Shot Tower
(Photo by Steve Johnson)
a hazardous speculation
— Joseph Moir’s Shot Tower
If you are a Tasmanian, you may have many times driven past this odd tower without ever stopping to satisfy the curiosity it provokes. Located in Taroona, a suburb just 11 kilometres from the centre of Hobart, the Shot Tower is a unique historic site. It is the only remaining circular sandstone shot tower in the world.
The distinctive circular tower stands 48 metres tall and was built in 1870 for the purpose of producing lead shot. Lead, with added arsenic and antimony was cast into ingots, remelted in cauldrons and then poured through colanders, forming droplets which became roughly spherical as they dropped into a tub of water at the base of the tower.
The top of the tower can be accessed via a 259 step circular staircase and offers spectacular views up, down and across the Derwent River. There is a museum at the base of the tower and a tea rooms alongside, as well as toilet facilities for the disabled.
See our detailed history for more details of the remarkable history of the tower, its purpose and the man who built it - Joseph Moir. The Shot Tower is open 9-5 every day except Christmas Day. There is a charge for entry. If you wish to visit, contact the concessionaire for more details, on phone (03) 6227 8885 or fax (03) 6227 8643.