Taroona Shot Tower

The Taroona Shot Tower is a 58-metre sandstone shot tower located at Taroona, about 12 kilometres south of Hobart in Kingborough, Tasmania. Built in 1870 by Joseph Moir for manufacturing lead shot, it is the tallest remaining shot tower in Australia and is heritage-listed. The tower features a 259-step internal spiral staircase leading to a viewing platform with panoramic views over the Derwent River and surrounding coastline, and now operates as a museum and tourist attraction with a cafe.

Visitors can explore a well-preserved 19th-century sandstone shot tower set above the Derwent River. Inside, a narrow 259-step spiral staircase leads to an open viewing platform with panoramic views of the river, Alum Cliffs and Bruny Island. The ground floor houses a small museum displaying shot-making equipment and history, and a cafe and gift shop. The site is compact, surrounded by gardens and parking, with interpretation panels explaining the industrial process.

Built in 1870 by Joseph Moir, a Hobart ironmonger and builder, to produce lead shot by dropping molten lead from the top of the tower into water below. Operated as a shot manufactory until the early 1900s. Constructed from locally quarried sandstone with 259 sandstone steps, it is the tallest shot tower remaining in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere and is listed on the Tasmanian Heritage Register as a rare example of 19th-century industrial architecture.

Heritage-listed landmark representing Tasmania's colonial industrial heritage and 19th-century manufacturing techniques. It is a well-known local landmark and tourist attraction for the Kingborough region, illustrating early industrial enterprise in Tasmania and preserved as a museum for public education.