Magnet at a glance.
A few markers in the life of a remarkable west coast mining town. The forthcoming book will explore the people, places and stories in much greater detail.
This short guide is an introduction rather than a substitute for the book. Dates and episodes will be expanded as research continues.
- Early 1890s
A mining field emerges.
Prospectors and mining companies began to turn a remote part of Tasmania’s west coast into the Magnet field.
- 1904
A community takes shape.
A public hall and schoolroom were established, reflecting the determination to make a settled town as well as a mining camp.
- 1909–1913
Town life grows.
Church, social and community activities became part of everyday life as Magnet’s population and public life developed.
- 1914–1918
War touches Magnet.
Like communities across Tasmania, Magnet felt the impact of the First World War through enlistments, absence and loss.
- 1930–1932
Depression and determination.
Mine closures and difficult conditions placed the community under severe pressure, while local people continued to seek a future for the field.
- 1936–1938
One more revival.
Renewed activity brought fresh hopes, but the town’s future remained uncertain.
- 1940
The industrial town is dismantled.
With mining finished, equipment and buildings were sold or removed, marking the end of Magnet as a working mining town.
The fuller story is still being assembled.
Do you have a photograph, family story, document or correction that may assist the research? It may help preserve an important piece of Magnet’s history.
Contact Paul Ledger