OATLANDS
A living history of the wealth created from grain milling in the Lower Midlands.
Oatlands
1 hour drive north of Hobart
Set only slightly to the south of the centre of the Midlands, below Ross and Campbell Town, lies Oatlands, a town the importance of which to the region’s grain growers is to this day substantiated by the Callington Mill, a four sail windmill standing well six floors; and to which grain was brought from all over the Midlands to be ground into flour.
We’ve visited Callington Mill more than once and I’ve been ever impressed by the prosperity this agri-industrial activity brought to the town, characterised by the neat rows of stone terrace houses facing each other across High Street and the dry stone walled gardens of their backyards.
I think it’s no great stretch of the imagination to be standing anywhere along the High Street of Oatlands in midwinter, looking at the houses and shopfronts, and imagining that you’re in Scotland in Summer.
If you’re driving from Hobart to Launceston, or vice versa, and want to break the journey for whatever reason, but especially to visit a place of real interest, Oatlands is hard to beat.
Definitely take the time to visit the Callington Mill, walk around and take in its scale and the layout of the homestead and ancillary buildings.
