Bushwalk Australia

There is a small, cleared picnic area just over the closed bridge over the Florentine River - near the start of the walk to Wylds Craig - I think it is Tiger Rd. In the last week I've heard 2 similar stories - that it was constructed for a royal visit. One mentioned a visit by a Queen of Thailand. The other person thought it was the Queen of England.

Does anyone know the real story of this picnic area - where there must have been a hut - as there is a large stone fireplace and chimney remaining and a picnic table mounted on top of a large tree stump. When it was all constructed & why etc.

There are a couple of tracks leading away from the cleared area - one from behind the fireplace and one along the river - upstream. Were these just short walks from the picnic area?

Just curious...

from matt.

Here might be a good place to start - http://search.archives.tas.gov.au/defau ... S&id=AE716

You may find something amongst the programs of royal visits

September 1962 visit of King and Queen of Thailand (Sirikit, Queen, consort of Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand) - bound to find something in the archives/newspapers of the time. My father also remembers a pagoda in the area (possibly at that site)

https://cdn.forestrytasmania.com.au/upl ... on_web.pdf - search for pagoda in this document.....not much but another royal link

I was there this morning, It's mentioned in the Abels book as a picnic ground, formerly maintained by Norske Skog but gives no other details.

I have some old slides from the 1970s of a pagoda that was erected on the bank of the Styx River where the king and queen of Thailand was entertained in the 1960s. In later years it had disappeared. A very similar structure was erected beside the Florentine River as a shelter near the start of the track to Wylds Craig but I think that has since been burnt down. I will see if I can find the old slides and submit them to this site.

Thanks for all the info. It seems like a very 'out of the way' place for a royal visit - even though it is a lovely spot.

here is a couple of photos of the pagoda on the Styx River taken in 1974

@Snowybob, awesome pictures, thanks for sharing !

That footbridge looks like the one at the Florentine river site, made of man ferns, which are now all growing sideways from the ends.

Incredible to see the way it was. Thanks

from matt.