Salmon Ponds neasr New Norfolk

The Salmon Ponds is Australia's oldest trout hatchery & continues to supply over a million trout each year for the stocking of Tasmania's rivers, lakes & dams that make up the states renowned recreational trout fishery

To the European immigrants in the mid 1800's, the Australian environment was very different to the land they had left behind

To make their new surroundings more like 'home' they introduced European plant s & animals

 

Giant poplar trees on way into the ponds

 

Bob feeding the trout

 

Salmon was one of the many species chosen for introduction largely because of the popularity of fishing but also because of the unexpected economic benefits

A number of failed attempts to transport them, the first live salmon & a small number of trout eggs arrived at these ponds in May 1864

Hatchery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trout fishing museum cottage built in 1865

Each of the ponds are stocked with large fish of a particular species & feeding is encouraged

Beautiful English garden, with wonderful array of trees
Claret Ash, Cedar, Serbian Spruce, Sycamore, Silver Elm, Italian Cypress etc
 

Trout fishing "Hall of Fame"

Another wonderful hedge

 

This arch was the original entrance to the ponds

 

Salmon are migratory fish, spending part of their life at sea.
It was expected that once released, the fish hatched at Plenty would return to the Derwent river.

Several releases were tried, but for some unknown reason, the Salmon never returned !!!!

 

Luckily trout has been a great success

 

 

The Salmon ponds is a rare example of a 19th century English style public open space.

The gardens & surrounds were established with introduced evergreens & exotic plantings, some of the trees are 140 years old