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| Post Office
and Library Buildings in Latrobe
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Latrobe
Substantial historic settlement. Now a
commuter settlement only 11 km from Devonport
Located 96 km northwest of Launceston and 18 m
above sea level, Latrobe is situated on the
Mersey River 9 km south of Devonport. It has
become a commuter settlement for Devonport
although it is surrounded by rich agricultural
lands and is home to a number of wood fibre and
paper mills which were built in the 1970s.
Latrobe was first settled by Europeans in
1826 when Edward Curr, then the manager of the
Van Diemen's Land Company, established North
Down, the first major property in the district.
The property was taken over two years later by
Captain B. B. Thomas who, in 1831, was killed by
the local Aborigines.
The town grew up because Latrobe was the
first convenient point, from the mouth of the
river, where the Mersey River could be crossed.
Ferries came up the river to the town and the
site now known as Bells Parade (on River Road
from East Devonport before you reach the town)
was where the town's docks were once located.
Today it is a pleasant and particularly
beautiful picnic ground. The English trees in
the area give it a certain European feel of
softness and languor. A small bridge leads
across the river to Pig Island.
Bells Parade was named after Robert Bell who
established a wharf and store on the river bank
in 1855.
The township of Latrobe was formally named in
1846 after Charles Joseph La Trobe (1801-75),
who, at the time was acting Lieutenant-Governor
of Van Diemen's Land (1846-47). He subsequently
became Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria from
1851-54.
The town continued to grow and prosper and
for most of the nineteenth century it was the
most important town on the north coast,
outstripping Devonport as a major trading
centre.
Looking at Latrobe today it is hard to
imagine that it was Tasmania's third largest
settlement between 1870-95 with a hospital,
three newspapers, a large number of inns and
hotels, and a local brass band, formed in 1872,
which now can claim to be the oldest
continuously playing band in Australia. It is
hard to imagine that a visiting English cricket
team played on the local oval in 1888 and that,
at the time, Latrobe was sufficiently important
to be included on a tour schedule.
The arrival of the railway line in 1889
increased the town's importance. The railway,
which was really designed to connect Launceston
and Devonport was re-routed through the town
after local complaints. This re-routing could
not prevent the inevitable growth of Devonport
as the major port on the North Coast. By the
early 1900s Devonport had become the more
important centre and Latrobe went into a slow
decline. It was only the establishment of paper
mills in the area in the 1970s, suburban
overspill from Devonport, and the town's
importance as a retirement location, which
allowed it to keep growing.
Things to see:
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Court House Museum
The town's museum is located in Gilbert Street
(the town's main street) next to the Post
Office. Housed in the local Court House, which
dates from 1883, it is a typical local folk
museum. Its collection of over 600 prints and
photographs provide an excellent visual history
of the district. It is open Friday and Sunday
from 2.00 p.m. - 5.00 p.m.
Lucas Hotel
The Lucas Hotel, on the corner of Gilbert and
Victor Streets, which was built in 1870, has
been listed as part of the National Estate. The
old stone-walled watercourse at the back of the
hotel is of particular interest.
The Lucas Hotel and Court House Museum
combine with other building to make Gilbert
Street an interesting and important historic
business streetscape which is now part of the
town's historic walk.
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| The National
Trust listed Tynsley Hall
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Latrobe Historic Walk
The historic walk starts at the western end of
Gilbert Street and turns into Hamilton Street
where some attractive 1880s and 1890s cottages
and houses can be seen. More details are
provided in the free brochure Let's Talk About
Latrobe which is available around town. Of
particular interest are the National Trust
listed Tynsley Hall, now Harpers Pancake House,
which was built in 1879 and used as a combined
residence and tailor's shop and 84 Gilbert
Street which has been operating as a drapery for
most of this century.
There are a number of interesting buildings
in Hamilton Street including the Uniting Church
(1879), the old Schoolmaster's residence at 19
Hamilton Street which dates from the 1890s, St
Lukes Church with its tiny wooden Sunday School
(1862), the very Italianate Hamilton House
(1872) and Vermont (early 1860s) at 78 Hamilton
Street.
Frogmore
Frogmore, located 1.5 km west of Latrobe on the
corner of Railton and Latrobe Roads (cross the
river at the western end of Gilbert Street and
head out of town on the Mersey Road), is 'a
large two-storeyed brick Classical villa with a
tiled hipped roof, built in 1880 for George
Atkinson'. Its three level tower and obvious
graciousness make it a landmark in the area.
George Atkinson, who built Frogmore, was the
son of George Atkinson Sr. who built Latrobe's
first General Store and first hotel, the Royal
Charter, in 1858. A monument to George Atkinson
Jr. is located in Atkinson Park which lies
between Bells Parade and the bridge across the
Mersey River.
Activities and Festivals
Latrobe has become famous for the Latrobe Wheel
Race, one of Australia's prestige cycling
events, which is held every Christmas. The
Latrobe Bicycle Race Club is one of the oldest
in Australia having been established in 1896.
One of the first international axeman's
carnivals was held in the town in 1891 and it
led to the formation of the United Australasian
Axeman's Association.
