Hobart Antique Trail, TASMANIA
Airing Date: Oct 28th, 2002
Items over 100 yeras old are considered to be antique, and Tasmania's long colonial past means it's a great place to pick up genuine and quality articles.
Gowans Auction House holds antique auctions every month. Theyre a great way to find some of Tassie's finest treasures.
If you want to bid at the auctions, you simply have to register beforehand. Its best to get the paper work out of the way early to avoid being in the queue when the number of your desired item is called. The great part about auctions is that you can often find some real bargains. For example, a mahogany hall chair can be picked up for a couple of hundred dollars.
Auctions can be quite scary for a first timer, but Rick Reynolds is an old hand. Rick owns a 22 room colonial mansion known as Wendover. The mansion is one of Hobarts finest and is furnished with the amazing antiques Rick has collected over the last 25 years. His favourite piece is a four poster bed which now has a home in his guest bedroom.
Wendover is also a guest house. There are two bedrooms downstairs and two self contained apartments upstairs.
An extensive renovation has recently been finished, and while the owners were putting in central heating they discovered two rooms that had been sealed for over one hundred years. One was the wine cellar - and it was fully stocked.
Rick is an antique dealer too, so some of the pieces furnishing Wendover are actually for sale, although the pieces are not always cheap. If you are looking for an auction bargain, Rick's top tip is to be calm and not to rush.
When setting a limit at an antique auction remember to add in the buyers premium, which is usually about ten per cent on top of the hammer price. This way you wont blow your budget. The auctioneers are very good at spotting a bid but its also a good idea to stand up the front just in case.
A common problem with buying an antique such as a chair is how to get it home. Fortunately, Linley Bell packs and ships antiques all over Australia.
Make sure you have a few dollars left for lunch after the auction and enjoy a roast chicken and gravy roll at the cafe.
The facts:
QantasLink has connections to Hobart daily. Prices start from $231 ex Melbourne and $730 ex Perth. Prices include charges, levies and taxes.
Qantas
Tel: 13 13 13
Accommodation at Wendover starts at $166 per double per night including breakfast. A current special is stay 3 nights and get 1 free. Gowans Auction House run auctions every month. Pieces range in price from $2 to $10,000.
Wendover Colonial Accommodation
Tel: 03 6278 2066
Gowans Auction House
Tel: 03 6278 1600
