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| The Grange in
Campbell Town |
Campbell Town (including Kirklands)
Important and beautiful historic town with a
wealth of early nineteenth century buildings
Campbell Town, with its excess of National Trust
and National Estate buildings, is the kind of
town which deserves to be savoured. A half day,
or even a day, would only begin to do the town
justice.
Located 67 km south of Launceston and 132 km
north of Hobart on the Midland Highway, Campbell
Town is one of those extraordinary historic
towns which make the journey between Tasmania's
two largest cities such a special experience.
This remarkably beautiful town, with its wealth
of early nineteenth century buildings, its ducks
on the banks of the Elizabeth River, and its
warm red bricks, is more reminiscent of an
English village than a small Australian town.
Campbell Town came into existence in 1821 as
one of a number of garrison towns linking Hobart
and Launceston. It was named after Governor
Macquarie's wife, Elizabeth Campbell. To
complete the familial naming the river was named
Elizabeth by Macquarie himself when he passed
through the district in 1811.
The town site was surveyed in 1823 and it was
around that time that a number of Saxon merino
sheep were brought to the district. They formed
the nucleus of herds which by the 1830s had
established Campbell Town as the centre of Van
Diemen's Land's fine wool industry. In fact the
town's first sheep show was held in 1839 and has
continued until the present day. Locals proudly
claim it to be the oldest agricultural show in
the British Commonwealth.
Things to see:
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Exploring Campbell Town
The best introduction to Campbell Town is the
excellent map which is in Grange Park at the
northern end of the High Street. The map lists
all the main historical buildings in town and
shows exactly where they are located.
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| The bridge
over the Elizabeth River at Campbell
Town |
The town is a feast of delights. The
three-arch bridge (it is well worth walking down
to the river on either side) was built by
convicts between 1836-38. For people travelling
from Hobart the bridge is a good starting point.
If you alight here and walk up into the town you
can experience the antiquity and marvel at the
buildings.
Fox Hunter's Return
Just across the bridge is The Fox Hunter's
Return, a public house which first opened its
door to the public in 1840. A two-storey rubble
stone building it is regarded as one of the
'most substantial hotel buildings of the
period'.
St Michael's Church
Around the corner in King Street is St Michael's
Church (1857) with the famous 'WW', the initials
of Bishop Wilson, the Bishop of Tasmania,
engraved into the south east wall.
Campbell Town Inn
Further up the main street, on the corner of
Queen Street, is the substantial and gracious
Campbell Town Inn which opened for business in
1840 and, at that time, was known as The
Beehive. Its size and solidity give a clear
indication of the importance of Campbell Town at
that time.
The Grange
Just across the road is The Grange (1840) which
stands at the centre of the town like some
English manor house. In fact it was, for many
years, the home of Dr William Valentine who, in
1874, reputedly held the first telephone
conversation in Australia when he spoke to a
friend in Launceston. The equipment, modelled on
designs by Alexander Graham Bell, is now housed
in the Queen Victoria Museum in Launceston.
Today this superb building, designed by James
Blackburn, is leased by the Adult Education
Board who use it for weekend seminars.
St Luke's Church
Beyond The Grange, on the corner of William
Street and the High Street, is St Luke's Church
(1839) and beyond it on the corner of Bridge and
Pedder streets is the church's rectory, a fine
example of a colonial Georgian residence with
five bay windows.
Campbell Town's National Estate Buildings
There are no fewer than thirty-five buildings in
the Campbell Town district which have been
listed on the National Estate. This gives some
indication of the great historic importance and
interest which exists in the area. The best way
to enjoy Campbell Town is to wander and
appreciate its charm and antiquity.
10 km west of the town is the tiny hamlet (it
is so small it does not appear on most maps) of
Kirklands where the poet AD Hope's father was
Presbyterian minister during the 1910s. The
manse, where Hope spent his childhood, was built
as early as 1828.
