Whalers' Tales

Whaling and whaling ships were an integral part of the early development of Hobart Town. Southern Right Whales were so numerous and common in the Derwent River in the early years that a Governor reported that their noise kept him awake at night, and small boats were advised to stay near the riverbanks for fear of being scuttled mid-stream.

Whales were hunted for their oil (used for lighting and fuel), whalebone and baleen (used to make corsets and other fashion items). By the 1820s the shore-based industry was well established and earning a fortune in export sales. Within twenty years, there were nearly 40 locally owned whaling ships, employing more than a thousand men between them.

Southern Right Whales were originally the mainstay of the industry and were abundant throughout the coastal waters of Tasmania as well as the Derwent River.  As their numbers declined, the whalers sought out sperm whales further afield which required larger ships and greater financial backing.  More international ships began to arrive in Hobart and the docks swarmed with whalers, sealers and merchants from around the world. Pubs, inns and boarding houses sprang up all around the New Wharf – some of them, like Knopwoods Retreat remain popular today. 

Captain James Kelly was one of Hobart’s most colourful and notorious whalers. Of convict parentage, he became a Master Mariner, circumnavigated Tasmania in a whaling boat, suffered a shipwreck on a sealing expedition to Macquarie Island and was Hobart’s Harbourmaster for some time. Kelly owned much of the land now occupied by the Salamanca Arts Centre, selling it before the warehouses were built. He constructed Kelly’s Steps and Kelly’s Lane to link his residence in Battery Point directly to his business on New Wharf. Part of the Arts Centre complex, Kelly’s Steps are used by many Battery Point residents for the same purpose today.

Acknowledgment:  Dr. David Young, ‘The Peacock Warehouses; a building-by-building history’, 2000.

Discover Us – Self Guided Tour

The seven sandstone warehouses that are home to the Salamanca Arts Centre have a rich and fascinating history. On Site Insight is a self-guided tour and pocket history of our buildings and their role in Hobart’s history. Download a copy here.

Photo by Greg Hind
Hindsight Photographics