Taroona Coastal Discovery Trail
The Taroona Coastal Discovery Trail is a podcast trail which extends from Taroona High School (The mouhenneneener) to Hinsby Beach (Brown, red or green). It was developed to share what we've learned over the years about Taroona's rich natural and cultural heritage. Taroona High Grade 10 students, Ollie Mackay and Emily Duncombe, conducted interviews with ten local experts in their special field. The interviews were recorded as audio files and edited by other Grade 10 students, Owen Andrews and Brodie Farrell. You can listen to these interviews by clicking on any of the links below, or if you're out on the track, you'll find trail markers with QR codes to scan that take you directly to the interviews. If you're unfamiliar with Taroona, you can print out a map showing the location of the track, the trail markers and neighbouring streets.
Aboriginal content approved by The Tasmanian Aboriginal Land and Sea Council in 2007.
#1. The mouhenneener
Look for the shell middens of the mouhenneener Aboriginal people. This is one of the best midden sites remaining along the Derwent Estuary.
Read more about The mouhenneener here.
#2. Taroona on the Move
The geology of Taroona shows two different ages and types of rocks. The older, harder rocks of the Alum Cliffs and the hills above Taroona are glacial mudstones on the lower levels with dolerite above. These rocks have eroded from the hills to form unconsolidated sands muds and boulders along the coast. Some of this is still sliding. Landslip monitors in the area measure this movement at about 2-5 millimetres per year.
#3. Hunting Grounds to Orchards
Ex-convicts from Norfolk Island were among the first Europeans to clear bushland and settle here, planting potatoes and orchards in 1813. The first boatshed was built in 1827.
#4. A Rare Forest
The 'blackwood forest' is an unusual and isolated stand of coastal blackwoods, Acacia melanoxylon. No other stand exists like it along the Derwent's foreshore.
#5. A Coastal Garden
A variety of healthy, native coastal vegetation at Crayfish Point provides habitat for a host of native wildlife.
#6. Something Fishy
In the buildings adjoining the coastal trail, scientists from the University of Tasmania's Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies have been researching fisheries since the 1950s. The waters surrounding Crayfish Point are a marine protected area. Restrictions apply.
#7. A Mariner’s Rest and an Iconic Tower
Mariner James Batchelor died at sea in 1810 and was buried here in the earliest known European grave in Tasmania. From this location you can also see Australia's first shot tower, built in 1870. Within this 40 metre high sandstone tower, Joseph Moir manufactured spherical shot for firearms.
#8. A Bushland for Birds
This healthy remnant bushland is important habitat for wildlife and a rewarding place to birdwatch. Look for endangered swift parrots in spring and summer.
#9. A Shoreline for Shells
Over 350 shell species have been identified along Taroona's beaches - by one man and his family!
#10. What is Alum?
The 3km long Alum Cliffs are made of Permian mudstone, containing pyrite, which oxidises to produce alum, found in small crevices along the cliff-face. Alum is used for dyeing, tanning and in medicine.
+ A Healthy River
The river is much cleaner than it was a few decades ago, thanks to the work of the Derwent Estuary Program - a partnership between government, industry and the community. Look for whales from May to November.
#11. Brown, red or green..
Look for the three different colours of algae washed up on the beach, particularly after a storm.
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