The Heritage Highway Region of Tasmania, the historic heart of the State with its many quaint villages, is rich in colonial stories of robbery, corruption and blackmail. The many visitors to this popular area are now able to tap into and experience this rich history by playing the Skulduggery games.
Skulduggery tests the skills of budding super sleuths, enabling them to follow the exploits of John James, a convict constable, as he investigates authentic cases of Vandiemonian skulduggery.
John James leads the Skulduggery players to clues within the Heritage Highway towns that enable the crimes to be solved. It’s a compelling means of experiencing the fascinating history of the region.
Participants can grapple with the mysteries of Dr Zweigle’s code breaker, find out why the bridge at Ross took so long to build, and search for the shadowy forces that laid waste to Joseph Archer’s wheat stacks in Longford.
Further information on Skulduggery, including the outlets where the games can be purchased, is available on the web at www. heritagehighway.com.au/skulduggery.
As well as its more notorious former residents, the Heritage Highway Region was also the final home of reputed artists, including John Glover and Tom Roberts.
Born in 1767 at Leicester, England, John Glover was a landscape artist of high repute exhibiting at The Royal Academy, London. On his 64th birthday in 1831, he emigrated to Van Diemen’s Land, bringing with him his reputation as a painter of romantic landscapes.
He was allocated land near picturesque Evandale, where he built his home Patterdale. It is from here that Glover painted his wonderful Tasmanian scenes. One of these paintings recently sold for more than $1.5 million. John Glover died in 1849 and is buried in the grounds of a little chapel at Deddington.
To honour and promote his memory, the John Glover Society was established in 2002. The society has undertaken a number of cultural projects, including the commissioning of a life size bronze statue of John Glover.
This statue was unveiled at Evandale by the Governor of Tasmania, Sir Guy Green, in February 2003. An Arts Festival is to be held in March 2004. The John Glover Prize will be awarded for a titled Tasmanian landscape painting. The winner will receive $20,000 plus a bronze maquette of John Glover.
Noted Australian artist, Tom Roberts, also chose this area of Tasmania as his final home. His grave is located in Longford.
