Adamsfield: an exploration wilderness

This tour explores Adamsfield, a remote conservation site in Tasmania’s south-west that holds the remains of a once thriving mining town. Adamsfield sprang into existence in 1924, when European settlers discovered Osmiridium or ‘black gold’ in the Adams River. ‘Black gold’ or “Ossie” as it was locally known, is the natural alloy Osmiridium, a rare and precious metal that was worth 7 times the price of gold (DPIPWE, 2012). Adamsfield quickly established itself as the state’s largest Osmiridium mine and when European supplies were cut off, became the primary source of Osmiridium in the world (Bacon, 1992 p. 1, 3 & Brown, 1919 p. 5 & Reid, 1921 pp. 2-3, 95).In other sites around the state, the material remnants of Tasmania’s colonial past are preserved and celebrated.  Despite its significance within Tasmanian history however, Adamsfield has been forgotten and is being slowly reclaimed by the forest around it. This tour invites you to traverse the cultural terrain of Adamsfield and the surrounding region, to consider the wider contexts that have shaped its representation as heritage.