een kookaburra ziet er dus koddiger uit dan ie is. En met bovenstaande in het achterhoofd bezorgt zo'n doorgrondende blik van het beestje je de rillingen over je rug. Ze zitten altijd gewoon op een paaltje of hekje vlak bij je camper. Eerder gingen we altijd een 'praatje' maken met um. Maar tegenwoordig benaderen we ze toch maar wat minder. Stel je voor dat ie je ogen eruit lepelt! Je weet het niet he, als ze honger hebben. Wat voor kangaroes geldt, geldt misschien ook wel voor kookaburra's ;-)

Miriam kreeg op een van de campings trouwens een demonstratie 'kookaburra voeren' door een campinggast. D'r werd een stuk bief gehaald... HAP, slok weg!!! Vier kookaburra's aan 't vechten voor biefstukje twee. Nee... Het voeren van die beestjes laten we zeker achterwege.

Ook zagen we, toen we 's avonds ons kampvuurtje aan het opstoken waren, een possum. Het beest liep een beetje rondom onze camper te kraken. En omdat wij een enorm groot, eng en gevaarlijk beest verwachtte -SPANNEND- zijn we toch maar even gaan kijken. Tja, in het donker is alles anders he? In Nieuw Zeeland worden possums gezien als ongedierte. Ze zijn daar in erg grote getalen aanwezig en eten hele bossen leeg. En omdat er op die manier geen voedsel overblijft voor het nationale troetelbeest (de kiwi) worden de beestjes druk bestrijd. Vallen, gif, jagers... En of je, als je er een op de weg ziet, aub gas bij wilt geven. Ja, in Nieuw Zeeland wonen dierenvrienden! Maar in Australie is een possum gewoon weer een leuk beest. Waarschijnlijk heeft ie hier voldoende natuurlijke vijanden. Ze woekeren hier niet. Misschien dat een kookubarru? ;-)

Gisterenavond in 'Kangaroo Valley' hebben we nog een nationaal symbool van Australie gezien. Oke, ook een paar kangaroes, wie had dat gedacht ha, ha. Maar die bedoelen we niet. Nee, we zagen wombats! Een wombat is een soort reuze cavia (gemiddeld 35 kilo, nauw verwant met de koalabeer, echter de wombat zal je niet aantreffen in een boom). Jeroen vindt het trouwens meer 'een tank op pootjes' ;-) Overdag ligt het beest lekker te vegiteren in zijn hol. En 's avonds als het schemert komt hij tevoorschijn en zoekt een mooi veldje om te grazen. We zijn speciaal naar 'Kangaroo Valley' gereden omdat we hoorden dat er daar veel zitten. Nou, het klopt hoor! Ze kwamen zo langs onze camper gewaggeld op naar 'het diner'. We zijn 's avonds met onze zaklampen op onderzoek uitgegaan (Jut en Jul op avontuur). Rond onze camper alleen al hebben we er acht gezien! Helaas zijn de beestjes wel een beetje schuw. En ze vinden het ook niet fijn als je in hun oogjes schijnt of ze op de flitsfoto zet...

Wombats vinden het trouwens ook lekker om te wroeten. Dat bleek vanmorgen toen we het grasveld bij daglicht weer zagen. En weet je wat ze ook fijn vinden? Schurken tegen campers. Daar kruipen ze onder en schurken vervolgens lekker met hun rug tegen de onderkant. Ja, ja... je moet krabben waar het jeukt! Gelukkig had Forbes verteld dat die mogelijkheid bestond. We lagen vannacht namelijk te schudden in bed! Vast de wombat die ons wilde straffen voor het grote zaklamp & flitsgebeuren. Hij heeft namelijk ook onder de deur van onze camper gepoept :-)

But it's worthwhile to point out the seventh birthday for party under the stars is happening on saturday 15th march. Decent line-up posted, but to be fair it's really about kicking back in the kangaroo valley.

-

With another term of study behind me, I reckoned I was about due for a bike ride.

I decided to head down to Kangaroo Valley. I didn't choose Kangaroo Valley for any particular reason. I knew it was a lovely corner of the world and hadn't been there for a few years. I also had made a contact through college who lives at Wollongong. He offered a pick-up should I have needed it. Also, Kangaroo Valley was somewhere the Olympics weren't!!!

In recent months, I had been considering buying a touring bike fitted with an assistance engine to make the extra loads and large hills manageable. However, before I went spending money on such a bike, I wanted to try a few different things.

I approached this tour differently to Easter. Firstly I used different tyres that gave the bike more speed, but less grip. Secondly, I didn't set myself a schedule - where I got that day was where I slept. Thirdly, I kept my pack as light as possible, yet didn't meet with much success. When I had loaded everything onto the bike, I couldn't lift the rear wheel of the ground. I dreaded a repeat of Easter when I didn't meet all of my objectives due to excessive weight, and poor planning.

I left on Friday, 15^th September at 9:00am. The first few kilometres were very promising with the 20kg touring pack not effecting my speed at all. Acceleration was slower, but once the bike started rolling it kept rolling, and was fairly easy to maintain a speed of 25-30km/h.

I was headed for Wisemans Ferry that night, and so peddled my way through Somersby and Mangrove Mountain. Upon reaching the top of Somersby, I found my times to be fairly close to when I was super fit (ie. before I owned a car). I got to Central Mangrove General Store at 12:30pm where I had lunch. I then rode on to Wiseman's Ferry finding my daily comfort zone along the way - 5hrs or 50km of riding, which ever came first. So I struggled for another half-hour to get to the camp ground for that night. I arrived there at 4:50pm and had ridden 65km that day.

I was concerned for my endurance and recovery. I had arrived at Wiseman's Ferry exhausted with aching legs. I wondered how I was going to manage the next day. This happened at the end of each day's ridding. Amazingly, a hot shower and a good night's rest was all it took to refresh me for the next day's challenges, whatever they may have been!

I left the campground Saturday morning at 9:30am and rode into Wisemans Ferry township for an early lunch, to restock on food, and make contact back home. Instead of climbing the hill out of Wisemans Ferry, I rode down river 6km to Laughtondale where there is a single lane dirt road leading to the top of the ridge. It takes you through some lush green rainforest making the 50min climb allot less painful. It's nowhere as steep as the main road, and only saw 4 other cars while I was on it.

I continued on to Cattai National Park where I stayed that night. I arrived at 3:50pm, and even though I had ridden 51km, I didn't feel too tired at all. I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

That night I got to enjoy something I hadn't before. I've seen plenty of sunsets before, but I hadn't hung around for another hour and watched the celestial main event - the stars coming out one by one until the night sky is full of stars. I began to understand the awe and wonder Isaiah had when he wrote:

^"Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:

Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one,

and calls them each by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength,

not one of them is missing."

- Isaiah 40:26

I suspect what Isaiah was reflecting on was far more spectacular then my view effected by modern day pollution.

On Sunday, I was expecting I would find myself worn out and boarding a train from Windsor to come back home. No such thing happened! I left Cattai at 9:30 and got back on the road still peddling as the same pace as on day one.

I rode through Penrith which was the worst part of the whole trip. The Northern Road is one of the most boring roads I've ridden on. The mercury got above 30degC. And after spending 2 days in the country found myself competing with city and Olympic traffic. Being loaded up with my camping gear, this was not easy! I didn't count on the traffic being that bad that far west, but I survived. I decided next time I want to get to the other side of Sydney, I'll catch a train!

I was planning to stay at Bents Basin before moving on to Camden to stay with relatives for a few nights. However, I managed to get to Bringelly by mid-afternoon and decided to ride the extra 30km to Camden. The final 2hrs were tough, but I got to my Aunt's at 5:45pm and covered 82km for the day.

The next day, I was still peddling along to a bike shop for repairs and visiting my grandmother. Bits and pieces had been shaken off from the roughness of Wisemans Ferry Rd. and needed to be put back on. The following day I stay at my Aunt's watching other people exhaust themselves on TV as they competed at the Olympics.

While I was at my Aunts I was trying to plan my next place of stay between Camden and Bundanoon, but nothing suitable was found. With the temperatures threatening to sore  again I decided to ride Cambeltown that Wednesday to catch a train to Moss Vale where I would ride on to Bundanoon. I arrived in Bundanoon around 4pm and continued on into the nearby Morton National Park to view a few lookouts. I then rode back into Bundanoon and camped at the youth hostel. I got to meet a few people and found out some information for the next two days. I was told Sydney folk often get the train to Moss Vale and ride through Kangaroo Valley on to Berry where they get the train back home. That sounded like a good plan to me (probably because from Camden on I didn't have one!), and I was also told of a reasonably priced tourist park at Kangaroo Valley.

Thursday I left Bundanoon at 10am after it had stopped raining for long enough for my tent to dry. It was wonderful ridding through the high country in the cool air. I stopped at Fitzroy Falls for lunch and viewed the waterfall and lookout. Quite an amazing view seeing as far as Braidwood at the other end of Morton National Park. From here I continued on to Kangaroo Valley. I wasn't quite prepared for the steepness of the descent. Even though the pack wasn't too heavy, it still effected the handling to a degree, and needed to be careful going down.

I arrived at the tourist park at 3:30pm and the shop attendants rushed out to me to see if I wanted any water. I said, "Well, actually I'm after a campsite for the night". I don't think they were expecting that for a reply! So I camped at the tourist park, did a short ride around the township in the twilight, and made contact back home. I had done it. Mission accomplished! I had made it to Kangaroo Valley and in top condition as well!

I was contemplating what to do next. I had intended to spend 2 or 3 days exploring the valley. But with my wallet looking rather thin, I thought it best to come home and spend some money on personal transport-my Subaru wasn't quite what it use to be. I was speaking to the tourist park operators about ridding to Berry. They advised me not to take the main road. It's busy, steep, long and windy. Instead, take the road through Wattamolla and you'll go around the base of the mountain, and is much flatter. Sounded like another good plan and so embraced it without question.

I left Kangaroo Valley at 10am bidding fair well to the tourist park owners. They were most friendly. I headed for Berry and took the Wattamolla Rd. 11km along the Wattamolla road, it wound straight up the mountain!! I was accustomed to short, steep hills along the valley floor and kept thinking the top would be around the next bend. 10 bends latter, I was still climbing, and could no longer see the valley floor. With the rate I was perspiring at, I looked as though I had just been in a wet t-shirt competition, and won! Finally at the top, I felt like a mountaineer. All I could see was mountain tops with the valley floors nowhere in sight. I don't think it I climbed as high as the main road, but it was still a dizzy height. Then, with the ocean in sight, it was another precarious run down into Berry where I got the train home.

I arrived at Berry at 1:30pm, and covered 27km. I bought some much wanted lunch from a local green grocer and headed for the train station. It was only 20mins before the next train which was well timed. It was then a simple matter of enjoying a 4hr train trip back home.

I couldn't be happier with the way this ride went. It was an absolute success. In 8 days, I had done 26hrs and 45mins of riding covering 332km averaging 12.8km/h. With the success of this ride, the idea of an assistant engine was very much scraped.

The following Friday the question of my personal transport was resolved with the signing up for a new car that would cost half as much to run. But that's a whole other story! If I need an engine, a part driving and part ridding tour is a better option.

KEY CHRONOLOGY 1842-1923

SUMMARY

Thomas J. Nevin, professional photographer and civil servant, was born near Belfast, Ireland in August 1842 and died in Hobart in March 1923. He arrived in Hobart on board the convict transport Fairlie in July 1852 with two younger siblings, his mother Mary Nevin and father John Nevin who worked their passage as a warden. From 1865 until 1867 he was apprenticed to Alfred Bock whose studio he bought in 1867 at 140 Elizabeth Street, Hobart Town (The City Photographic Establishment). He was joined by Smith (from Smith’s studio Hobart ca. 1865, Mather papers, Ref: M.19/70 Utas Special Collections), producing stereographic views and hand-tinted studio portraits (TMAG and private collections). The firm Nevin & Smith was commissioned to take an album of Tasmanian children in 1868 for the Duke of Edinburgh’s visit, to be presented to the Prince of Wales (State Library of Victoria Collection). Thomas Nevin exhibited a photograph of Melville St under snow at the Wellington Park Exhibition, 1868 (TMAG Collection). In July 1871, he married Elizabeth Rachel Day, daughter of guard captain of the Candahar (1842), James Day, at the Wesleyan Chapel, Kangaroo Valley (Hobart). Several examples of his collaboration ca. 1873 with Samuel Clifford for full-length cabinet portraiture survive with the verso inscription Clifford & Nevin, Hobart Town (QVMAG and private collections).

From 1873 until 1884, Thomas Nevin was the only professional and commercial photographer in Hobart to be commissioned to take identification photographs of convicts by the Prisons Department under Attorney-General W.R. Giblin, whose portrait he took ca 1874 (Archives Office of Tasmania). The majority of his identification cartes, some of which survive pasted to criminal records (PCHS and QVMAG), were taken at the Hobart Town Gaol on the prisoner’s transfer there from country prisons, including the Port Arthur penitentiary during its devolvement from 1873 to 1877. A large collection of carte-de-visite portraits of Port Arthur convicts taken by Nevin was exhibited at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston, in 1977. More examples from his prison commission are held at the Archives Office of Tasmania, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, the National Library of Australia, the Port Arthur Historic Site, and in private collections. The terms and execution of Nevin’s prison commission were contractually and generically identical to those of professional photographer Charles Nettleton for the prison system in Victoria from 1873. Another large commission was photographing the full range of coaches used by Samuel Page’s firm in the early 1870s (QVMAG Collection).

In 1876 Thomas Nevin advertised his studio for lease at 140 Elizabeth St. Hobart. The Mercury Supplement reported on January 24, 1876, that ‘Mr. Thomas Nevin, photographer, has been appointed Town Hall keeper, Hobart Town, in succession to the late Mr. Needham. There were 24 applicants for the office.’ The Town Hall contained the Police Office, prison cells in the basement, and the town’s library with its extensive range of overseas newspapers. Nevin maintained his prison commission and another studio at New Town in partnership with his younger brother Jack Nevin who was also salaried in the HM Prisons administration while carrying out duties at the Town Hall. In 1879 he was sworn in as a special constable to help police control riots at the Town Hall during the lecture of the lapsed Catholic Canadian priest Pastor Charles Chiniquy. On the evening of 3rd December 1880, Nevin was returning to the Town Hall from the newspaper offices of the Advertiser with “photographic apparatus and chemicals” in hand and in the company of photographer Henry Hall Baily when he was arrested on suspicion of acting in concert with a figure in phosphorescent clothing who had been terrorising local residents by appearing late at night as a ghost. The charge was dismissed for lack of evidence. However, Nevin appeared to be intoxicated when apprehended, and was dismissed from his position of Town Hall keeper for being drunk while on duty. He resumed his photographic practice from his studio at New Town, producing stereographs (TMAG), cartes and cabinet portraiture until 1884 (AOT, Reeder 1995). He died in 1923, survived by six adult children.

See these sitemaps:

Sitemap: The Nevin Family

Sitemap: Thomas J. Nevin Professional Work

SUMMARY by DATE:

1842: Thomas J. Nevin is born near Belfast, Ireland, 28th August, to John and Mary Nevin.

1846: His sister Mary Anne Nevin is born near Belfast, Ireland.

1848: His brother William John, known as Jack Nevin, is born near Belfast, Ireland.

1852: Arrives in Hobart, Tasmania, in July with parents and siblings on board the convict transport Fairlie (ex-Portsmouth) as free settlers. Their father John was a warden on board.

1852-1870: Resides with parents at Kangaroo Valley near Hobart. During these years Thomas Nevin was apprenticed to established photographer Alfred Bock, and also partnered Sam Clifford. He also established a photographic studio in New Town, signing his studio stamp "Thos. Nevin".

1867: Buys the photographic business and studio at 138-140 Elizabeth Street, Hobart Town from its former owner and mentor Alfred Bock, and continues to use the business name of The City Photographic Establishment.

1860s -1870: Partnership in the business with Smith, possibly the Victorian photographer A. V. Smith who died in 1874. Photographic work included studio portrait cartes-de-visite, stereographs, and albums of views, tombstones, and residences. "Nevin & Smith" appears as a studio stamp on these cartes and stereographs.

1868: Nevin & Smith commissioned to provide the visiting Duke of Edinburgh with an album of photographs of Tasmanian children to be presented to the Prince of Wales.

1870: Nevin exhibits a stereograph of a party at the Rocking Stone, Wellington Park Exhibition.

1871: Marries Elizabeth Rachel Day (b. 1847 Hobart), daughter of Guard Captain James Day of the 99th Regiment of Foot, later master mariner, on July 12th at the Wesleyan Chapel, Kangaroo Valley, and moves into the residence attached to the studio at 138-140 Elizabeth Street.

1872: Their first child, Mary Florence Elizabeth Nevin, is born (known as May to living descendants) at 138-140 Elizabeth St. Hobart Town

1874: Their first son, Thomas James Nevin, is also born at the residence attached to the City Photographic Establishment, 138-140 Elizabeth Street, on April 16th.

1873-1876: Thomas Nevin, with support from friend and partner, expert photographer Samuel Clifford, gains the commission from the Convict Department, underwritten by Justice W. R. Giblin, to provide photographic portraits of the Port Arthur convicts and prisoners at the Hobart Gaol. Nevin also takes a portrait of W. R. Giblin.

1875: Thomas Nevin's mother, Mary Nevin, dies. She was born in England in 1810. She had married his father John Nevin in Ireland in the 1830s, and migrated with their four children to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) in 1852 on board the Fairlie.

1876: In January, Thomas Nevin gains another government contract over 24 other applicants. He is appointed "keeper" at the Hobart Town Hall. The appointment notice appears in The Mercury 24th January, 1876. His employment as a civil servant continues under the auspices of the Premier W.L. Crowther.

1876: Thomas Nevin lets his studio at 140 Elizabeth St. The lease notice appears in The Mercury, January 8, 1876.

1876: Their third child and second son, Sydney John Nevin is born at the Town Hall, but lives for only four months. His death notice appears in The Mercury on 29th January 1877.

1877: Thomas Nevin's younger sister Mary Anne Nevin (b. 1846) marries John Carr on 3rd May.

1877: Younger brother Jack (William John) is employed at H.M. Gaol for the duration of the final transfer of prisoners from the Port Arthur prison.

1878: Their fourth child and third son William John Nevin is born at the Town Hall, Hobart on March 14th. William later dies in an accident in 1927, aged 49.

1878: Sister-in-law Mary Sophia Day, younger sister of Thomas' wife Elizabeth Rachel Day, and second daughter of Captain James Day, marries Hector Charles Axup on May 1st, at the Wesleyan Chapel, Kangaroo Valley.

1879: John Nevin, Thomas Nevin's father, marries again on 23rd October, aged 71 years old, to Martha Salter, aged 46 years old, daughter of John Nevin's lamented close friend and Wesleyan preacher, William Genge. His wife Mary and mother of Thomas died in 1875.

1879: Thomas is sworn in as a Special Constable in June during the riots at the Town Hall arising from the visit of the lapsed Catholic Canadian priest Chiniquy.

1880: Thomas and Elizabeth Nevin's fifth child and fourth son George Nevin (b.1880) is also born at the Town Hall, Hobart.

1880: In December Thomas Nevin is dismissed from the position of "keeper" at the Town Hall for being drunk while on duty. The dismissal notice and full account of the incident with the "ghost" appears in The Mercury on 4th December, 1880.

Electoral Roll 1883

1882: Father-in-law and master mariner Captain James Day (b. 1804), former Guard Captain of the 3rd detachment of the 99th Regiment (on board the Candahar 1842), dies, and is buried at The Point.

1883: Thomas Nevin (no middle initial "J" in all these public records) gives his address on the Electoral Roll as 21 Cottage Green, Battery Point. The property is listed as belonging to J. Heathorn. He may have operated a photographic business from these rented premises, as his next-born child is believed to have born elsewhere, in Brisbane St. Hobart. Thomas had not discontinued photographic practice, and with his brother Jack he had also maintained his activities as the Hobart Gaol prison photographer and the New Town studio.

1884: Their sixth child and second daughter Mary Ann Nevin is born. Known as Minnie to living descendants, she is believed to have been born at a residence in Brisbane Street, Hobart (grandmother of Denis Shelverton whose photographic collection includes portraits of and by Thomas Nevin, of the parents, siblings, and wife Elizabeth from their son George Nevin's scrapbook).

1884: Younger brother William John (Jack) is listed on the Denison Electoral Roll as a resident and salaried employee of the Hobart Gaol. He assists elder brother Thomas in photographing the transferees from the Port Arthur prison site and the "native" or local prisoners at the Hobart Gaol, maintaining the Nevin photographic practice with an operational studio in New Town, Hobart.

1887: Father of Thomas, John Nevin dies (b. Ireland 1808). He is survived by his second wife and Thomas' stepmother Martha Salter.

1888: Their last born, seventh child and fifth son, Albert Edward Nevin is born at 236 Elizabeth Street, Hobart.

1891: Jack Nevin (William John), the younger brother of Thomas J. Nevin, dies aged 43 years old (1848-1891). In 1884, his address was the H.M. Gaol where he was a salaried government employee.

1905: Six of the Nevin family are listed on the Commonwealth Electoral Roll for the seat of Denison, Tasmania and all are resident at 236 Elizabeth Street, Hobart:

1905 Denison electoral roll: click on image for large view

Thomas Nevin senior (1842-1923)
- his occupation is listed as labourer. He is now 63 years old.
His wife Elizabeth Rachel Nevin (1847-1914) is now 58 years old.
- her occupation given is domestic duties.
Their son Thomas James Nevin (1874-1948) is listed as a bootmaker.
Their daughter Mary Florence Nevin is listed as dressmaker.
- she was also known as May Nevin (19 May 1872-4 June 1955)
Their son George Nevin is listed as a labourer (2 April 1880 - 30 July 1957).
Their son William Nevin is listed as a shop assistant (14 March 1878 - 28 Oct 1927.

The two youngest - Mary Ann (Minnie) and Albert Edward - were not yet of voting age.

1907: Eldest son Thomas James Nevin marries Gertrude Jane Tennyson Bates (1883-1958) on 6th February at the Wesleyan Chapel, Hobart. They travel to the USA to join Gertrude's family who migrated to California in 1907.

1911: Thomas' first grandson is born to son Thomas and his wife Gertrude in Hobart in 1910 and named Walter Sydney Tennyson Nevin, but dies on August 16th 1911.

1914: Elizabeth Rachel Nevin, Thomas' wife, dies suddenly, aged 67 years. Her funeral notice appears in The Mercury on June 18th, 1914.

1917: Albert Edward, their last born child, marries Emily Maud Davis on March 5th.

1923: Thomas [J.] Nevin the photographer dies in March, aged 80 years. His funeral notice appears in The Mercury of March 12th, 1923.

The address in 1923 which appears in the funeral notice is 270 Elizabeth Street.

Descendant summary: seven children were born to Thomas and Elizabeth Nevin; Sydney died in infancy. Three to survive to adulthood did not marry - Mary Florence, George, and William. Of the other three who married - Thomas James, Mary Ann and Albert Edward - two have known living descendants - Mary Ann Nevin (Minnie Drew), and Albert Edward Nevin.

Sources: Thomas and Elizabeth Nevin's grandchildren and great grandchildren have developed this information from their collective memory of family members; from their holdings of Thomas Nevin's family photographs in the © The Nevin Family Collection & © The Private Collection of Denis Shelverton; from contributions from living descendants of the Axup, Baldwin, Genge, Davis (Germany), Bates and Cetnar (USA) families; from extensive research of original documentation; from readers, private collectors, and researchers; and from the extensive holdings of Thomas Nevin's photographic work in public collections.

Many thanks to all contributors.
Last updated March 2008

Excerpt from: Bailliere's Tasmanian Gazetteer and Road Guide 1877

Sometime after their arrival as free settlers in 1852, Thomas Nevin's parents, John and Mary Nevin, settled on a farm with their four children at Kangaroo Valley, also known as Kangaroo Bottom, near the village of Augusta, and close to the Lady Franklin Museum on the Ancanthe estate.

© The Private Collection of Denis Shelverton 2006-2007 ARR

These two portraits of Elizabeth and Thomas Nevin were pasted into a scrapbook by their son George. Between the two portraits of his "Mar" and "Par" George pasted half a stereograph showing the path outside the Nevin farm leading to the Franklin Museum, as it was then called. The portraits probably date to ca. 1876. Completed in 1843 on Lady Franklin's property, Ancanthe, at Kangaroo Valley, this little museum was inspired by the Temple of Athene in Athens, and intended to house specimens of natural history and a small library

Thomas Nevin was a ten year old boy in 1852. By July 1871, he was a fully engaged professional photographer. He had just married Elizabeth Rachel Day in the Wesleyan Chapel at Augusta, Kangaroo Valley and they were now residing at the premises above and next door to his photographic studio, The City Photographic Establishment, 140 Elizabeth St. Hobart Town. Thomas Nevin had bought the studio from Alfred Bock in 1867, together with some of his stock-in-trade.

They resided at 138-140 Elizabeth until 1876 where their first two children born. In January 1877 the studio was advertised to let, and they moved to the Town Hall, Hobart, where Thomas was appointed as "keeper" over 24 other applicants, on the death of former incumbent Mr Needham. Although Thomas was independent, his younger siblings Jack and Mary Ann Nevin were still resident and working on the farm with its large orchards.

In the year 1877, about 300 people resided in the village of Augusta. It was a postal village, and well-serviced by public transport to Hobart about two miles away (hourly services). Its one hotel, The Harvest Home, was later the property of publican Mr Thomas Dewhurst Jennings, known as the largest man in Tasmania. Mr Jennings posed frequently for Hobart's photographers.

Thomas Nevin also maintained a studio at New Town and photographed both visitors to Lady Franklin's Museum and the area, as well as local identities, buidlings, and landscapes. The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery databases list several stereographs (not currently online):

Thomas Nevin's New Town stereographs listed at the TMAG:

Q1994.56.34 ITEM NAME: Photograph: MEDIUM: sepia salt paper stereoscope, MAKER: T Nevin [Artist]; TITLE: 'Lady Franklin's Museum, KangarooValley' DATE: 1870c DESCRIPTION : Group of people at Lady Franklin's Museum, Kangaroo Valley INSCRIPTIONS & MARKS: On back in pencil: Mrs A Pedder / and in different hand Lady Franklin's Museum/ KangarooValley and in different hand again best picture

Q1987.392 ITEM NAME: Photograph: MEDIUM: Sepia stereoscopic views., TITLE: 'New Town from the Public School' DATE: 1872.Q16826.28 ITEM NAME: photograph: MEDIUM: albumen silver print sepia toned stereoscope, MAKER: T J Nevin [Photographer]; DATE: 1870s DESCRIPTION : New Town Public School

Q16826.27 ITEM NAME: photograph: MEDIUM: albumen silver print sepia toned stereoscope, MAKER: T J Nevin [Photographer]; DATE: 1870s DESCRIPTION : New Town Public School

Q16826.1.2 ITEM NAME: photograph: MEDIUM: albumen silver print sepia toned stereoscope, MAKER: T Nevin ? [Artist]; TITLE: 'School House Kangaroo Valley' DATE: 1860s DESCRIPTION : This photo depicts three adults and four children at KangarooValley (LenahValley) INSCRIPTIONS & MARKS: A Pedder

Q16826.1.1 ITEM NAME: photograph: MEDIUM: salted paper print stereoscope, MAKER: T Nevin ? [Artist]; TITLE: 'School House Kangaroo Valley' DATE: 1860s DESCRIPTION : This photo depicts three adults and four children at KangarooValley (LenahValley) INSCRIPTIONS & MARKS: A Pedder

A later postcard view by W. Little (ca. 1900) of the road leading from Augusta to the Lady Franklin Museum gives an idea of the incongruity of a classic Greek temple in the midst of farms and orchards. The locality was renamed Lenah Valley in 1922, and the village name "Augusta" was simply retained as the name of the main road leading up to the Museum.

Format: postcard
Location: Tasmaniana Library
Photo: W.L. Little. Date: ?
ADRI: au-7-0016-125397091

The digitised version of the Tasmanian Gazetteer 1877 is online at The State Library of Tasmania.

Lady Franklin Museum, Lenah Valley, Tasmania, June 2005.

© The Nevin Family Collection 2005-2007 ARR.

This scan from a book publication by Dan Sprod answers the description of a Thomas Nevin stereograph of a group at Lady Franklin's Museum, Ancanthe, Kangaroo Valley, listed at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.TMAG Catalogue (text database):
Ref: Q1994.56.34
ITEM NAME: Photograph:
MEDIUM: sepia salt paper stereoscope,
MAKER: T Nevin [Artist];
TITLE: 'Lady Franklin's Museum, Kangaroo Valley'
DATE: 1870c
DESCRIPTION : Group of people at Lady Franklin's Museum, Kangaroo Valley
INSCRIPTIONS & MARKS: On back in pencil: Mrs A Pedder / and in different hand Lady Franklin's Museum/ KangarooValley and in different hand again best picture.

Scanned from:

Victorian and Edwardian Hobart from old photographs / [compiled by] Dan Sprod.
Publisher: St. Ives, N.S.W. : John Ferguson, 1977.
Description: 1 vol.
ISBN: 0909134065 :
Notes: Hobart. Social life, 1850-1910. Illustrations (ANB/PRECIS SIN 0152382)
Subjects: Hobart (Tas.)--History--Pictorial works.
Hobart (Tas.)--Social life and customs--Pictorial works.
Other Authors: Sprod, Dan, 1924-, comp.
Bib ID: 2222496

Thomas Nevin's portrait of his Sister MARY ANNE NEVIN (b. Belfast 1846)

© The Nevin Family Collection 2005 -2007 ARR. Watermarked.

Carte-de-visite format pasted on cardboard. Verso bears Thomas Nevin's studio stamp, "T. Nevin, City Photographic Establishment, 140, Elizabeth Street, Hobart Town".

Photograph taken by her brother Thomas Nevin circa 1867 or a little later. Some hand-tinting in rose on the cheeks.

Mary Anne Nevin, born in Belfast in 1846, arrived in Hobart in 1852 with her mother Mary Nevin, her brother Thomas Nevin (b.1842), her sister Rebecca Nevin, and younger brother Will[iam] Nevin. All four children were under fourteen years old.

Their father John Nevin worked their free passage as a warden on the convict ship Fairlie. The Nevin family settled in Kangaroo Valley (the name changed to Lenah Valley in 1922) north of Hobart on a land grant from the original Hull estate from which Lady Franklin's 400 acre estate, Ancanthe was partitioned.

Local historian Trevor Wilks published a history of Kangaroo Valley-Lenah Valley in 1995, and included an account of a terrible accident suffered by Mary Anne Nevin on her father's farm at Kangaroo Valley.

According to his source - Mrs Lola Marshall, who was Thomas Nevin's grand daughter (daughter of his daughter Mary Ann - known as "Minnie Drew") - Mary Anne was savaged by a cow, and pulled through the bushes. After ten minutes of screaming, a man called Delaney came to her rescue, but she suffered injuries sufficient to warrant medical attention.

Mary Anne may have stayed on the Nevin farm (and orchard) until, at the age of 31, she married John Carr, aged 37, in Hobart on 3 May, 1877.

Source: Tasmanian Pioneers Index Reg. no. Reg no. 359/1877/359 -37