A Ghost Town in Tasmania's Wild West Coast
Gormanston, nestled in the mountains of Tasmania's wild west coast, stands as a stark reminder of a community lost to the whims of industry. Decaying houses, overgrown weeds, and the faint outline of a gravel football field paint a picture of a once-bustling mining town now reduced to a ghost town.
Ralph Burns, one of Gormanston's oldest surviving residents, walks the streets of his childhood, witnessing a far cry from the town's heyday. In his youth, Gormanston boasted a population of 2,000, with eight pubs, a council chamber, a courthouse, a jail, a school, and a mineshaft-turned-football oval. Today, only 32 residents remain, a number that has doubled in recent years thanks to efforts to revive the town.
The decline of Gormanston began with the phasing out of the Iron Blow mine in 1922, the town's primary source of copper. The focus shifted to neighboring Queenstown and other ore bodies, leaving Gormanston to dwindle. Further job cuts in the 1970s delivered the final blow, forcing families to seek employment elsewhere. Houses were abandoned and sold off, leaving Gormanston a shadow of its former self.
Not far from Gormanston lies another lost community, Princess River, sacrificed to make way for Lake Burbury. Bern Bradshaw, who grew up in Princess River, remembers his family's sawmill being submerged by the rising waters. Despite operating for years, the annual licenses offered little security, forcing them to abandon their home and business.
Michael Holmes, an author and historian, estimates that nearly 660 towns in Tasmania have faded away, with 70 of those located on the west coast, primarily reliant on industry or construction. The depletion of resources and technological advancements often led to the demise of these towns, leaving behind remnants of a bygone era.
While modern work practices have made today's towns less susceptible to such drastic decline, they come at a cost. Fly-in, fly-out work arrangements limit the development of strong community bonds, leaving towns without the traditional social fabric that once characterized them.
The story of Gormanston and Princess River serves as a reminder of the fragility of communities built around single industries. As resources dwindle and technologies evolve, these towns face an uncertain future, leaving behind a legacy of abandoned houses, overgrown streets, and memories of a time when industry thrived.