1 1 Ellendale and Snarers
First Access to Mt Field - Two Approaches
Phase 1 - Eastern Approaches
Entry to the area now enclosed by the National Park was-originally gained by one of two approaches now no longer in use. An understanding of these is necessary to appreciate the evolution of-the Pgk in particular the distinct characteristics given to them by early users, some of wirich are inherited today"
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Old Access Routes:
1) Mt Field East, lakes and plateau: access via Ellendale
2) Russell and other fails: access via Tyenna.
Phase 2 - Southern Approaches
With the construction of the Russell Falls to Lake Fenton pack-track in -1910, entry to the Park became permanently focused on this point.
Eastern Approaches - 1930 (?) _ 1910
Phase I - Ellendale and Snarers
Ellendale Access To Mt Field: Historically, the Ellendale district was an extension of the Hamilton-Ouse district of the upper Derwent Rivers. Much of Mt Field Park is still in the Hamilton Municipality. An ;try to the Mt Field high country prior to 1910 was via the eastern routes from Ellendale, as scientific and tourist parties took advantage of the knowledge accumulated by snarers.
Monto's Marsh attracted small holders in the country between the |ones and the Tyenna River, (first called the Russell Falls River). The largest land grants to the east of Mt Field were those of Fenton, based at Fenton Forest to the south, and Robert Bethune on the eastern face of Mt Field; facing the Derwent River. (In 1830 the area to the west around the Florentine and Tyenna Rivers was still alienated).
with the allocation of land grants around the open grazing country in the Hamilton-o t s e, district, small settlers r4/ere forced into the backwoods. settlement of the eastern slopes behind Dunrobin by emancipists farmers followed a familiar pattern noted around the foothill, of the Coal River Valley near Richmond around this time (MacFie, P., p.94 ff).
The settlers label led the natural features in this area today with folk names derived from 'l*."3p"riences of is occupants. These names and other folk labels - "Trap valley", "Mannys Marsh", ',Ransley's Grass, Dog Hill,, etc. contribute to a distinct- regional identity, and strongly contrast to the formal naming of features on the Mt Field plateau by memu.is of the Hobart intelligentsia and political figures' These (the area's unwritten history) give the Ellendale district a distinct cultural identity which is however strongly linked to the history of Mt Field.
The 1907 report of an existing track, and the descriptions (1898 and 1907) and photos (1907) of bush-fire-scarred sections of the M Field plateau suggest that trappers were in the area very early. James Clark jun. when guiding Tourist Association members in 1907 had a feature near Lake Fenton called the "White Cliffs", (see over). In 1910, before the first track from Russell Falls to Lake Fenton was cut, fishermen complained of "poaching by young men who visited the lakes shooting" (Mercury '18/8/1910P.2 C4). First maps of the new National Park in 1977 show the Ellendale track, which is soon omitted from later editions.
Nomenclature: Mt Field appears to have been named after Mr Barron Field 6presiding |judge of the N.S.W. Supreme Court whose court in V.D.L. was "established in Hobart in 1,821 (Beattie, I.W. National Park notes, Royal Society, 27/7/1917, T.L.). Field, who does not appear to have visited Tasmania, was also a keen amateur botanist.(Australian Dictionary of Biography Vo1.1) '$ Lake Fenton's name is derived from Capt. Michael Fenton, the early owner of the large tract of land, whose homestead was at Fenton Forest (Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol.l, p.371). Lake Webster was first called Lake Barker, apparently after another early settler whose grant backed on to Fenton's. (see below)
First Visitors - Snarers and Trappers
Oral and some written evidence indicates that snarers were the first to encroach on Mt Field East. As noted, trapping by snaring was still a traditional activity around Ellendale in the 1930s, with descendants of the same families who were working the area before 1860.
Ellendale (originally Monto's Marsh) was a district well-known for nefarious characters from the early 1800s. The “under -world" existence of ex-convicts who made a frontier-style living in the area is described in 1841, when Michael Fenton, proprietor of Fenton Forest, came across an established farm hidden in the back-country with several skins pegged out for drying.
"The hills at the back of Bushy Park and Fenton Forest have frequently afforded a secure harbour for runaways and bushrangers, who existed upon the adjacent flocks and herds. A few years since, whilst collecting cattle, Captain Fenton came upon a perfect mountain establishment, almost within his own boundaries his sheep afforded the outlaws food his heifers milk, whilst his working bullocks complaisantly offered a means of turning up the soil. The place (so long unknown) must have existed several years, as there was a considerable number of kangaroo and opossum skins ready for market and the hut was constructed with all the care and attention bestowed upon a permanent abode" (Burn, p'98).
There is a strong possibility that the un-named runaway was James Clark sen., although the name under which he was transported was Pevus or Peeves (Clark family records). James sen. lived until he was a 100, dying at Ellendale in 1908, leaving many descendants.
The Rayner Brothers, Trappers and Guides
Although the name Belcher is associated with the early history of the Park, their ,involvement was restricted to the southern flank of the Park, as they had settled there in the 1860s. The contribution of the Rayners to the early exploration of the Mt Field plateau has been neglected, in particular the historic excursion with Von Mueller, the eminent botanist in 1869 for whom the Rayner's were guides. After marrying Hannah Pyers in Hobart in 1819, George Rayner (or Raynor), (alias Jones) first settled in the vicinity of Russell Falls, but was living on 360 acres at Hotel Point opposite the mouth of the Clyde River in 1827 (Correspondence File, TSA, and McKay, (ed.) P.39-40). Three of their sons Robert, George and William became guides for early parties venturing into Mt Field East (George Snr. was born on Norfolk Island, the son of an emancipist).
A Continued Tradition
One elderly resident and descendant, Mrs Stella Clark, now in her 80's,recalls that the Quinns ran pack-horses into the South West where they had a snaring camp at Port Davey and the Gordon. They also snared into Mt Field from Ellendale. More recent evidence of trapping operations are photos and remains of snarers camps from the 1920s and 30s on the Davis River (Conversation with Keith Clark, Nov 1991) Keith's father, Walter ("Vinty") Clark and Manny Rayner were very competitive and according to Keith's aunt Stella, Manny "thought he owned the mountain" and intruded into Vinty's snaring camp where a fight ensued with Walter the victor. "Morrissey" Dillon who was "a good snarer", first snared with Vinty and was replaced by his brother John later (Conversation, Nov 1991).