The Shot Tower at Taroona is a heritage listed historic building between

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

and Kingston, Tasmania. It was the tallest building in Australia for four years (1870-1875), and the tallest structure in Tasmania until it was superseded by the

Mount Wellington Mount Wellington may refer to: Mountains * Mount Wellington (British Columbia), in Canada * Mount Wellington (New York), in Otsego County, New York, United States * Mount Wellington (Tasmania), in Tasmania, Australia * Mount Wellington (Victoria) ...

broadcast tower in 1960. The Taroona Shot Tower is believed to be the tallest circular sandstone tower in the world.

History

Joseph Moir Joseph James Moir (1809–1874) was a prominent builder, ironmonger, citizen and shot manufacturer in 19th century Tasmania. He is best known for building the Taroona Shot Tower, but also built St Mark's Anglican Church, Pontville, issued tokens ...

a Scotsman skilled in iron-mongering, moved to Hobart in 1829 and bought several parcels of land across the state. Designed and built by Moir in only eight months, the Taroona Shot Tower became the tallest building in Australia when it was completed in 1870. An inscription at the tower proclaims that the first shot was dropped on the 8th September, 1870. The residence of Joseph Moir and his family for many years was located at Queensborough Glen Estate, which is located on the grounds of the historic Shot Tower. The shot business was protected by a tariff until the

Federation of Australia The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western A ...

, but after 1901 then-operator William Baynton could not compete with other shotmakers in Australia, and the business ceased operations in 1905. Baynton's wife ran a tea shop at the base of the tower, marking the beginning of the Tower’s use for tourism. The Shot Tower, surrounding land and buildings were made into Scenery Reserve by the Tasmanian Government in 1956. Since then, the building has been converted into a historic site and is open to tourism. Remaining as it was operated by Mrs Baynton, the tea room is open in the buildings at the base of the Tower.

Operation method

The Taroona Shot Tower used the "long drop and water" method. Lead ingots laced with arsenic and antimony were hauled to the top of the tower, where they were melted. The liquid was then poured down the centre of the tower through a colander, which separated it into drops. Once in free-fall, these drops formed naturally into spheres. They instantly solidified upon hitting a pool of water at the bottom of the tower.

Height

The tower has a height of with a diameter of either or at the base with either 258 or 318 steps.

Legacy

The Taroona Shot Tower was the tallest building in the country for 4 years, and is one of only three remaining shot towers in Australia, with the others being the Clifton Hill Shot Tower and

Coop's Shot Tower Coop's Shot Tower is a shot tower located in the heart of the Melbourne CBD, Australia. It was completed in 1889 and is 50 metres high. The historic building was saved from demolition in 1973 and was incorporated into Melbourne Central comp ...

located within the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre. It is the sole claimant for the tallest and first circular sandstone shot tower in the Southern Hemisphere and the only one still open for visitors to enter and climb. The building is listed on the Tasmanian Heritage Register and was listed on the now defunct

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritag ...

. The Shot Tower is the emblem for

Taroona Primary School Taroona is a major residential suburb approximately 15 minutes drive from the centre of Hobart, Tasmania on the scenic route between Hobart and Kingston. Although on the edges of the City of Hobart, Taroona is actually part of the municipality ...

Travel

The Shot Tower is accessible from the Hobart City Centre via car or metro bus along the

Channel Highway The Channel Highway is a regional highway that travels south from Hobart To Huonville, Tasmania, Australia. The Channel Highway starts from the end of Sandy Bay Road and travels south toward Huonville via Taroona, Kingston, Huntingfield, M ...

References

{{Hobart landmarks Taroona, Tasmania Buildings and structures in Tasmania Towers completed in 1870 Shot towers Tasmanian Heritage Register Towers in Australia Tasmanian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate