This is the first in a series of Thomassons across nipaluna/Hobart.
What is a Thomasson I hear you say?
They are curious urban objects that were built for a particular purpose, by themselves or as part of something else, but were made redundant. Sometimes they are repurposed into a very kooky or elaborate version of a typical object. Or exist as art-like sculptures, completely devoid of any sense of their original purpose.
A fun full explanation and history of Thomassons can be heard here: Thomasson's episode, 99 percent invisible podcast
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What to bring: TOTT and a pen
🫶 CONGRATS TO vk7hch for the FTF! 🫶
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This first Thomasson was once part of the Rosella Preserving and Manufacturing Co. factory that processed Tasmania’s famous fruit to make jam and other preserves on behalf of the national chain.
The factory was completed in 1934 on part of the site of the old Risdon Park racecourse that Rosella purchased in 1927. The construction of the factory marked the reboot of the construction industry following the Great Depression. As evidenced by property ads at the time boasting close proximity to the factory, it also spurred a period of residential growth in New Town with the news at the time heralding it the most popular suburb for homebuilders.
Image: Rosella Factory, New Town (Source: Angus Thornett, YouTube)
As was common at the time, the large companies often repeated architectural motifs, forms or materials in the design of their buildings whether they were on the same site or interstate.
A good example of this is office buildings of the Australasian T&G Mutual Life Assurance Society. Our T&G building, on the corner of Murray and Collins Street in the Hobart CBD, is almost identical to that built in Geelong. Both were designed by Melbourne architectural firm A&K Henderson and variants on the design can be found in many T&G Buildings around Australia and New Zealand.
The matching T&G buildings were built within 5 years of the New Town Rosella factory.
Image: T&G Buildings. Left: Hobart, Right: Geelong (Source: Wikipedia)
The New Town factory was built almost 30 years after its Victorian predecessor, and in more constrained economic circumstances, but still shows a clear architectural link.
The Richmond factory, located in Cremorne in inner-city Melbourne, was designed by architect J.E. Burke. The adjacent sites were also developed in 1920, 1930 and the 1960s, with designs that made reference to the 1905 factory, forming the now heritage listed group of Rosella company buildings.
Nods to the 1905 factory are also evident in the designs of other Rosella sites in New South Wales, South Australia and elsewhere in Victoria
Image: Rosella Factory, Richmond 1905 (Source: Rosella.com.au)
Unlike the New Town factory, which closed in 1966 and demolished as part of the expansion of New Town’s sport’s precinct, the facade of the Richmond building was fully retained. The site was recently redeveloped as the schmick ‘Rosella Complex’ for businesses in what is now the ‘Silicon Valley of Victoria’.
But the New Town building wasn’t fully demolished. It has generated two different types of Thomassons - one is now a striking landmark, the other has been cleverly repurposed but still is demonstrates a clear link to its Victorian sibling.
You can see both from the posted coordinates, and find the cache within one of them.
If you’re interested in Thomasson’s, there are quite a few around nearby caches, including GCAHKPX and GC4WTZZ.
Now you’ve met two Thomassons you’re sure to see them everywhere, especially in New Town!
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PLEASE NOTE: the cache is accessible from the street- you do not need to enter the grounds of the former site, which is now privately managed by Hockey Tasmania. Please properly return the cache to avoid it being muggled in this often busy area.
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You can find out more about the buildings above and the Rosella Factory via the source links below:
ROSELLA
T&G BUILDINGS