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John FidlerPrint Page 
The monument commemorates John Fidler, the surveyor of a section of the Murchison Highway. The Murchison Highway runs from the West Coast of Tasmania to Burnie, and was opened on 13 December 1963.
Fidler was employed by the Van Diemen's Land Co. on a retainer until his retirement as its chief surveyor in October 1956, Fidler undertook additional work for Associated Pulp & Paper Mills Ltd, mining companies, the Public Works Department and private subdividers. Surveying roads and boundaries introduced him to some of the best stands of milling-timber in the State, and, from the 1920s until 1962, he developed a business interest in sawmilling, for some years in partnership with his brother Burnie.
In Parliament he had argued strongly for building a road to link the west and north-west coasts. To prove a point, in his early seventies he contracted to survey the route, and did it himself, largely on foot, assisted by a man and a boy. He is also remembered for the Pinnacle Road to the top of Mount Wellington. He died in 1973.
Location
| Address: | Murchison Highway, Information Bay south of Waratah-Ridgley Intersection, Waratah, 7321 |
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| State: | TAS |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -41.450953 Long: 145.620831 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Government - State |
| Approx. Event Start Date: | 1958 |
| Approx. Event End Date: | 1960 |
| Link: | http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/adbonli… |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Thursday 13th June, 1974 |
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This Plaque Commemorates
The Memory Of
JOHN ROY FIDLER, M.B.E., M.C.
Who Surveyed The Route Of The Murchison
Highway From Rosebery To The Waratah
Highway, 1958 - 60, And The Route To
The Pinnacle, Mt. Wellington, 1934.
Unveiled By
The Hon. M. T. C. Barnard, M.H.A.
Minister For Lands And Works
On
13th June 1974
