Salmon Ponds
The Salmon Ponds is a historic fishing hatchery located in Plenty, a suburb in the southern region of Tasmania. It is located on the south western side of the Derwent River and to the west of Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. The hatchery was established in circa 1861 and it is the origin of salmon and trout introduced into Australian waters. The Salmon Ponds stocks Tasmania’s lakes and dams with over a million trout per year. The hatchery also serves as a location of leisure, where visitors to the hatchery can feed various breeds of trout and salmon, walk along the river walking path, or view the history of the site in the Museum of Trout Fishing.
History[edit]
The hatchery was established in the mid 1800's to receive and breed salmon eggs from England. The European immigrants found the land vastly different to their home and aimed to integrate flora and fauna into Australia to make the surroundings feel more like the land they had left behind.[1]
Among many other fauna, Salmon was chosen for introduction into Australian waters. They were chosen largely because of the popularity for fishing.[1] The Salmon eggs (also known as ova) were sent from England on a voyage that could take as long as 4 months in calm weather[2]. The first successful shipment also included a small amount of Trout ova, which were hatched with the salmon and raised alongside them.
Due to salmon being migratory fish, they were expected to spend part of their life at sea and return to their spawning ground in Derwent River. However, despite several releases, the salmon would never return to the river to lay their ova.
The trout that were included with the salmon were non-migratory fish, which meant they began to populate the river and trout quickly became established throughout the state’s lakes and streams.
The Museum of Trout Fishing[edit]
The Museum of Trout Fishing was originally a cottage. The cottage on the hatchery grounds was built in 1865 as a living area for the first superintendent who looked after the Salmon Ponds[3]. The cottage now stands as the Museum of Trout Fishing. The museum contains information on the history of the site and the history of trout fishing in Tasmania.
The Stannards Cottage is a second cottage built on the site and is located near the southern entrance to the ponds. The Stannards Cottage is a tribute to the original pioneers of Tasmania, containing the Tasmanian Angling Hall of Fame.[1]
Types of Fish[edit]
The Salmon Ponds have 5 different breeds of trout in the ponds, along with one breed of salmon:
Albino Rainbow Trout
Location and Access[edit]
The Salmon Ponds is located in Derwent Valley in Plenty, a suburb roughly 10 minutes’ drive from New Norfolk [4] and 45 minutes’ drive from Hobart.[5] It sits alongside the Derwent River. The Salmon Ponds can be accessed by Salmon Ponds Road, which connects to Glenora Road.
The Salmon Ponds is open all year round, between the hours of 9am and 5pm.[4] Restaurants and reception on the site have varied opening hours. They are open 9am - 4pm from November 1st to April 20th. Between May 1st and October 31st they are open from 10am - 3pm.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "History". Salmon Ponds. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
- ↑ "Journeys to Australia". Museums Victoria. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
- ↑ "Salmon Ponds". Derwent Valley Tasmania. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Places to Visit - the Salmon Ponds". www.newnorfolk.org. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
- ↑ "Salmon Ponds - Must See Attractions & Things To Do". Tasmania. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
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