The Hobart Zoo was an old-fashioned Zoological Gardens located on the Queens Domain

Queens Domain

The Queens Domain, also known as The Domain to locals, is a small hilly area of bushland just north-east of the CBD of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, alongside the Derwent River...

 in Hobart

Hobart

Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...

, Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The Zoo site is very close to the site of the Tasmanian Governor's House

Government House, Hobart

Government House, Hobart is the home and official residence of the Governor of Tasmania, Australia.The palatial house is located on Lower Domain Road in the Queens Domain, near the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, and is the official residence of the governor of Tasmania...

, and the Botanical Gardens

Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens

The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, which cover an area of approximately 14 hectares , were established in Hobart in 1818 and are located within the Queens Domain. The Gardens hold historic plant collections and a large number of significant trees, many dating back to the nineteenth century...

. Although its location is now primarily the site of a Hobart City Council depot, some remnants, and archaeological remains of the original Zoo can still be seen.

The Zoo was set in the surrounds of sweeping gardens, and had commanding views across the Derwent River

Derwent River (Tasmania)

The Derwent is a river in Tasmania, Australia. It was named after the River Derwent, Cumbria by British Commodore John Hayes who explored it in 1793. The name is Brythonic Celtic for "valley thick with oaks"....

.

Thylacines

The Hobart Zoo is most famous for being the location where footage of the last known living Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine, was taken in 1936. It died in captivity in Hobart Zoo on 7 September 1936. National Threatened Species Day has been held annually since 1996 on 7 September in Australia, to commemorate the death of the last officially recorded thylacine.

History

The zoo was originally called Beaumaris Zoo, and was opened in 1895 at the private residence (named "Beaumaris") of Hobart socialite Mary Roberts. Mrs. Roberts owned and operated the zoo from 1895 until her death in 1921. This zoo, which included a breeding program for Tasmanian Devils, rehabilitated the image of native animals and attracted scientific interest in them. In 1923 the Hobart City Council acquired the Zoo and moved it to a rehabilitated quarry site in the park called Queen's Domain.

The renewed Zoo was home to a wide variety of Australian, Tasmanian and other exotic species, and also housed bird aviaries. The collection included lions, monkeys, polar bears and elephants. The animals were not kept in natural enclosures as is the norm in modern zoo

Zoo

A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....

s, but rather kept in bare concrete cages behind bars, the common practice during the period of the zoo's operation.

The gate that currently secures the site was installed on 9 September 2000 (World Threatened Species Day). It was designed to communicate the history of the site to the passing public, and secure the site, and won an award in 2001 for landscape design from the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects.

Closure

The Zoo was closed in 1937 due to severe financial problems. The site was acquired by the Royal Australian Navy

Royal Australian Navy

The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...

 and converted into a fuel storage depot for the nearby HMAS Huon

HMAS Huon (naval base)

HMAS Huon, previously known as HMS Huon, was the home naval base for Tasmania's colonial Navy prior to Federation in 1901. Following federation, the base came under the control of the Royal Australian Navy.A drill hall was added following federation...

 shore base. The Navy used the site from 1943 until 1991, when it reverted to the Hobart City Council and was used as a storage depot.

Current site use

The Hobart City Council currently runs tours of the site with "tiger tales" (about 1 hour).

The future

A conservation plan was published in 1967 as The Beaumaris zoo site conservation plan. One proposal for future use of the site is as a sculpture park for Tasmanian artists. Another is as a wildlife rehabilitation centre.

External links