Beneath the Mountain

This book was commissioned by the South Hobart Progress Association, a very dynamic group of people. I was strongly attracted, both by them, and by the fact that my home is in Dynnyrne, next door. Ever since 1974  I have lived in or near South Hobart and enjoyed its amenities, particularly shopping and bushwalking. 

‘Not much has happened in South Hobart’, I thought when I started. ‘This will be a short book.’ Wrong. Suburban South Hobart has just as many interesting stories as anywhere else: Cascade Brewery, Cascade Female Factory, the tip, the 1967 bushfires, the Rivulet … all unique in their impact. I had no trouble in filling up 360 pages, with text and 748 images. It's a story of living in suburbia, where most Australians live. Though I had no intention of it when I started, this book has turned out to be a celebration of quiet, friendly suburban life, albeit in a beautiful country setting.

Once again, Julie Hawkins did a superb design job, assisted by the magnificent artists who lived in South Hobart over the years and left a wonderful legacy of paintings.

Beneath the Mountain can be obtained from the South Hobart Progress Association at www.shpa-inc.org.au, from the Hobart City Council, or from bookshops.