Moorina: Chinese Heritage and Tin Mining

Moorina brings together Chinese heritage, the history of tin mining and a fossicking area on the Weld River. The cemetery and the “Weld River fossicking area” reveal very different sides of the town; the Moorina Golf Club on the Tasman Highway adds golf to these themes. With its combination of cultural history, mining and river activities, Moorina offers several ways to plan your trip.

Chinese History and Cemetery

Moorina’s Chinese memorial and Chinese graves are of state significance as evidence of Chinese settlement in north-east Tasmania. The site includes one of only two Chinese burial furnaces known in Tasmania. This rare object adds a tangible connection to burial customs to the town’s history and makes Moorina’s Chinese heritage especially accessible.

The cemetery is also the only cemetery associated with the Chinese in Tasmania listed on the Tasmanian Heritage Register. It is also the most prominent surviving cultural feature in the landscape of a once-thriving settlement. The register listing applies to the cemetery; the state significance of the memorial and graves is a separate statement about the site. As a stop on the Trail of the Tin Dragon, the cemetery forms part of a tourist route. An information board stands at the entrance, and the turn-off to the cemetery is signposted.

Weld River: Fossicking Area and Access

The Weld River offers a different travel focus: the “Weld River fossicking area”. One collecting area within this fossicking area can be reached from Frome Road, which branches off the Tasman Highway opposite the Moorina Golf Course. Access is on foot along the bank of the Weld River. Corundum, also known as “sapphire” (Al₂O₃), occurs in moderate quantities in the fossicking area. The reference to the mineral gives the collecting area a specific geological focus; together with the riverside walking track, it clearly distinguishes it from the historical highlights at the cemetery.

Tin Mining and Golf

The energy supply for tin mining is also part of Moorina’s history. A power station on the Frome River at Moorina was originally built in 1907 to supply electricity for tin mining; the Frome River is a tributary of the Ringarooma River. This construction history adds a technical perspective to Chinese cultural history: while the cemetery tells of settlement and burial customs, the power station points to the electricity supply for tin mining.

The Moorina Golf Club is on the Tasman Highway in Moorina. In the Active Tasmania Guide, as at December 2023, the club is listed as wheelchair accessible; check the current conditions before your visit. Golf is therefore a focus in its own right, alongside local history and geology.

Discover more destinations: Corinna, Randalls Bay, National Park, Bronte Park, Stanley, Ranelagh, Spreyton, Launceston

For the broader travel overview: Tasmania.