Tasmanian
Projects
Bruny
Island
Adventure
Bay
Kelly and
Lucas' Grass Point Station
The site was a shore based whaling
station run by James Kelly and Thomas Lucas, two Hobart entrepreneurs and
leaders in the whaling industry. It was part of a flourishing right whale
fishery in and around Adventure Bay, where three other stations also operated.
The Grass Point station was in operation by 1829 and continued to be used
on a seasonal basis until at least 1841. It is one of at least five stations
around Tasmania owned or managed by James Kelly between 1824 and 1854.
In an 1829 application for a 3 acre
allotment, Kelly proposed to erect 'a works and necessary dwelling house
of thirty feet front and fit for carrying on the whale fishing'. For 12
years the station was occupied over the winter months by approximately
30 men. By 1841, Kelly's growing financial problems and declining whale
numbers brought about the closure of the station.
Susan Lawrence
James Kelly
(Archives Office of Tasmania)
Bruny Island
Excavations : 1997 Excavations, 26th November - 20th December
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