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History of Penguin
To tell the story of Penguin we must go back in time to the mid 1800's. It was a time when the colonies were fighting for self government, and the convict era was coming to an end. The surfeit of cheap labour was passing, greatly accentuated by the attraction of the Victorian gold fields. The absence of a harbour like Burnie or Ulverstone, was a contributing factor to slow growth.
Penguin took its name from the Fairy Penguin and it was so called by Mr Ronald Campbell Gunn in 1861. Gunn was a distinguished botanist. Another cause of the later development of the area, was that from Leven to Blythe there was a succession of narrow deep, fertile flats which were covered by an almost impenetrable scrub. The Pre-Emptive Rights Act of 1851 - 54 also hindered the settlement's establishment.
It was the gold rush in Victoria, which created a demand for palings for home building and towards the end of the eighteen fifties, splitters were in the Penguin district cutting these from the forests. The palings were carried down and stacked on the shore and these were later taken by boat to sailing vessels anchored off shore.
This work led to the building of a wharf and a fleet of small vessels commenced trading with Launceston, Hobart, Melbourne , Adelaide as well as New Zealand. The price paid for this early production was threepence per load for staves and sixpence for palings.
Penguin's early history is one of honour, for the hardships endured by the pioneers were beyond question. They carved their homes from virgin bush and wrest a living from a hostile rugged country, working long hours for small returns. At first they had primitive bush huts, but in time they built more substantial colonial homes. The only outlets for these bush homes were the rough bush tracks, leading to the nearby settlements of Ulverstone and Burnie.
First Settlers
Strange to say, it was Mr E J Beeecraft who had been the first settler of pioneer Ulverstone, who was to secure the first land within what is now the town of Penguin. He acquired 167 acres in June 1861. The land allotment was transferred later to Mr G C Walker and then to Mr Alexander Clerke, when it became known as the Coroneagh Estate, Edward Joseph Beecraft came from a family of four, with a widowed mother and arrived in Tasmania in February 1836, at Launceston. Selling out of Ulverstone, Beecraft moved to Forth to manage the estate of Dr C G Casey, grandfather of Lord Casey. Sometime before 1861 he moved to Penguin, where he built the ketch called Penguin and sailed as master, becoming known as Captain Beecraft. He settled in Forth years later.
The back country had been opened up ten years before. In the early eighteen fifties many blocks were taken up by speculators, but only some ever saw their blocks and remained to settle them. These included Messrs T M Ware, E B E Walker, T D Jowett, Henry Howett and according to the late A O Barker's publication "Penguin Pioneering Days", Alexander Clerke, who had a block on the South Road, south of Mr Jacob Barker about 1852. Settlers, who came to the district in the eighteen fifties direct from England, via Launceston included, L Grant, John and Susan Barker, W Kidd, W Ling, J M Smith, James Hale, T B Scurrah, Thomas and Myra Yaxley, D Good, J Johnson, Amos and George Drew, R Lancaster, John ans Jessica Spinks, William and Mary Barnes, Robert and Eliza Revell, Joseph and Eliza Ling, John and Amos Russell, James and Caroline Sushames, James Bott, Elijah Ling and James Hall. Purchasers of land in Penguin besides Beecraft, included Mr J M Dooley in 1861, Lewis Grant, Edwin Cummings, Joseph Raymond and Anderson Cummings, who purchased blocks of 21 and 16 acres in January 1862. According to the late AO Barker, the first real settlers were two timber splitters, Messrs William Kidd and William Ling.
Main Road Penguin 1885
There is considerable confusion in the records between the development of Sulphur Creek and Penguin, brought about mainly because Sulphur Creek became known as Penguin Creek. A settlement was actually taking shape in 1857 - 58, and the first Post Office for the area was opened at Sulphur Creek at the home of Mr Neasey. With the demand for timber palings in Victoria new settlers came to the area and attracted by rumours of mineral wealth, gave a start to Penguin, to which the Post Office was transferred in the sixties.
It was the discovery of copper at Penguin by James (Philospher) Smith in 1858 which probably accentuated settlement more than any other factor. Smith was only a beginner in the field of mining exploration, but he was to write his name on the pages of Tasmanian history. He also found copper between the Leven and Penguin Creek. The Penguin Silver Mine on the foreshore at the eastern end of the town was worked intermittently from 1871 to 1903.
Up to the end of the 19th century ships continued to take goods and production to Victoria and other markets, but with the advent of the railway in 1901, much of the sea trade ended and many of the old sea captains retired to live in Penguin. Well known identities who may be recalled are Captains Dan, Jens and Christopher Anthon, Peter Gowas and JB, W J and E Taylor. On being linked with the State's rail network a new era opened for Penguin.
The proclamation of the town of Penguin on October 1875 was a significant event in the district's history. It was during the early years of the seventies that Pine Road was formed and the Nine Mile, Zig Zag and Inroncliffe Roads were planned. The passage of travellers along the sea front led to the creation of Beach Road, or what is now the Old Bass Highway scenic route. It is interesting to note that at meetings of the Road Trust, with Mr T M Clerke as chairman in 1883, grants to the district by the Government included 300 pounds for the Ironcliffe Road, 1000 pounds for the Pine Road extension by the way of Sulphur Creek to the Blythe River.
Mining of iron ore at the turn of the century was another undertaking which played a part in the early growth of Penguin. The Tasmanian Iron Company was working a small project, three miles south from Penguin and this was linked by a tramway to the port, where the iron was loaded into coastal vessels. Further mining of iron took place in the 1960's for a few years. Other deposits of good hematite iron were known to exist along the Blythe River, but to the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, only ore worth 25,000 pounds had been won.
Local Government
The passing of the Local Government Act in 1906 gave Penguin its first municipal council. The first councillors were Messrs J Yaxley, J D MckKenna, H Mainwaring, W Elphinstone, A Lillico, L J Clarke, J McHugh, G Pullen and G Hooper. The latter was elected the first Warden, and Mr T Chamberlain was Council Clerk.
In 1914 there were about 650 residents in town, and some 2000 in the municipality. Today Penguin and the surrounding areas of Sulphur Creek, Riana and Heybridge have a population of 5800. The economy is largely based on vegetable growing and dairying.
This story courtesy of Penguin History Group.
[ comment on this story ]
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Comments:
william charles stuart
the above gentleman was my late grand father whom I am led to believe was a manager of the River Don Co. My mother the late Tasma Fernside Stuart (Fulton) am led to beleive was born in Penguin Jan 8 1911. I remember as a small child seeing a staff foto of the staff with my Dah wearing the appropriate white apron. No fotos are available. Mr Stuarts (Dah) ashes were scattered off the point past the church - I think it may have been the cemetry. Once again I have know dates. The Rev Charles Warren conducted the service - he was rector at Ulverstone at one time where my father (Jack) mother Tammie and me (Margot) lived. I am wondering if you have any history regarding my grand father. I am Margot Illman and wud be so thrilled to find out any history u may have.
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William Ling / Philospher Smith
My name is Doug Kenny - my grandmather was Jessie Ling who married Douglas Lancaster and may have been a descendant of William Ling - I would like to hear from anyone who knows more.
I am definitely a descendant of Philospher Smith but did not realise that he had a Penguin connection - well aware of his Waratah connections etc.
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Lewis Grant and Edwin Cummings
I am a descendant of the Kingswell family - of whom Sarah Kingswell married Lewis Grant and her sister Elizabeth Hilda Kingswell married Edwin Cummings. I am very grateful to the Tasmanian Communities Online people as without their efforts I would know little of this side of my family and the communities in which they lived.
For those interested in the family history of the Kingswell, and to a lessor degree the Grant & Cumming families please visit my website: http://www.austenfamily.org/kingswell_001.html
Austen Sinclair, New Zealand, 8 July 2005
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Local Government
The reference to G. Pullen concerns George Gerald Pullen, the seventh of 13 children of Thomas and Margaret Pullen of Barrington in Tasmania. G.G. Pullen became a well-known name in Tasmanian, especially in his later years, when he was a Methodist Minister at Ranelagh and Campbelltown. He was also at one time a member of the Tasmania Parliament and, I believe, unsuccessfully contested a Federal election because he was outraged that Joseph Lyons had changed his political coat. G.G. Pullen was married to Maria Acklin and they had two boys, Thomas and John (Tom and Jack). This information is supplied by Thomas' son (and therefore G.G.'s grandson) Glenn Charlton Pullen.
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Ling Family
My Name is Ken Ling.
My great great grand father was Joseph Ling and great great grand mother was Eliza Ling. they arrived in Tasmania in 1857 aboard the Southern Eagle and are both buried in the Penguin Cemetry.
A son of theirs, James Thomas Ling died 1908 of asthma aged 49 is my great grand father who married Emma Good. Both are buried in the Penguin cemetry.
A son of theirs is my grand father Anthony Joseph Ling 1888 - 1975 who married grandmother Linda May Mason in 1913. After living in Penguin, they moved to the Circular Head region in the early 1920's. My father Max 1931 - 1988 was their youngest child.
To answer Doug Kenny, one of grandfather Anthony's sisters was Jessie, who I believe married a Lancaster.
I know that William and another Ling (Leonard?) arrived about 1857 and Joseph, Eliza and family arrived in 1857 together with another Ling, I think maybe Elijah.
I am yet to find out of the connections between these 4 male original desendants to come to Tasmania, but am led to believe that they may have been brothers. They all came from around the Eccles and East Harling areas of Norfolk, England.
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Lings, Barkers
on this site is a list of immigrants that arrived with the help of the launceston immigration aid scheme,
has their parents and other valuable info, yaxleys, barkers, lings and many others
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~austashs/immig/a-imm.htm
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Jessie Ann LING
Jessie Ann Ling born c 1893
daughter of James Thomas /Thomas James LING & Emma Good (they had 9 children)
g daughter of Joseph Ling and Eliza Thurlow (they had 10 children)
gg daughter of George Ling and Frances Elmer (they had at least 5 children)
ggg daughter of Thomas Ling and Esther Jolly (not sure how many children)
gggg daughter of George Ling and Susanna Canham (they had 15 children)
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