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I enjoyed this one and its theme, but it seems to me there's a bit of ambiguity as to which of two possible answers the setter is looking for for 15 down - does the definition come at the beginning or the end of the clue? I have assumed the latter, on the basis of the word "get", but would welcome others' thoughts.

I went with the definition at the end - the 'From' in 'From Tasmania' seemed to indicate that the answer couldn't just be a description of what Tasmania is.

Yes, if you execute the wordplay you obtain "away from the coast" as the answer.

TO call this theme "well-worn" would be quite the understatement. "Done to death" also comes to mind.

Buddy, I'm glad it wasn't just me who didn't like the ancient, overdone, 'what, again?' theme!

Thanks Malone and Buddy. I was reading "From Tasmania, say" as providing an adjective, rather than a noun (albeit the same word), hence the ambiguity I saw.

Not again! 10ac was looking, early on, as if it might be curmudgeon or Wilmington and coupled with army I thought it might turn out to be interesting. Eh, no.

I must have led a very sheltered existence but I haven't come across this lot before cruciverbally. Enjoyed it but I'll be on the lookout for them another time!

Another reason I disliked the puzzle was that the ... theme ended 47 years ago! Many of today's solvers weren't born then, and in some cases their parents weren't even born then. I think some of these things are regarded as so classic that they are timeless, worth using in one way or another - not a view I share!

Not so much a PDM as an “oh”. Fun as this was, the real history and archaeology of the time and local places as now being researched is much more exciting and well worth looking into.

Given the tiny squares on the Spectator grid and the massive stookie on my right paw, I’lI need to get my long suffering wife to translate my still incompetent left handed entries into something legible!

Hello again, Jack. Glad to hear your surgery has happened - and that you still sound very much your normal self! I occasionally print off a copy of the blank grid(of the smaller puzzles) - and then increase it to a better size. That would do for your slightly scrawly entries, and make it easier for your wife to transcribe?