Grinning in Geeveston

Huon Beings

Geeveston is a small rural town in the South East of Tasmania.  Geeveston resides within the Huon valley, a beautiful picturesque location full of natural wonders such as Huon Pines and Hastings cave, which are culturally significant to the original custodians of the land the Melukerdee people. Historically the town's economy was fueled by the timber industry and fruit growing.  The town's pulp mill was closed in 1982. Today the town relies on tourism as their main economy.  Large wooden statues of past local significant historical figures within the town decorate the town as a reminder to their past as a timber town.  Geeveston is a diverse town and a local documentary serious called Huon Beings features local stories of people within the community, you can watch the series here.

Totem poles at Geeveston

Welcome sign into Geeveston

 

Lightwood bottom

The original name of Geeveston was called Lightwood bottom, it was renamed to Geeves Town in 1861 after the Geeves Family, later to be known as Geeveston. A mural showing the local history and original name of the town is along side the toilet block beside the Geeveston Visitor Information centre on the corner of Church Street and honeywood lane. The mural was created by artist Brian looker who is known for his wildlife art. Check out his instagram at @brian_looker_artist_sculptor

Jamin

Jamin (@jamin.artist) or also known as Benjamin Kluss is an Tasmanian artist known for his wildlife street art murals, paintings and music. His artworks are featured around Lutruwita (First Nations name for Tasmania) and around the world. My visit to Geeveston was to see Jamin's murals on the soon to be cellar door of the Pure Mist Water, Gin and Tequila farm property located at 101 Scotts road. Check out their instagram @pure_mist_water_gin for updates when their cellar door will open.  A big thank you to owner Justin for letting me visit to take a photo of the murals. The platypus mural that Jamin created was based on Jeffery the platypus, a male platypus that resides in Hobart's Rivulet. Read more about the rivulet here.

Mural featuring Black cockatoo, Tasmanian devil and Tasmanian tiger

Beautiful platypus mural melting into the Huon Valley mist and river

Platypus Walk

A walk following the Kermandie river within the town is a lovely walk and a chance to spot a platypus. Along the river are also sculptures of animals seen in the river, they were created by Alan Culph.  I didn't spot a platypus but was a delightful walk.

Platypus sculpture

Heritage Park

Heritage park is a lovely parkland with BBQ facilities, children's play facilities and a bike track. Some First Nations art style murals are featured around the bike track. I'm unsure who the artist is but the style looks like artist Reuben Oates (@reuben.oates_art). Within the park is a steel sculpture of the footprint of an Arve tree swamp gum with an height of 87 metres, that was sadly lost in the 2019 bush fires. The tree is immortilised with an Augmented Reality (AR) experience which allows you to scan or download an app to view the original Arve tree. More information here.

 

Swamp Gum

A tribute to Geeveston's timber history can be seen in the remnants of a Swamp Gum log, the largest flowering plant on earth, which can be viewed along the Huon Highway and intersection of School Road.

Rosehaven

 The Australian TV show Rosehaven written by comedians Celia Pacquola and Luke McGregor was filmed in Geeveston, within the visitor centre they have a dedicated area to the show.

 

Final Thoughts

Geeveston is a wonderful place to visit and has a lot of nature, art and charming cafes to explore. I'd recommend the Geeveston bakery, they make tasty pies and great coffee.

 Video Extras