The idea of redeveloping the site as a formal English style walled park and ornamental garden had been floated as far back April 1890, but it took close to thirty years before it was handed over to the City Council to be used as a recreation ground. Many of the remains were re-interred at Cornelian Bay and a memorial wall made up of some of the original headstones from the cemetery contains the names and details of many early settlers.
Workers were in the process of moving the headstones down to the site of the memorial wall when they uncovered the Collins tomb, covered with a three tonne stone. It was lined with brick, with a Huon pine coffin holding a second, lead, coffin which in turn contained another Huon pine coffin with a large amount of native vegetation piled on top of the perfectly preserved body in full regimental dress.
Within half an hour, they’d closed up the coffin and reinterred it, but once the hole had been filled over no one thought to make a note of the location and the exact location of the tomb was promptly forgotten.
Collins had been rumoured to have been interred along with his secret savings (there were suggestions of corruption within his administration), scandalous notes and letters and possibly even a mistress, though none of those turned up when the casket was opened. Collins actually seems to have been somewhat impoverished when he died, thanks to the expenses involved with supporting a wife in England and three children by two mistresses in New South Wales and Tasmania.
Based on the experience of the first full day on the ground in Hobart I was already starting to ponder the possibilities as far as regular returns were concerned, and there was a reminder of the unexplored possibilities when we called in to the Visitor Centre to book seats on the ferry and admission into MONA the next day.
I figured we could easily fill in a leisurely week or so in and around Hobart, with an excursion on the Peppermint Bay Cruise and an opportunity to take a tour over to Port Arthur (Madam’s been twice and isn’t interested in a third visit) while she amused herself with the coffee shops and photographic opportunities in downtown Hobart.
With the next day organised we could have dropped in to the Lark Distillery, which is right next door to sample the single malts but opted instead to head back to base for a rest.