Oatlands and Ross day trip

We had been told by a friend that Ross had the best ever Scallop Pies and that it was a beautiful town to visit. 

Ross is a 1 1/2 hour drive from Richmond where we are based until early Jan. Leaving Richmond, we wound our way through some beautiful countryside passing a couple of dams and small country towns. 

Oatlands was the first place we stopped, just off the M1. Driving in from the south you pass some beautiful sandstone houses and timber cottages all dating back into the early 1800’s. As you get into the main part of Oatlands you can see a windmill watching over the town. 

The flour mill was built in 1837 when milling of local grain became common place in small rural towns. The mill was used until the mid 1900’s when the milling of flour was cheap to do in larger towns or cities. 

Further up the road is Ross. You cross a bridge dating back to 1836 and built by convicts, as you come into the township. It is also the 3rd oldest bridge still in use in Australia. Like many towns Ross has many churches, one of which stands on the hill overlooking the town. 

Ross too is a quaint town with beautiful buildings. But we were here to try the Scallop pie and Vanilla Slice - pie at one end of town, slice at the other!

Trent’s response from the pie - “it’s one of the best pies I’ve ever had”!  unfortunately we did not get to try a vanilla slice (custard square for us kiwis) as the bakery was closed!

We also visited the Tasmanian Wool Centre. Really interesting reading on the Wool industry and also being able to touch and feel the different Wool and read about the history of the many trophies that are given out each year. There is also a museum which talks about Ross and its history. 

These towns were both beautiful and almost took you back to the era. A real sense of pride has been taken in restoration of the houses and buildings maintaining their rich heritage.