The Bush Inn is an Australian pub and hotel located in the Derwent Valley township of

New Norfolk New Norfolk ( ; Aboriginal Tasmanians#Big River, Leenowwenne/palawa kani: ''Wulawali'') is a river bank, riverside town located on the Derwent River (Tasmania), River Derwent in southeastern Tasmania, Australia. Established in 1807, it is Tasm ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. It is one of the oldest pubs in Australia, and is thought by some to be the oldest continuously operating pub in Australia. The establishment 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 k ...

and the

Australian Heritage Database The Australian Heritage Database is a searchable online database of heritage sites in Australia. It is maintained by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment , in consultation with Australian Heritage Council. There are more than ...

History

The establishment's history is closely linked to the development of the Derwent Valley, one of the oldest agricultural districts in the Commonwealth. Settlement began at New Norfolk in 1808 when convicts were transferred from

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...

's penal settlement. Mrs. Ann Bridger, who had spent time on Norfolk Island, obtained a grant of land for the present hotel when the settlement opened up in the early 1810s. The first road in the colony was built in 1819, passing in front of Mrs. Bridger's parcel of land. Some sources say the building has operated as a pub since 1815, however a more likely date is 1825. In April that year a Hobart newspaper noted that at New Norfolk "a widow lady named Bridger has just completed a very commodious two-storey house of public entertainment, which is deservedly well frequented." In October of the same year, Ann Bridger received a licence to sell spirits, wine and beer at the sign of the Bush nnat New Norfolk.

Maritana

Irish composer

William Vincent Wallace William Vincent Wallace (11 March 1812 – 12 October 1865) was an Irish composer and pianist. In his day, he was famous on three continents as a double virtuoso on violin and piano. Nowadays, he is mainly remembered as an opera composer of n ...

lived at the Bush Inn throughout 1838 and composed operatic lyrics for ''Scenes That Are Brightest'' and parts of ''

Maritana ''Maritana'' is a three-act opera including both spoken dialogue and some recitatives, composed by William Vincent Wallace, with a libretto by Edward Fitzball (1792–1873). The opera is based on the 1844 French play ''Don César de Bazan'' b ...

'' on the hotel verandah.

Dame Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic lyric coloratura soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early twentieth century, and was the f ...

is known to have sung lyrics from ''Maritana'' during her stay at the hotel while undertaking her 1924 farewell concert in Tasmania. On 20 June 1932, the opera ''Maritana'' was produced at the hotel by a Hobart company directed by Mr. E. J. McCann, creating a unique event wherein the opera was produced where its melodies were composed. The performance was broadcast through station 7ZL.

Telephonic achievements

The first trunk

telephone call A telephone call, phone call, voice call, or simply a call, is the effective use of a connection over a telephone network between the calling party and the called party. Telephone calls are the form of human communication that was first enabl ...

in Australia was made to the hotel from the Hobart General Post Office on 1 December 1888, and the first call to London in 1939.

Architecture

Originally built in the Georgian architectural style, the Bush Inn has undergone less sympathetic historical extensions. Below the pub is a large wooden door that once led to a wine cellar and butchery via stone steps. There is also a hidden tunnel said to transport patients from the Derwent River to the Royal Derwent Hospital discreetly, avoiding public streets. The garden once hosted a pear tree believed to be planted in 1837 by Lady Jane Franklin.

References

Sources