The Cascade Brewery, located a few kilometers west of Hobart in the foothills of Mt Wellington, is Australia’s oldest continuously operating brewery.6 There is some mystery surrounding the establishment of the brewery. Until very recently (2001) it was believed that the ex-convict Peter Degraves started up the brewery in 1824. However, after careful research by one Gregory Jefferys for his undergraduate thesis brought new facts to light, it is now believed Degraves falsified records of the brewery’s establishment.10 In fact, Degraves and his brother-in-law Hugh Macintosh constructed a sawmill on the same site in 1824 upon their emigration from England. Seven years later, while Degraves was serving a prison sentence for debts left in England, Macintosh built the brewery with Peter’s two sons, Henry and Charles Degraves. Upon his release in 1832, Peter Degraves took over running the brewery while Macintosh retired for his last few years to his farm to pursue making wine and raising sheep.
When Macintosh died in 1834, Degraves offered to buy up his share of the business from his son William who lived in India. However, Degraves never actually paid William and merely took over the business by default. It appears that it was at this juncture Peter Degraves changed the record of Hugh Macintosh’s involvement to cover up his theft.10
Despite these contentious beginnings, Cascade was commercially successful very quickly, and currently sells Tasmania’s most popular beer, the Cascade Draught. Its branding features a picture of the iconic Thylacine, and the brewery has maintained strong connections to Tasmania, producing several beers that are available only on the island.9 This picture alone makes me want to visit.
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