The Midlands is so named not only because of its geographical position, but aiso because it covers the region between Tasmania's two major cities, Hobart and Launcston. The Midlands consists mainly of relatively low plains drained mostly by tributaries of the Tamar River in the north and Jordan River in the south. The region is home to some of Australia's finest preserved Georgian era towns and villages.
The Heritage Highway (also known as the Midlands Highway) is one of Tasmania's major inter-city highways, running for 176 kilometres between Hobart and Launceston. It is part of the AusLink National Network and is a vital link for road freight to transport goods to and from the two cities. Destinations along the way include the historics towns of Perth, Campbell Town, Ross and Oatlands.
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The Wooden Boat Centre at Franklin sits alongside the jetty and is a great place to visit. You can watch craftsmen and trainees building wooden boats from complicated plans. To fulfil their lifetime ambition, trainees pay for the unique experience and dedicate countless hours of labour in achieving their goal.
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Geeveston Forest & Heritage Centre, which details the history of the timber industry in the area, is located in Geeveston. Outside the Centre is one of many chainsaw-crafted statues of some of the region's memorable personalities dotted around town. A sportsman who has been honoured this way is dual silver-medal winning Olympian, rower Simon Burgess.
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Woolmers Estate, near the village of Longford and overlooking the Macquarie River, is acknowledged as one of the most outstanding examples of 19th century rural settlements in Australia. Accurate and authentic in the minutest detail, it is not difficult to see why the estate has received a World Heritage listing. Location: Woolmers Lane, Longford. Tasmania
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One of Tasmania's World Heritage Convict Sites, Brickendon Historic Farm and Convict Village was built in 1824; the village is still owned by his descendents. The complex affords the a rare chance to see a Georgian homestead, convict-built Gothic chapel, Dutch barns, chicken house, blacksmith shop and tool shed and stay in historic farm cottages. There is also a four hectare (10 acre) historic garden for you to explore.
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The Callington Mill complex, built at Oatlands by John Vincent in 1837, was the major flour mill for the region for many years. Located on the shores of Lake Dulverton about half way between Hobart and Launceston on Tasmania's Midlands highway, Oatlands is a hauntingly beatiful, intact colonial era village with it architecture covering a broad range of styles. A designated historic town, Oatlands is said to have the largest collection of pre-1837 buildings in Australia. 87 such buildings are located in the main street while a total of 138 sandstone buildings are found within the town boundary.
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Longford is an agricultural and administrative centre located at the junction of the South Esk and Macqarie Rivers. Longford Racecourse is the oldest continuously operating racecourse in Australia. TLongford's story is also intertwined in the history of motor racing in Australia. Stop off for refreshments at the Country Club Hotel and learn about the days when the likes of Alec Mildren, Bib Stillwell, Frank Matich, Bob Jane, Jack Brabham, John Surtees, Bruce McLaren, Lex Davison, Leo Geoghegan and Allan Moffat alll raced past the hotel's front door.
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The village of Conara used to be very well known by travellers on the Midland Highway, though very few knew its name. What caught their attention was what they called "the disappearing house". Standing at the turnoff to St Marys at Conara, the so-called “Disappearing House” earned its name by the illusion of its sinking into the ground as travellers approached along the main road from Hobart to Launceston, due to the peculiar conformation of the landscape.
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The tiny village of Cleveland, 5 km north west of Conara Junction, was established in 1842 as a stopping point on the coaching route between Hobart and Launceston. It is said that in its early years, Cleveland was a gathering point for travelers before they ventured onward through the dangers of Epping Forest, a notorious area for bushrangers. A convict station accommodating up to 100 prisoners at a time was built in 1839 as a serving station to build and repair roads in the area. After 1842 it became a hiring depot for labour and by 1847 there were 23 convicts billeted there on a regular basis.
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Once one of the early coaching stops between Launceston and Hobart, Campbell Town is nestled on the banks of the Elizabeth River on the main road between Hobart and Launceston. The town has an impressive collection of colonial buildings from the Georgian era. Campbell Town has a number of great eating placeas, and a great roadside park for kids to run around and burn up some energy.
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One of the most attractive aspects of the historic village of Ross is that it has not been overly corrupted by modern tourism. That the Midland Highway (the main route between Hobart and Launceston) by-passes Ross, has preserved the original, sleepy character of the town is largely the reason for this being so. A commercial centre for a district that produces high-quality merino wool. Ross has a very English country village feel, with its warm Ross sandstone reminiscent of the towns of the Cotswolds or North Oxfordshire, England.
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The town of Tunbridge came into existence in 1809 and quickly developed into an important coaching stop between Hobart and Launceston. Tunbridge convict bridge, built in 1848, is the oldest timber single span bridge in Australia. There's not a lot here but worth a stop if you're looking to photograph some interesting Georgian architecture without modern day vehicles spoiling the view. .
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Oatlands, known for its iconic windmill, is said to have the largest collection of pre-1837 buildings in Australia. 87 such buildings are located in the main street while a total of 138 sandstone buildings are found within the town boundary. Oatlands' Topiaries Trail (shaped hedges) continue the tradition of the original topiaries located on the Heritage Highway north of Oatlands, first created by the late Jack Cashion.
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7 Km southeast of Oatlands, Parattah and its surrounding area is home to about 100 families, and contains many historic buildings, such as a farmhouse which was once home to Hudson Fysh, one of the founders of Qantas, and a historic railway station. The main street contains a number of attractive dwellings dating from the town's heyday. The village retains the original general store, the impressive Tudor style Parattah Hotel and a number of historic churches.
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Founded in 1816, the tiny historical village of Jericho is one of the oldest surviving townships in Australia. Like its better known neighbour, Oatlands, the main road of Jericho contains some fine examples of early colonial sandstone architecture, and constructions including examples of convict cut culverts, bridges and walls, many of which date from the 1830s. A mud wall, a relic from the convict probation station, is appropriately known as the Wall of Jericho.
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Apart from two small churches, just about all that remains of the Melton Mowbray settlement is Melton Mowbray Hotel, which became a centre for the sport of hunting in the Van Diemen's Land colony. John Bisdee, whose property was nearby, is recorded as supplying deer for local hunting meetings. Whilst on holidays in England in the 1830s, John was introduced to Samuel Blackwell, a wealthy businessman, by John's father, both of whom were members of the exclusive Tedworth Hunt Club. They struck up a friendship, John persuaded Blackwell to accompany him on his return to this State, and they arrived in 1840. Two years later, Blackwell took over the Royal Oak Hotel (now Oakmore homestead) at Green Ponds (now Kempton), before purchasing 110 acres at the junction of the Main Road and the Bothwell Road where he built the Melton Mowbray Hotel.
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Lovely Banks is a picturesque farm with a rich history, located near Spring Hill. The origins of its name date back to the 1800s, when a Governor and his wife passed through the area and commented on the 'lovely banks' close to where the original farmhouse stands today. The historical estate has been family-run for five generations and is now managed by Tim and Andrew McShane and their families. One of the locations selected to accommodate gangs of convict labourers involved in building the road was the Lovely Banks Probation Station at Spring Hill. Work commenced to construct the road up Spring Hill in 1840, the Lovely Banks Bridge and a stone culvert further east were constructed as part of the road. Convicts housed at the nearby Probation Station built the bridge, with other convicts breaking rock in a quarry located just east of Lovely Banks.
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A small and charming Georgian colonial village which is registered as a classified historic town. The district was first settled by Europeans in 1814 and was known as Green Ponds - a name which is still retained as the local municipality. The town is full of quaint Georgian cottages, shops and farm buildings. The Heritage Highway bypasses Kempton, however it is worth stopping by to explore.
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The Norfolk Plains - the area around Longford, Cressy, and Perth, south of Launceston - draws tourists to its beautifully preserved historical buildings and pleasant pastoral landscapes, reflecting the fact it was once one of the most important regions in the whole of Australia. It got its name from the Norfolk Islanders who had been relocated to Tasmania from Norfolk Island, to encourage them to take roots in the area. The failed to see the area's potential and moved on.
First coming across the Norfolk Plains after the establishment of Port Dalrymple in about 1804, British settlers began taking up farming land in earnest in 1813. The primary stakeholders in the area at the time of establishment included the Cressy Company (formerly known as The Establishment) as well as the Archer Family. The Cressy Company and the Archer family transformed Norfolk Plains into an area that supported the whole of Australia at the time. By the mid 19th century, it had developed into the bread basket of Australia, growing wheat, the barley, and all the crops they needed, as well as well as grazing sheep and cattle.
When Col William Paterson was sent to establish and oversee Port Dalrymple at the mouth of the Tamar River (Launceston), New South Wales Governor Phillip King was aware that Paterson, an Army man, was not thrilled at the idea of being under the control of Lt. Gov Collins, a naval officer, who was the Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land, based in Hobart. To avoid conflict between Paterson and Collins, Gov. King decided to split the island in half. This established two counties of equal status - Cornwall in the north and Buckingham in the south - both governed from New South Wales, separated by the 42nd parallel south, but independent of each other.
The establishment of a border between north and south served its purpose, and though King did not have to deal with any major disagreements between north and south, the border did foster revalry between the two that continued to influcence Tasmanian social, politican and economic life long after the 42nd demarkation line was dissolved. Even today, community differences are celebrated but also have acted as hindrances to the overall well-being and unity of the island. Though Hobart is acknowledged as the state capital, northerners still view Launceston as the "northern" capital.
The 42nd degree demarcation is celebrated in a series of display panels near the Four Corners of Ross, which sits on the 42 Degrees South parallel.
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