The Shot Tower at

Taroona 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 ...

is a heritage listed historic building between Hobart and Kingston,

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. It was the tallest building in Australia for four years (1870-1875), and the tallest structure in Tasmania until it was superseded by the Mount Wellington broadcast tower in 1960. The Taroona Shot Tower is believed to be the tallest circular sandstone tower in the world.

History

Joseph Moir 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, 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 Shot may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Shot'' (album), by The Jesus Lizard *''Shot, Illusion, New God'', an EP by Gruntruck *'' Shot Rev 2.0'', a video album by The Sisters of Mercy * "Shot" (song), by The Rasmus * ''Shot'' (2017 ...

in Australia, with the others being the

Clifton Hill Shot Tower Clifton Hill Shot Tower is an 80-metre (263 ft) tall shot tower on Clifton Hill in Melbourne, Australia. Clifton Hill Shot Tower was built beside Alexandra Parade (Then called Reilly Street) with its associated factory for Richard Hodgso ...

and Coop's Shot Tower located within the

Melbourne Central Shopping Centre Melbourne Central is a large shopping centre, office, and public transport hub in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The complex includes the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, which was refurbished in 2005 by architects Ashton Ragga ...

. 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 The Tasmanian Heritage Register is the statutory heritage register of the Australian state of Tasmania. It is defined as a list of areas currently identified as having historic cultural heritage importance to Tasmania as a whole. The Register is ...

and was listed on the now defunct Register of the National Estate. The Shot Tower is the emblem for Taroona Primary School.

Travel

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

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