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Apr 20 2011 From Steve, UK.
Not that sure you can help but I tripped over your site when lookin to find the details of some guys I worked for during the 1988 apple season. I stayed at Balfes Hill backpackers (before it went all trendy) and knew Tony the welsh guy that owned it and his boys and daughter Megan.
I'm from Glasgow, Scotland and am now 43. I've travelled he world extensively since then and have survived the Asian Tsunami of boxing day 2004 in Khao Lak Thailand (google me) and currently work as a detective in the Metropolitan police in London.
I have massively fond memories of drinking in the "top pub" where the landlord was a fantastic fella called Ron who put up with all our shennagins on friday pay days..
I'm sure my employers were the Harris? family who were Richard and Rob and an old fella called pop who I'm sure must have passed on by now.,? His cries of "Smoko" were always welcome and I impersonated him on building sites around the world for years when it was time for a break..
Anyway, drop me a line if either of the Harris? boys are around or if I can fill you in on what an amazing place Cygnet was for me. Kindest regards. Steve. UK
6 Aug 2007 From: Robynne, Sydney
Before a visit to Cygnet with my daugters I read your family's story and found it very moving. We stayed at the beautiful Fairlight and in a moment of total madness the next day purchased the old farmhouse. We are very excited by the move and look forward to restoring the house and establishing a garden. We hope to move down late next year from our current home in Sydney. I love your Cygnet Blog and when I need to "touchbase" with our future home I check it out.
2 Sep 2006 From: John, Wales, UK
Hi Tom, I've just been exploring the photo-gallery on your Cygnet website and wondered if you'd be interested in using any of the attached photos which I took during a three-week visit to Cygnet in
January/February 2004. Exploring your website has brought back many happy memories for me. Kindest regards,
11 Aug 2006 From: Jim (Frank)
G'day Tom, It is many years since I left "the port" (39 to be exact) visiting your site brings back many pleasant memories, I get back every now and then and when I turn at John Harvey's corner you seem to enter a different world. "Ah home at last". Kind regards.
14 Jul 2006 From: Danie
I have lived in Cygnet for nearly three years and your pages on history of Cygnet is fantastic and just what I needed. I'm opening a new shop and I know from experience that visitors to the area want to know history so I've been trying to learn a little more about Cygnet and surrounds history. The info you have there is great. Well done and thanks for great site.
6 October 2005 From: Val
Hi just want to thank you for the wonderful site. My mantra is September 2007 this is when I will get rid of all my belongings here and with my 3 dogs hopefully move to live out my days in Cygnet. This site is helping me so much. Thank you.
3 Oct 2005 From: Syd
Hi there, We recently visited the Cygnet area and came across an area called Egg and Bacon Bay. The question was asked how did it receive its name? We have done searches on the Internet but have found no site that can tell us why it is called that. Can you help?
2 July 2004 From Susan
I have very happy memories of holidays spent at Cygnet. My grandparents lived in Guys Rd in a very old house with large pine trees in front. These trees are still there on the golf course now, unfortunately the old house burnt down in the 70s.
As children my sister and I looked forward to Nana's big iron bed with the feather mattress that you snuggled into and sausages and eggs for breakfast. I remember walking through the orchard in front of the house to go down the Avenue to the shops. Alas the orchard is also gone now. I think the orchard was owned by the Wills family. One day my cousins and I had been picking a few apples and I put the biggest apple I could find in my raincoat pocket and then thought that mum was going to have to cut the pocket to get it out.
We used to play golf on the course behind nana's with her fire pokers as clubs. The old shop at the bottom of Guys Rd always fascinated me with the wooden floors I think the O'Roukes owned it, and the Butchers shop on the corner of Cradoc Rd where we used to get the meat for nans dogs. Happy Memories I feel like I have come home when we visit and always have to go up Guys Rd to the site of the old house. Regards.
3 Jun 2004 - From: Chrissy
Hi, I am researching my family history. My maiden name was Hanson. My uncle (my dads brother) Max Hanson and his wife June owned the Cygnet Service Bakery and store in Mary Street. Their house was attached to it and from memory I think there was a service station on the bottom side and a bank across the road.
When my uncle sold it some time I think between 1972 and 1980 it became a Safeway store and the bakery was closed. They moved to Snug and recently moved to Kingston.
I have many happy memories of Cygnet, my father and mother built a holiday shack at Eggs and Bacon Bay after many years of camping in the local paddock there.
My father died in 1972 and the shack was sold to a local welfare possibly church group.
I would like to come back and visit someday or hear from anyone who knew my uncle and aunt.
Email me please Regards
22 Sep 2003 - From: Rosalind
Thomas Mills was the great uncle of my grandfather James Cranney. James Cranney migrated to Australia in 1910 intending to spend some time with his uncle. Unfortunately Thomas Mills died at Cygnet during my grandfathers journey out. I believe other Cranney family members living in Tasmania helped my grandparents to settle. Are you in contact with any descendants of Thomas Mills?
20 Aug 2003 - From Caroline
Hi, I have just viewed your Cygnet site with my son. His best friend is leaving tomorrow and is moving to Cygnet from Western Australia so it was nice to be able to show him the place. It looks beautiful and has made us even more jealous of the new life they are about to embark on. Hopefully they settle in well and make lots of new friends. Thanks again.
7 Aug 2003 - From Natalie
Could I make a suggestion the photos should be put on the web page in such a fashion that they can be clicked on and enlarged as they are a bit small to see clearly.
As for my interest in your site. I have brought a block of land in Cygnet. Thorpe Street. And having never been to Cygnet yet having bought over the internet it was good to be able to get an idea of what the town is like and the history. Anything else you could tell me about life in Cygnet would be appreciated.
6 Aug 2003 - From Mike
I spotted the history of the Guys road Wills house on the Cygnet web site. In 1974, myself and a fellow 18 year old student lived in the house for a few months. The house had been derelect for many years and we did our best to make it liveable again. We cleaned up the front garden and painted the window frames. The little loft in the roof had its own steep stairway. John was the person we spoke to occasionally, I hope he is in good health. Our neighbour was a old fellow called Merv, he was so kind to us, he would lend us his tractor to pull out our often bogged car. The separate kitchen and laundry had us wondering why it was built away from the main house. Amazingly, the old house wiring still worked. Guys road was deserted then, we had it all to ourselves.
We attended the then new Tasmanian College of Advanced Education, Mt Nelson, on the outskirts of Hobart. Our car was a 1953 Ford Anglia, we bought it for $50. I recall Jack ( Johns father I think ? ) coming to the house once. We picked apples at an orchard with old Merv occasionally, Merv told us he had lived in Cygnet his whole life and he saw the first motor car ever to come to Cygnet. We bought our groceries at the old store on the corner. It was so quiet, we used to set up targets on the fence opposite the house and shoot them from the verandah of the house using a .22 rifle. Nobody ever came up Guys road.
Cygnet was rather run down as the apple industry had fallen on bad times, empty houses were dotted around town. Many apples were left on the trees as it wasn't worth picking them. Houses were $5 a week to rent. I guess at that time, early 1974, Cygnet was still a quiet, out of the way place that displayed a special ambience. People were very kind to us despite our long hair and being from the mainland as well.
Living in the house was rather basic, we had no bath or shower, we used to use a little camping gas stove to cook things. The house internally was lined with hand split boards, some type of native softwood I think, a orangy colour, the newspapers used on the walls dated back to the 1880's, Tasmanian Mail. Our stay in Cygnet was upset by a nasty car accident, we had a head on prang on the Lymington road with a Falcon. Better stop raving. Bye from Mike.
27 May 2003 - From Ian
I have just picked up on your website. I recently visited Cygnet and Lymington, and other places nearby, spending a long weekend in this May, and being shown around by a dear friend of mine and her husband, Betty and Geoff who live in Glaziers Bay, prior to my returning to Oxford, England, where I now live.
You have had a query from someone in December regarding the name Lymington in Tasmania, which was certainly named after the former ancient Borough of Lymington, situated at the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire with its own river called the Lymington River which I know very well having lived there from November 1947 to May 1953 when my parents and I migrated to Australia.
Betty and I visited your 'Living Museum' and I promised the gentleman 'minding the place for that day, to send him some details of my Lymington to add the records there, this I will do in the not too distant future, probably vis Betty and Geoff as it is their local shopping town.
The whole area is beautiful and very English, what a lovely place to live.
15 Apr 2003 - From Marilyn
Hi, my uncle was the baker in Cygnet when I was a small child, and we used to come down from Burnie at Christmas to holiday for about 4 weeks at Egg and Bacon Bay- camping at first and then my parents built a small cottage. My uncle was Max Hanson. and he was the baker and had a supermarket. His children grew up in the district. I always thought it was a nice town.
14 Nov 2002 - From Karen
I've just discovered your website whilst looking around for info on the Huon Valley. My partner and I wish to move down there in the next 18 months. We are looking for a quiet life on some acres.
3 Nov 2002 -
Hi Tom,
My name is Rosie and I live on Whidbey Island in Washington (state), USA, but I grew up in Hobart. I'd love to hear from you sometime when you have a moment, and I like your web-site!
30 Sep 2002 - From: Chris
I just happened upon this site by accident. My husband John, our two boys and I had a wonderful time years ago when we visited our good friends at Petcheys Bay. We had a magical day out fishing on the Huon, catching fish and seeing wild life that we only see on telly or in books. Your neck of the woods has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Congratulations on a great site. One day we hope to return, Best wishes.
17 Jan 2002 From: Margaret
I was looking at the page on Port Cygnet Tasmania and found your email address. I have in my possession a small book with writing on the frontspiece '3rd prize Presented to Phoebe Brewer for correct answers to Bible Quotations Port Cygnet Sabbath School April 7 1871. I estimate she was 17 at the time. She was said to have older sisters called Tilly, Sarah and Mary. Can you give me any idea where I can find more information about her ?
5 Jan 2002 - From: Mike, UK
Hi, enjoyed your site, good stuff!
I worked for the Hammonds at Lwr Wattle Grove for two seasons in Feb 1978 - Aug 78 and again in 79. Good memories. There were lots of English people there. Maybe you could have a message board where people who worked in the apples etc could contact each other, share memories etc, a bit like friendsreunited.com here in the UK. All the best.
8 Dec 2001 - From: Patrick
As someone who was born in Lymington Hampshire, & as one who has lived in Hobart, Tas between 1973 & 1975., can you tell me how Lymington in the Huon got it's name?
Patrick,
Sorry I can't answer your question. You will find that the names of the older parts of Australia have English names and as settlement moved out from Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart aboriginal names started to be used. Hence Wagga Wagga, Ulladulla etc. In Devon, UK and Tasmania there are towns named Chudleigh and Exeter.
Lymington settled in early 1800's would come under that category of a settler naming a district after his home town in England or after a prominent person back home.
The early Lymington, Tas had a coal mine and then moved to apple orchards and now more a hobby farm and grazing district.
12 Nov 2001 From: Swan, Massachusetts, USA
I would love to visit Cygnet, sounds like my home town.....or it should have been!!
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