The photograph above, taken in 1951, shows Mount Roland, the 1,233-metre mountain near the north-west Tasmanian town of Sheffield.
It was originally named after a guy named John Rolland, who crossed the distance between it and nearby Mount Vandyke in 1823.
Mount Roland was climbed for the first time three years later, in 1826.
On 12 February 2015, a senior health official from South Australia purportedly killed his wife near the top of the mountain. We’ll never know what truly happened that day because the official – who pleaded not guilty – took his own life while in custody at Risdon Prison.
Tas That Was is a column that includes:
- anecdotes of life in Tasmania in the past;
- historical photographs of locations in Tasmania; and/or
- documentaries about locations in Tasmania.
If you have an anecdote or photograph you’d like to share with us, please send it to [email protected].
Callum J. Jones is passionate about telling stories. He studied English, History, and Journalism at the University of Tasmania and lived in Western Sydney from 2022 to 2024 while working as a journalist for Professional Planner, a leading online publication for financial planners. Callum has written for Tasmanian Times since 2018 and has also been published in a range of other outlets, including Quadrant and the BAD Western Sydney anthologies.
