Trip to Tassie Shot Tower

[skot]

Just got back from a bit of a holiday in Tassie and was wondering if anyone who has been there, atttempted or completed the climb up the Shot Tower at Taroona in Hobart?

My wife and I went along on a cold , rainy day and I am afraid to say I chickened out of the climb.

Heights don't bother me too much BUT combined with the state of the wooden stairs to the top...I BAULKED.

The top of the tower is 48 metres to the top with a circular stair case winding it's way up and that's when I stopped.

THE STAIRS...
Timber construction over 140 years old ...each step 900mm long with tapered shape about 300mm wide on the outside wall to 125mm wide towards the centre BUT the treads were only about 16mm thick with some of them worn down to about 12mm thick at the front.

They flexed far too much for my liking as you walked on them and you make a vertical gain of approx 4 metres with every once around the stairwell. If the tread gives way, you fall 4metres and probably continue down through the next set.

By all means go for a visit, as it was very interesting ...I was just too worried about the thickness & flex of the stairs.

[Waldo]

Yep, climbed it back in '88.

[skot]

Waldo ...Braver Man than I am....but then again in '88 you would have been all of 18 yo...at that age I had no fear either....not now, I always seem to see the "Bad Events" that could occur.

[Waldo]

I was a younger bloke then, but you take the bull by the horns and see what happens

[labr@]

I tried it in 1969 - went up about 2 levels and that was it. I have a serious aversion to heights and I think I was the only one out of about 40 kids who couldn't go up.

I don't remember anything about the condition of the stairs but am sure that it would be the same no matter how good they were.

[bsrlee]

Went down to the bottom to look at the quench tank, then walked all the way up, not just from the 'tourist entrance'. Still have the sticker they gave out for those who made it to the top.

[corbs]

I did it when I was in year 11 on a school trip to Tassie. That would have been around 91/92. I'm not much smarter than I was then so guess I would have another go up the stairs