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| Poplars near
Westaway south of Hamilton
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Hamilton
Unspoilt and charming nineteenth century
village
Located 74 km northwest of Hobart on the Lyell
Highway, Hamilton is a typical Tasmanian
Historic Town combining a setting which dates to
the early nineteenth century with a range of
historic accommodation. Like Oatlands and Ross
it is relatively unspoilt and still sufficiently
removed from the over-commercialisation of
places like Richmond, to offer the visitor an
opportunity to experience what the villages of
southern Tasmania were like in the 1830s and
1840s.
The first Europeans into the Hamilton area
were the botanist, Robert Brown and his party
who attempted to trace the Derwent River to its
source in March, 1804. They reached the Hamilton
Plains and followed the Fat Doe River (now known
as the Clyde) up to the Clyde Falls near the
present site of Bothwell.
Hamilton's proximity to Hobart Town meant
that the region was visited regularly by search
parties, escaped convicts and bushrangers. By
the late 1830s the land had been divided and
settled.
There are a number of conflicting
explanations for the town's name. Some sources
claim that it was named Hamilton by Governor
Macquarie in 1821 while others claim that in
1829 Governor Arthur named the district after
his friend William Henry Hamilton, the Hobart
Town Postal Officer. Whatever the origins the
town was known as Hamilton by 1835 and by 1859 a
traveller could describe the town as 'Here is a
neat Church, a handsome bridge, large inns,
breweries and some good shops. And round the
village are some of the largest landed
proprietors in the country possessing 20 000 and
even as many as 40 000 sheep'. Hamilton was
declared a municipality in 1863.
Things to see:
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Hamilton's Historic Buildings
This sleepy little village has a number of
historic buildings. The most important are St
Peter's Church (consecrated in 1838), Glen Clyde
House (1840), now a craft gallery, and the
accommodation at the Old Schoolhouse (1856),
Emma's Cottage (1830), George's Cottage (1845),
Victoria's Cottage (1845) and the Hamilton Inn
(1834).
St Peter's Church
The foundation stone for St Peter's Church was
laid in 1834. It was completed in 1837 and
consecrated by Bishop Broughton, the only Bishop
of Australia, on 8 May 1838.
It is worth noting that the church has only
one door. The reason for this was almost
certainly to prevent the congregation, which in
the early days was about 50 per cent convicts,
from attempting to escape. The original church
was a simple stone building. There were plans to
add a spire to the tower in the 1920s but they
never eventuated.
The headstones around the church date back to
the 1830s. One of particular interest is that of
Sarah Lane who died at the age of 8 years in
1844.
The inscription on the headstone reads:
This little inoffensive child
To Sunday school had trod
But sad to tell was burnt to death
h
Within the house of God
The dropped 'h' is the result of the
stonemason getting his measurements wrong while
the untimely death of the child as a result of a
Sunday school fire seems extraordinary.
There is an interesting history of the church
titled A History of St Peter's Anglican Church,
Hamilton by Ernest Beavan.
The Old Schoolhouse
The Old Schoolhouse, a huge two storey
structure, was built by convict stonemasons in
1858. It is an interesting comment on the times
that it was originally constructed so that the
Headmaster lived in the room above the central
staircase and the children, according to their
sex, entered the school from different doors. It
was seriously deteriorating and was condemned to
be demolished in the early 1970s but its
restoration has made it one of Hamilton's most
unusual and charming places to stay.
Three Historic Cottages
The three cottages, Emma's, Victoria's and
George's, also offer interesting historic
accommodation. Like the Old Schoolhouse they
were all built of local sandstone by convicts.
Their current owner's passion for antiques has
meant that they are probably better furnished
now than they were when the first residents
moved in.
The appeal of Hamilton, which is a truly
charming and unspoilt village, is based on its
peacefulness and its outstanding range of
historic accommodation. It also has an excellent
fishing and aquatic area at Lake Meadowbank.
