After being a bustling hydro town for nearly 30 years, Poatina is now seen as a gateway to the Great Lake.
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The town was home to the state’s first underground power station, and at its peak had more than 2000 residents.
In 1911, the Hydro-Electric Power and Metallurgical company, started the first hydro scheme in the area.
By 1914, a section of the scheme was bought by the Tasmanian Government.
Two years later, two generators were commissioned at Waddamana, and electricity was being transmitted to Hobart.
Poatina Village was built to house construction workers and their families while the power station was being completed.
The village’s business manager Michael Cleary said the area that is now the golf course was filled with temporary houses.
“In the hydro days, that area was all occupied and the school was much larger than it is now – it had several buildings,” Mr Clearly said.
“When the hydro finished their construction of the power station, they moved all the temporary buildings on. But they always figured that they would need 54 brick cottages and various infrastructures like the hotel, the community centre, they left one school building and the swimming pool.”
Mr Cleary said the power station was officially opened in the early 1960s.
“But, of course, technology changed and hydro had no way of knowing back then that it would be pretty much controlled from Hobart,” he said. “They still have an actual base up here, but they didn’t need the infrastructure.”
In the early 1990s, the village was listed for sale by tender, and was eventually bought by Fusion.
“In 1992 they started dealing with inquiries. Fusion came across it right at the end of 1993 and we ultimately settled a deal with them to purchase it in 1995,” Mr Cleary said.
“Fusion is a national youth and community organisation that has a Christian base. It operates Australia wide and has a presence in 15 countries internationally now.”
Mr Cleary said the organisation does a lot of work with homeless and at-risk young people. He said acquiring the village was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
“We thought ‘it has a hotel, we can teach kids in hospitality, there is a store and various retail outlets, we can teach them some retail. There is also grounds and a golf course to maintain, so there is horticultural activity’,” he said. “So two of us in Fusion’s leadership in Sydney sold our houses to do a deal with the hydro. Progressively, we sold off the 54 brick houses to pay out the hydro and that populated the village.”
Community leader Luke Morgan said there is about 110 people living in the village today.
“That’s about 70 adults and the rest are kids … Our oldest is about 80 or so and the kids are about eight months through to teenagers. There is quite a blend throughout,” Mr Morgan said. “About half a dozen of those are the original families.”
In the last five years, Mr Morgan said there had been an influx of new residents.
“About 50 per cent of the 110 people have come in the last five years and they have seen the original vision for the village and now what it has grown in to,” he said.
The village also prides itself on its school – Capstone College – that opened last year.
The school’s principal Russell McKane said the facility was bringing a new model of education to Tasmania.
“It’s a special assistance school. It’s working with kids that haven’t been able to continue in mainstream education,” Mr McKane said. “We have kids that have backgrounds in mental health, family breakdowns and kids that can’t work in a normal high school.”
In 2017, the school finished with nine students, but this year will grow to about 14.
“We have kids their year 9 and 10 curriculum, but doing it in a totally immersive way,” Mr McKane said.
“We’re just working with kids who have massive issues going on in their lives and providing them a space where they feel safe.”
In 2019, Mr McKane hopes to extend the school to year 11 and 12. The school was previously running as Trinity College.
Today, Poatina is also home to the state’s only publicly funded glass blowing studio.
“Last week we had more than 80 people here doing an arts residency … [the glassblower] had people come in and do individual courses with him,” Mr Cleary said.
“We had people come from Singapore and every state except the [Northern] Territory.”
Mr Cleary said the artists were able to stay in the village’s hotel and chalets.
“For a little township, there is quite often a bit of busy paddling under the water,” Mr Cleary said.
When the hydro finished their construction of the power station, they moved all the temporary buildings on.
- Michael Cleary