New Norfolk
Out and About in
the Derwent Valley
The Derwent Valley is famous for
its historic villages. You can take a drive from Hobart, visiting the southern
section of Midland Highway, Tasmania's first main road that was built by
convict road gangs, before returning to Hobart via the Derwent Valley. The
route then heads north-east to a number villages in the southern foothills of
the Central Highlands, following Lakes Highway that ultimately passes Arthurs
Lake on its way to Launceston. The return journey passes through the historic
villages on the lower Lyell Highway, following the River Derwent as it winds
its way through hilly terrain towards Hobart.
Location: From Hobart, travelling east then, north and north west. Full day.
Length of drive: 185 km
Features and Attractions: Richmond; Oatlands; Kempton; Bothwell; Ouse; Bushy Park; New Norfolk
The Drive: Take the Brooker Hwy north out of Hobart to Bridgewater. Continue north on the Midland Highway to Brighton and Pontville. Once an important stopping point on the road from Hobart to Launceston, Pontville is home to a number of convict built, pre-1820s buildings including a soldiers barracks. Continue north through the villages of Mangalore, Bagdad and Dysart to Kempton, a charming Georgian colonial settlement which is registered as a classified historic town. Dysart House, now privately owned, at the southern end of town, is an exceedingly handsome mansion. North of Kempton is Melton Mowbray, a village that never quite grew to its full potential.
At Melton (as Melton Mowbray is known by the locals), turn left and follow Lake Highway through Aspley to Bothwell. This little village, laid out in 1824, had a strong Scottish element in its early population which is evident everywhere in its buildings (see photo gallery). It is claimed that the first game of golf in Australia was played here in the 1820s. In season, Bothwell is known as the gateway to some of the best trout fishing in Australia. Leave Bothwell, taking Wentworth Street, and follow the signs to Ouse, another small Central Highlands town. It was in the hills around Ouse that bushranger Martin Cash roamed. Nearby are Cluny Dam and the Repulse Dam; both are small but typical Hydro Power Station dams. Millbrook water mill off Victoria Valley Road dates back to 1843.
South of Ouse on Lyell Highway towards Hobart is Hamilton, a pretty colonial-era town on the Clyde River. Hamilton is full of history, from pristine Georgian cottages that now house craft galleries or offer bed and breakfast accommodation to a convict built schoolhouse. Jackson's Emporium, built in 1856, is a quaintly different kind of department store specialising in Derwent Valley products. Continue south through Gretna to Rosegarland and turn left towards Bushy Park.
The hop capital of Tasmania, it is a fascinating historic destination, a slice of Europe with its old houses, hop kilns, deciduous trees and hopfields which seem to envelop every building and road. Mount Field National Park, with cascading waterfalls, deep gorges and a large variety of plants and trees, is accessed by road from Bushy Park. Follow Glenora Rd through Plenty (with its superb Salmon Ponds) to New Norfolk, so named because the town's founding pioneers were re-settled from Norfolk Island in 1808.
Location: From Hobart, travelling east then, north and north west. Full day.
Length of drive: 185 km
Features and Attractions: Richmond; Oatlands; Kempton; Bothwell; Ouse; Bushy Park; New Norfolk
The Drive: Take the Brooker Hwy north out of Hobart to Bridgewater. Continue north on the Midland Highway to Brighton and Pontville. Once an important stopping point on the road from Hobart to Launceston, Pontville is home to a number of convict built, pre-1820s buildings including a soldiers barracks. Continue north through the villages of Mangalore, Bagdad and Dysart to Kempton, a charming Georgian colonial settlement which is registered as a classified historic town. Dysart House, now privately owned, at the southern end of town, is an exceedingly handsome mansion. North of Kempton is Melton Mowbray, a village that never quite grew to its full potential.
At Melton (as Melton Mowbray is known by the locals), turn left and follow Lake Highway through Aspley to Bothwell. This little village, laid out in 1824, had a strong Scottish element in its early population which is evident everywhere in its buildings (see photo gallery). It is claimed that the first game of golf in Australia was played here in the 1820s. In season, Bothwell is known as the gateway to some of the best trout fishing in Australia. Leave Bothwell, taking Wentworth Street, and follow the signs to Ouse, another small Central Highlands town. It was in the hills around Ouse that bushranger Martin Cash roamed. Nearby are Cluny Dam and the Repulse Dam; both are small but typical Hydro Power Station dams. Millbrook water mill off Victoria Valley Road dates back to 1843.
South of Ouse on Lyell Highway towards Hobart is Hamilton, a pretty colonial-era town on the Clyde River. Hamilton is full of history, from pristine Georgian cottages that now house craft galleries or offer bed and breakfast accommodation to a convict built schoolhouse. Jackson's Emporium, built in 1856, is a quaintly different kind of department store specialising in Derwent Valley products. Continue south through Gretna to Rosegarland and turn left towards Bushy Park.
The hop capital of Tasmania, it is a fascinating historic destination, a slice of Europe with its old houses, hop kilns, deciduous trees and hopfields which seem to envelop every building and road. Mount Field National Park, with cascading waterfalls, deep gorges and a large variety of plants and trees, is accessed by road from Bushy Park. Follow Glenora Rd through Plenty (with its superb Salmon Ponds) to New Norfolk, so named because the town's founding pioneers were re-settled from Norfolk Island in 1808.
The richness and variety of its historic buildings, the old Oast Houses and the gentle undulations of the countryside on either side of the Derwent River make this one of the most attractive places in southern Tasmania. The state's oldest church, The Anglican Church of St Matthew, is in New Norfolk. Return to Hobart, taking the picturesque drive alongside the River Derwent via Lyell Highway.
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.
The major historic buildings in the town include the National Estate listed St Mary s Anglican Church, a sandstone Gothic Revival building which was probably designed by James Blackburn. It was completed in 1844 and is notable for its square tower, its interesting cemetery, and its position as a central feature of Kempton s townscape.
Where is it?: Kempton is 49 km north of Hobart just off the Midland Highway.
The church cemetery and the former Catholic Church garden reveal graves of convicts who were transported to New South Wales with the First Fleet in 1788.
Kempton Congregational Church (1840) is a simple stone Georgian church which also has an interesting old cemetery.
Wilmot Arms Inn (1844) was built by convicts and operated as a licensed inn until 1897. It is said that the proprietor suddenly got religion and stopped making alcohol and fed all his spirits to the pigs. The building later fell into disrepair but was restored in 1978. Today it is part of Tasmania s Colonial Accommodation circuit.
Dysart House
Another coaching inn in the area was Dysart House (now a private residence) a large two storey Georgian stone inn which was built in 1842. It is recognised as one of the finest coaching inns on the old Midlands Highway.
The major historic buildings in the town include the National Estate listed St Mary s Anglican Church, a sandstone Gothic Revival building which was probably designed by James Blackburn. It was completed in 1844 and is notable for its square tower, its interesting cemetery, and its position as a central feature of Kempton s townscape.
Where is it?: Kempton is 49 km north of Hobart just off the Midland Highway.
The church cemetery and the former Catholic Church garden reveal graves of convicts who were transported to New South Wales with the First Fleet in 1788.
Kempton Congregational Church (1840) is a simple stone Georgian church which also has an interesting old cemetery.
Wilmot Arms Inn (1844) was built by convicts and operated as a licensed inn until 1897. It is said that the proprietor suddenly got religion and stopped making alcohol and fed all his spirits to the pigs. The building later fell into disrepair but was restored in 1978. Today it is part of Tasmania s Colonial Accommodation circuit.
Dysart House
Another coaching inn in the area was Dysart House (now a private residence) a large two storey Georgian stone inn which was built in 1842. It is recognised as one of the finest coaching inns on the old Midlands Highway.
Once co-joined homesteads erected in the 1820s, what are now the Council Chambers were later converted into Government Offices and Court House. The buildings were used as a police station until 1862. The clock tower in front of the chambers was built to commemorate those who lost their lives in the 1914-18 war.
Kent Cottage
Kent Cottage, now a private residence, was built in 1833 James Lumsden operated a general store in two storey Georgian building in 1860, and more recently it was a service station.
The convict built two storey Glebe House is a private residence built for Rev George Otter in 1836. The quaint old shop over the road was originally a general store built in 1934. It was formerly situated in the grounds of Gleber House but was relocated to its present position in 1990.
Silhouette Trail: A cut-out stage coach at the highway exit to Kempton marks the start of the Silhouette Trail on The Heritage Highway. In the paddocks along the highway, fifteen larger than life black steel cut-outs define the Trail and reflect on the region's frontier days: stage coaches in full flight, bushrangers, sheep farmers, gold-panners, surveyors, convict road gangs, railway workers, soldiers, a hangman, emus and Tasmanian Tigers amongst them.
New Norfolk was settled in 1807,
based on land grants provided by the Government in an effort to develop the
area. Back River just two miles from New
Norfolk soon became part of that development.
Why Back River? The best explanation is that it is situated at the back of the Derwent River, amongst rolling hills, in the shadow of Mt Dromedary and fertile river flats. Nowadays the area is known as Magra.
Bushrangers roamed the area and
robbed many of the early settlers. The
bushranger Martin Cash used a sandstone
cave known as Martin Cash’s Cave, to stable his horses, and further up Mt Dromedary
was their hideout.
Early settlers built their homes
along the flats to the foothills and were ensured of plentiful water from the
streams flowing from the Mountain. This
water supply allowed the settlement to prosper.
A stroll around the cemetery
behind the Methodist Church, built of brick in 1831, reveals the names of many
pioneering families.
These include Shone, Triffitt, Hay
and Clelland families. Early settlers
include members of the Bradshaw, Cockerill and Young families, all part of the
story of the Jilletts.
The area was named by the Norfolk
Islander’s who were sent to Van Diemen’s Land when the first settlement on
Norfolk Island was disbanded. The
settlers chose the name as a reminder of what they had left behind when they
were made to relocate.
Betty King, (Elizabeth Thackerly
convict) who was supposed to be the first white woman to set foot on Australian
soil, (she jumped off the ship when it landed at Botany Bay), was a settler,
along with her husband Sam King. They
came to live at Back River in 1810, and the area they settled is still known as
King’s Rocks today.
The Norfolk
Islanders
Settlers who were brought to Van
Diemen’s Land from Norfolk Island played a major part in the expansion of the New
Norfolk district. The isolation of
Norfolk Island, the difficulty of getting stores ashore, and the inability of
the settlement to support itself became insuperable problems, and a complete
evacuation of the island was ordered in 1806.
And so, in November 1807, the Lady Nelson arrived, carrying the first 34
of the Norfolk Islanders to settle in the district.
By October the following year 544
people had arrived, to the great consternation of Luit. Governor Collins, as
the colony was in the grip of a famine.
To add to Collin’s problems all kinds of promises of assistance had been
made to the Islanders, which Collins simply could not keep.
Many settlers, and even the
soldiers, were reduced to clothing themselves in skins, and if it had not been
for the vast numbers of kangaroo, duck and swan, they might well have starved.
New Norfolk Historical Centre.. New Norfolk
A Short History of New Norfolk
Reproduced from a
booklet Compliments of the Derwent
Valley Visitor Information Centre, Circle Street New Norfolk
Some facts and features are:
It has
had three names – The Hills, New Norfolk, Elizabeth Town (after Governor
Macquarie’s wife)
Governor Macquarie requested that
it be re-named Elizabeth Town and be made the capital of Van Diemen’s
Land. The Colonial Secretary in London
denied his requests.
When Norfolk Island was closed
many of the Norfolk Islanders were resettled at The Hills and they subsequently
asked that the settlement be named New Norfolk as a reminder of their previous
home.
There
was a settlement prior to the arrival of the Norfolk Islanders in 1805 – 1806.
The road from Hobart to New
Norfolk was the first constructed in the colony. It has been realigned in some sections. Between Granton and New Norfolk there is a
rock cairn as a memorial to the road contractor, Denis Mc Carty. McCarty insisted that part of the contract
payment be in barrels of rum. There was
a dispute over the quality of the work and McCarty died in a drowning accident
before it was settled.
Willow Court, a former barracks
is the oldest building in an asylum institution in Australia, (closed 2000, and
is being developed into tourist facilities and businesses)
Note
Harry Jillett was a inmate, and died in 1942
The Bush Inn is claimed to be the
oldest continually licensed hotel in Australia.
Dame Nellie Melba stayed there when on her farewell tour, she
entertained the guests by singing “Scenes that are Brightest”. The guests sat on the staircase leading to
her private suite.
The Anglican Church of St
Matthews in Bathurst Street is the oldest church in Tasmania, and has
magnificent stained glass windows. It is
open for inspection with no charge. A
particularly interesting window is in the eastern end. This is a memorial to Nancy Hope Shoebridge,
who died at sea at the age of nine years, while on the way to England to visit
her grandparents. This was in 1890 and
she was buried at sea. Her parents had
the artist reproduce a picture of their child in the window. She can be seen in the background of the Nativity
scene.
The Close next to the church is
also an historic building built in 1866.
Crafts, many made by local residents, and souvenirs are available, at
reasonable prices, at the Close, operated by volunteers, proceeds are used for
upkeep and restoration of the church.
There
are many historic and heritage buildings within the town and throughout the
Derwent Valley.
The hop industry was established
firstly at New Norfolk and then at Bushy Park.
An oast house (hop kiln) built at Bushy Park by one member of the Shoebridge
family has biblical texts set in the external walls.
(Thomas Shone also had oast houses at his
property Stanton)
New Norfolk’s History: A Timeline
By 1808 the population of Tasmania (then Van Diemen’s Land) had become 544 and comprised of free settlers, soldiers and convicts.
In 1811 Governor Macquarie visited Van Diemen’s Land and renamed the town as ‘Elizabeth Town’. The name was not popular among the locals, and after much protest they succeeded in naming the town ‘New Norfolk’, due to their association and history with the Norfolk Island settlement.
Development in New Norfolk progressed steadily and in 1818 the first arterial road linking the town to Hobart was built. A regular coach service between Hobart and New Norfolk began in 1829.
·
New
Norfolk got its first colonial hotel, the Bush Inn, in 1825 and in 1836 a
convict hospital was completed. This became the New Norfolk Hospital for the
Insane and later the Royal Derwent Hospital.
·
On 1st
June 1832 New Norfolk’s Post Office was built and in 1840 the first bridge across
the valley was built.
·
Hops
became the primary commercial crop of the region in 1846 and still remain a
major industry in the Derwent Valley.
·
In 1864
salmon hatcheries were set up at the Salmon Ponds in Plenty, marking the
beginning of widespread fish rearing still practiced today.
·
New
Norfolk had the honor of playing host to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1868.
·
New
Norfolk was added to the state’s railway network in 1887.
·
In 1888
New Norfolk made telecommunications history when the Bush Inn Hotel received
Australia’s first trunk telephone call from Hobart.
·
The Municipality
of New Norfolk was established in 1906.
·
The
Municipality of New Norfolk was established in 1906.
·
Hydro-electricity
reached the town in early 1900s.
·
In 1926
by the Pioneer Woodware Company established a peg making factory in New
Norfolk. The factory produced 1.4 million pegs every week and was the main
supplier of cloth pegs in Australia. Prior to the local production, pegs were
imported from America.
·
In 1939
construction of Australian Newsprint Mills (now Norske Skog) at Boyer began and
became the major employer in the area.
·
In 1948
the peg factory was completely destroyed by fire, and not long after reopening
was struck by flooding from the River Derwent. The factory still stands today
and is home to a number of local businesses.
·
In 1960
much of New Norfolk suffered major flooding.
·
In 1999
the Royal Derwent Hospital (Willow Court area) closed.
Places of Note
At Salmon Ponds a few kilometres
from New Norfolk was the first trout fish hatchery in the southern
hemisphere. In a beautiful setting
visitors can view the fish in ponds, read the history of the hatchery, visit
the museum, have a picnic in the grounds or dine in the restaurant.
No other country town in Tasmania
can offer so many historical features and beauty as New Norfolk.
Robert Cartwright Read of
Redlands Estate (People and Places The
Terry Family) began the Salmon Ponds.
Two substantial homes built in
the district were Stanton, a brick residence, and home of the Shone family for
130 years, and Denmark Hill[1], a
brick and freestone buildings. These two
building still remain as historic landmarks of the pioneering times.
Disaster struck the industry when
in 1916 there was a huge flood which swept into the valley, destroying the livelihood
of the farmers.
Then in 1919 the area was struck
with the pneumonic flu, known then as “the plague”. So many people perished and tales of
unselfish heroic acts amongst neighbours allowed many stricken families to survive. Back River today is a scene of pleasant
pasture, surrounded by fruit orchards.
Much attention was given to beer manufacturing and as a result hops became a cash crop in New Norfolk. Oast houses were built to dry the hops and can still be seen all over. The Two Metre Tall Brewing Company is the local micro-brewery.
Fruits like raspberries, blueberries, cherries, plums, apples and grapes are also grown in and around New Norfolk. In late summer and autumn many locals pick the abundant blackberries growing on the sides of the roads.
In 1810, John Oxley wrote:.
New Norfolk... A considerable portion of the Norfolk [Island] Settlers have chosen to settle on the Upper part of the river; their district is named New Norfolk and is represented as being a most delightful Country, the land contiguous to the Banks of the River being exceedingly fertile and not liable to flood ; extensive plains and rising Ground afford pasturage for any number of Cattle ; a number of small rivulets, intersecting the Country in every direction is an advantage the Country near the Sea Coast is deprived of ; the Main River, being navigable for Boats for a considerable distance, affords an easy communication with he principle Settlement [of Hobart].
These lands have not been settled for more than eighteen months, And appearances are so favourable as to Warrant the Expectation that with proper Care and Management a short Space of time will preclude the Necessity of further Importations of Grain.
Though Oxley painted a rosy picture of the New Norfolk area, the Norfolk Island settlers were still arguing that the terms of their relocation had not been met in full, particularly in respect of the labour promised them. This dispute was ongoing, and even in 1812 Lieutenant Governor Macquarie was still trying to resolve it.
...I must recommend to you in the Strongest manner to pay particular attention to the Distribution of the Eighty Male Convicts now proceeding to the Derwent on board the [ship] Ruby. You are to retain Twenty Men out of that number for the use of the Government, including Mechanics ; and you are to distribute the remaining Sixty Men amongst that Class of People called the Norfolk Island Settlers, in liquidation of their long standing Claims for Government Labourers. In making this Distribution, the Strictest impartiality must be observed ; and... it will be impossible to liquidate the whole of the Claims of the Norfolk Island Settlers for Men...17
Also inevitable is that once an area becomes settled by farmers, others will follow, providing businesses and services any community requires. And with these first entrepreneurs and community groups the Government is usually there too, often after these business have established themselves, sometimes before.
Issuing instruction to James Meechan, the colonies Surveyor General, Macquarie said:
You will mark out the new Township of Elizabeth Town (named so by me when at the Derwent in November last) [after his wife] exactly on the same Ground I have already pointed out for it on the Right Bank of the River Derwent, opposite and adjoining to the District of New Norfolk ; laying the Cite of the Town exactly on the same Plan and Principle as that of George-Town with regard to the Centre Square, Streets... with the exception however of the few Allotments I have already promised to some few Individuals who have promised to come to reside there immediately...
In 1812 Governor Macquarie directed:
Having deemed it advisable, when lately at the Derwent and on my visit of Inspection to the District of New Norfolk, to examine and to mark out an eligible Situation for a Township I have named Elizabeth Town , I have to direct that every facility and encouragement in your power to Sober, industrious Tradesmen, and useful Mechanics to go to reside and Settle there, as soon as the Township has been subdivided into regular Allotments by the Surveyor.
Along with Turriff Lodge and John Terrys (flour) Mill, sited where the Lachlan and the Derwent Rivers met (now the Oast House and Tynwald), one of the first permanent buildings erected, high on the banks of the river and overlooking its wonderful valley, was the public house known as the “Bush Inn
The first school was established in
1849, under difficult conditions, and in 1863 the Board of Education announced
that the school would be closed due to insufficient attendance. In 1884
Thomas Shone wrote to the Board of Education requesting a public school in the
area.
He offered ¾ acre of land if the Board would erect a school. The school and a master’s residence were erected and Miss Ada Wills was appointed teacher. There were 20 boys and 11 girls enrolled. Miss Wills was paid 31 pounds 3 shillings and 4 pence for the 160 ½ days of school remaining in that year.
By the 1870’s hop growing was introduced, and by 1874 there were over 50 acres under cultivation.
The Shone’s had seven acres, E.A.
Bradshaw had 3.5 acres, Mr. E. Cockerill had 5 acres and Mrs. C. Cockerill had
2.5 acres.
Hop growing was very hard work, involving the use of young saplings and rushes to tie the vines. Everyone helped with this task. A sickle was used to harvest the hops.
Disaster struck the industry when in 1916 there was a huge flood which swept into the valley, destroying the livelihood of the farmers. Then in 1919 the area was struck with the pneumonic flu, known then as “the plague”.
Hop growing was very hard work, involving the use of young saplings and rushes to tie the vines. Everyone helped with this task. A sickle was used to harvest the hops.
Disaster struck the industry when in 1916 there was a huge flood which swept into the valley, destroying the livelihood of the farmers. Then in 1919 the area was struck with the pneumonic flu, known then as “the plague”.
So many people perished and tales of
unselfish heroic acts amongst neighbours allowed many stricken families
to survive. Back River today is a scene of pleasant pasture,
surrounded by fruit orchards.
History of New Norfolk 1807 - 1900
From Internet search
New Norfolk was the third planned settlement to be undertaken in Tasmania, after Hobart and Launceston. In 1803-4 when Hobart was first settled on the banks of the Derwent, it was considered important to explore this waterway and find out the potential of the surrounding areas. By 1807 the European population on the Derwent was "483 starving persons". The food supplies were so low that convicts were being sent out into the bush to kill kangaroos for meat issues from the stores.
Starting in November 1807 and on through the following year, people from the Norfolk Island penal colony were persuaded to come to Van Diemen?s Land by offers of a generous exchange of land (4 acres for each acre held on Norfolk Island), a house of similar standard to that left behind, 2 or 4 convicts to assist them in clearing their new farms, and food and clothing from the stores for 12 months. By late 1808, 544 people (soldiers, convicts and free settlers) had arrived and they put an enormous strain on the colony's fragile economy. However they did form a basis for the settlement of the district and provided many skills and profession that were lacking including 2 bakers, 2 blacksmiths, 4 bullock drivers, a butcher, 13 ex-constables, 2 gardeners, a harness maker, a milkman, a stonemason, 8 overseers, a painter & glazier, 2 saltboilers, 2 sawyers, a cooper and 2 carpenters.
New Norfolk was the third planned settlement to be undertaken in Tasmania, after Hobart and Launceston. In 1803-4 when Hobart was first settled on the banks of the Derwent, it was considered important to explore this waterway and find out the potential of the surrounding areas. By 1807 the European population on the Derwent was "483 starving persons". The food supplies were so low that convicts were being sent out into the bush to kill kangaroos for meat issues from the stores.
Starting in November 1807 and on through the following year, people from the Norfolk Island penal colony were persuaded to come to Van Diemen?s Land by offers of a generous exchange of land (4 acres for each acre held on Norfolk Island), a house of similar standard to that left behind, 2 or 4 convicts to assist them in clearing their new farms, and food and clothing from the stores for 12 months. By late 1808, 544 people (soldiers, convicts and free settlers) had arrived and they put an enormous strain on the colony's fragile economy. However they did form a basis for the settlement of the district and provided many skills and profession that were lacking including 2 bakers, 2 blacksmiths, 4 bullock drivers, a butcher, 13 ex-constables, 2 gardeners, a harness maker, a milkman, a stonemason, 8 overseers, a painter & glazier, 2 saltboilers, 2 sawyers, a cooper and 2 carpenters.
Although they were promised compensation for their forced move, many had
the sense to realise that it would be impossible for the government ever to
fulfil the wildly optimistic promises held out to them and some offered to
supply themselves with housing if they could be provided with nails and a few
necessary tools. Others proposed to wave all their claims for
housing in exchange for stock (bengal cows and sheep) equal in value to the
houses they had left behind on Norfolk.
Of the new settlers, 24% were located to Sandy Bay, 19% to New Town and Glenorchy, 27% to the eastern shore between Bridgewater and Pittwater and the Clarence Plains area. The remaining 30% came to New Norfolk. New Norfolk was at first known as "The Hills" because of its setting among hills, valleys and gentle streams. In 1811 Governor Macquarie came to visit Van Diemen?s Land. He mapped out a town site and named the town "Elizabeth Town" (after his wife) in the District of New Norfolk. The name did not catch on although it was used on and off from 1811 to 1825, but the local settlers, wanting to preserve a link with their old island home, won the day and the town was officially known as "New" Norfolk. The stream called the Thames by the locals, was renamed the "Lachlan" (pronounced Locklon) by Governor Macquarie (in honour of his son). However, although it retains the name to this very day, it is pronounced as "Lacklan" by the locals, much to the confusion of newcomers.
Governor Macquarie ordered the Surveyor to plan and mark out the township and details of grants and leases. Hobart Town Authority was instructed to afford every encouragement and facility to industrious tradesmen and useful mechanics to reside and settle as soon as the new township had been sub-divided into regular allotments. The going was tough for the early settlers and most had to be supported on government rations until 1812. There were no roads and no transport as we know it and the population was entirely dependent on river transport or following dirt tracks overland using horse-drawn vehicles and bullock wagons. But the settlement slowly grew and prospered.
In 1846 the first hop plants were brought in from Maria Island and this became a flourishing industry resulting in the traditional "New Norfolk" landscape - oast houses, fields of wired poles and windbreaks of Lombardy Poplars, a spectacular sight in autumn.
The Derwent Valley was rich in soil and timber and by 1902, had began to develop at a rapid pace. One of the contributing factors was the extension of the railway line.
Of the new settlers, 24% were located to Sandy Bay, 19% to New Town and Glenorchy, 27% to the eastern shore between Bridgewater and Pittwater and the Clarence Plains area. The remaining 30% came to New Norfolk. New Norfolk was at first known as "The Hills" because of its setting among hills, valleys and gentle streams. In 1811 Governor Macquarie came to visit Van Diemen?s Land. He mapped out a town site and named the town "Elizabeth Town" (after his wife) in the District of New Norfolk. The name did not catch on although it was used on and off from 1811 to 1825, but the local settlers, wanting to preserve a link with their old island home, won the day and the town was officially known as "New" Norfolk. The stream called the Thames by the locals, was renamed the "Lachlan" (pronounced Locklon) by Governor Macquarie (in honour of his son). However, although it retains the name to this very day, it is pronounced as "Lacklan" by the locals, much to the confusion of newcomers.
Governor Macquarie ordered the Surveyor to plan and mark out the township and details of grants and leases. Hobart Town Authority was instructed to afford every encouragement and facility to industrious tradesmen and useful mechanics to reside and settle as soon as the new township had been sub-divided into regular allotments. The going was tough for the early settlers and most had to be supported on government rations until 1812. There were no roads and no transport as we know it and the population was entirely dependent on river transport or following dirt tracks overland using horse-drawn vehicles and bullock wagons. But the settlement slowly grew and prospered.
In 1846 the first hop plants were brought in from Maria Island and this became a flourishing industry resulting in the traditional "New Norfolk" landscape - oast houses, fields of wired poles and windbreaks of Lombardy Poplars, a spectacular sight in autumn.
The Derwent Valley was rich in soil and timber and by 1902, had began to develop at a rapid pace. One of the contributing factors was the extension of the railway line.
This much needed facility brought greater prosperity to the rural
communities and in 1907 the Hydro-Electric Power & Metallurgical Company
commenced operations at the Great Lake.
Hobart was first illuminated by the Hobart Gas Company on 1 January,
1913 but three years later changed over to electricity from the Great Lakes
Works. In 1915 the Hydro Electric Department was requested by the
Minister for Lands and Works to report on the possibility of an electricity
supply for New Norfolk.
River steamers were an essential part of New Norfolk's development, among them the SS Marana, which ended its days as a fishing trawler at Victoria; the Maweena which eventually burnt; the Emu, which sank later near the New Norfolk bridge and is still there; and the Monarch which sank at the Lime Kilns. Flooding in the lower reaches of the Derwent River has been a periodic event and New Norfolk has rebuilt the bridge, linking both sides of the town, four times. The existence of Meadowbank Dam should remedy this situation.
The historic problems of wars and pestilence took their toll here too. Men served in the Boer War which began in October 1899 and ended in May 1902 and then the First and Second World Wars. Floods and the Pneumonic Flu in 1917 decimated the population of the island as it did across the world
River steamers were an essential part of New Norfolk's development, among them the SS Marana, which ended its days as a fishing trawler at Victoria; the Maweena which eventually burnt; the Emu, which sank later near the New Norfolk bridge and is still there; and the Monarch which sank at the Lime Kilns. Flooding in the lower reaches of the Derwent River has been a periodic event and New Norfolk has rebuilt the bridge, linking both sides of the town, four times. The existence of Meadowbank Dam should remedy this situation.
The historic problems of wars and pestilence took their toll here too. Men served in the Boer War which began in October 1899 and ended in May 1902 and then the First and Second World Wars. Floods and the Pneumonic Flu in 1917 decimated the population of the island as it did across the world
Clarence Louis Jillett Shop in New Norfolk.
New Norfolk is a central location for tourism in the upper Derwent
Valley.
New Norfolk is near the tourist attractions of Mount Field, Lake Pedder, Strathgordon, Gordon Dam
hydroelectric site, and the South West Wilderness. The Tourist Information Centre staffed by
volunteers is located in Circle Street next to the Council Chambers at the top
end of High Street.
In 2013 Martin Cash Pizza was voted best pizza maker in Tasmania
Many of the historical farm house mansions, such as Glen Derwent and Tynwald, operate
as bed and breakfast accommodation, tea rooms, restaurants and wedding venues.
The 1825 Heritage listed Woodbridge on the Derwent, on the river next to
the bridge, operates as a small luxury hotel, and is presently one of more than
10 5-star hotels in Tasmania, although the building is located only 6 metres
from a major highway carrying log trucks 24 hours a day. It draws a clientele
from all over the world.
It has a long and interesting history. Built by hand by convicts for
Captain Roadknight, the first Constable of the then Elizabeth Town, it was
later owned by William Sharland, assistant surveyor of Tasmania, and his
descendants. William Sharland constructed the wooden bridge across the Derwent
next to Woodbridge - this was the first bridge across the Derwent, and the
original Tollhouse still stands today.
By the 1950s, Woodbridge was derelict, and was converted into 7 flats.
Again, by 2003, it was again derelict, and It was completely restored between
2003 and 2005. The restoration won the 2005 Tasmanian Restoration of the Year
Award, and the 2006 Australian Restoration of the Year Award The building is
unique in that it was built in the prevailing simple Georgian style, but it has
an octagonal three storey central tower, reminiscent of French chateau.
Woodbridge,
from the bridge over the Derwent
Climate
New Norfolk is the warmest area of Tasmania in summer and has a cool temperate oceanic climate that is
classified as Cfb under Köppen Climate Classification.
Climate data for New Norfolk, 1965-1983
|
|||||||||||||
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °C (°F)
|
39.4
(102.9) |
39.4
(102.9) |
37.8
(100) |
29.0
(84.2) |
23.8
(74.8) |
19.6
(67.3) |
20.0
(68) |
23.1
(73.6) |
27.6
(81.7) |
31.1
(88) |
36.1
(97) |
37.2
(99) |
39.4
(102.9) |
Average high °C (°F)
|
25.2
(77.4) |
25.0
(77) |
22.2
(72) |
18.3
(64.9) |
14.2
(57.6) |
11.0
(51.8) |
9.9
(49.8) |
10.9
(51.6) |
14.5
(58.1) |
17.6
(63.7) |
19.3
(66.7) |
22.7
(72.9) |
17.3
(63.1) |
Average low °C (°F)
|
10.8
(51.4) |
11.3
(52.3) |
9.5
(49.1) |
7.0
(44.6) |
4.4
(39.9) |
2.1
(35.8) |
1.3
(34.3) |
2.2
(36) |
4.5
(40.1) |
6.2
(43.2) |
8.2
(46.8) |
9.8
(49.6) |
6.6
(43.9) |
Record low °C (°F)
|
−1.2
(29.8) |
2.0
(35.6) |
0.3
(32.5) |
−1.0
(30.2) |
−3.4
(25.9) |
−5.7
(21.7) |
−4.0
(24.8) |
−2.8
(27) |
−3.0
(26.6) |
−1.5
(29.3) |
0.0
(32) |
1.2
(34.2) |
−5.7
(21.7) |
39.8
(1.567) |
34.6
(1.362) |
38.7
(1.524) |
47.6
(1.874) |
44.0
(1.732) |
48.6
(1.913) |
48.4
(1.906) |
46.6
(1.835) |
49.0
(1.929) |
55.0
(2.165) |
47.2
(1.858) |
49.6
(1.953) |
548.9
(21.61) |
|
Average precipitation days
|
8.0
|
6.8
|
8.8
|
10.1
|
11.1
|
12.0
|
13.0
|
13.9
|
13.2
|
13.8
|
12.0
|
10.8
|
133.5
|
Some Clarification about some Pubs!
William
Elwin held the licence of two hotels in New Norfolk. Elwin's Hotel, which was known as the Derwent Hotel, and he held the
license of Bush Inn, at New Norfolk.
Joseph
Oakley also owned the Bush Inn at New Norfolk.
Joseph married Elizabeth
Bradshaw, daughter of William Bradshaw and Mary Jane Gunn in 1841. Elizabeth died in 1842. He then married her aunt, Susannah Jillett in
1846. Susannah (Charles Dowdell and
William Garth) died in 1852, and then he married Amelia Anson in 1853. After her death in 1866 he married Elizabeth
Ward.
Amelia
Anson was the daughter of Henry Anson, and the sister of Joshua John Anson, who
also ran the Bush Inn, and became a well known photographer.
Contemporary
research seems to have clouded many of those facts.
Bush Inn Hotel, is at 49-51 Montagu Street NEW NORFOLK, TAS
An Historical Account of the Bush Inn
...After
leaving the hotel for the first time in 1837, Barker was succeeded by James
Dean. Dean held the License for three
years, from 1837 to 1839.
The Bush
Inn was sold by Anne Bridger in 1840 to William Elwin, though again the
connection of the Bridgers to the inn was not finished. Anne Bridger would die in 1857 in Melbourne,
aged 80 years, but her son Henry would call the hotel ‘home’ again.
Under
Elwin's management the Bush Inn became popular as a honeymoon
destination. In his book Inns of
Australia, Paul McGuire states “The
best resort known to Tasmanian history is, of course, the Bush Inn at New Norfolk,
...at which many of Hobart Town newly married people spent their honeymoon.”
When the
hotel went on sale for the second time, a much larger and more florid
advertisement appeared. Because of the
timing of the sale, in the 1850's, this was perhaps to be expected. Tasmania was undergoing a dramatic change of
attitude and opinion then, and there was a very strong temperence
movement. This period is discussed in a
separate chapter.
As
stated, in 1845 Charles Barker returned as Licensee, remaining there until
1853. He died in January 1862, in
Navarre, Victoria.
The year
1853 marks the beginning of a series of Licensees who stayed at the hotel only
briefly. These included Henry Bridger,
James Hagan, Joshua Anson, Frederick Le Geyt Piguenit and Joseph Oakley, all
before 1860.
Why was
there such a high turnover of publicans in the 1850’s? In part, it may have been because of the
Temperance movement that became active then, and that community opinions and
attitudes were changing.
During the
1850’s the Bush Inn changed hands five times. Other hotels in the New Norfolk area weren’t
so lucky, with at least three, the Kings Head (now Valleyfield), King
of Prussia (now Glen Derwent) and Rockhampton House (now Norfolk
Lodge) closing down. After Charles
Barkers’ second round of management ended in 1853. Henry Bridger, James Hagan,
Joshua Anson, Frederick Le Geyt Piguenit and Joseph Oakley were all Licensee
before 1860.
William
James Hagan was listed in the Hobart Town Gazette as proprietor of the Bush
Inn from 1853 to 1855, and was probably one of the youngest people to have
the License there at 23 years of age.
After
leaving the Bush he went on to be publican at the Black Snake Inn
Bridgewater, the Lord Morpeth in Collins Street, Hobart and the Derwent Hotel at Bridgewater. He died 1860 in Brighton (Tas), aged 30 years, and was buried in St Marys
Roman Catholic cemetery.
Joshua
John Anson took over the hotel in 1855, it being first licensed to him on
November 13 of that year He was the Licensee of the Bush for three
years, 1855 to 1857.
He was
born on March 23 1821, the son of Henry, a New South Welshman and Sarah
Fletcher, of Hobart and was Baptised at St Davids Church, Hobart Town.
He
married Mary Eliza (nee Smith) at the Melville Street Chapel January 26 or 28
1849.
In 1859,
on the 21st of August, he died at Claremont House, Elizabeth Street,
Hobart, and was interred in St David’s Burial Ground.
Of his
three children, the youngest son, Joshua Junior, was to gain the most notoriety
when he was sentenced for two years for stealing from his master, a
photographer. After serving his
sentence, he, in partnership with his brother, formed the firm of Anson Bros,
photographers. His photographs,
particularly landscapes, won a Silver medals in Paris, 1889, Melbourne 1888 and
Calcutta in 1883-4.
Frederick
Le Geyt Piguenit108 had the hotel only briefly, it being licensed to
him only in 1857 and 1858
Transported
from the Warwick Assizes on March 27, 1830, for “Receiving His Majesty’s Stores”,
he was sentenced to serve fourteen years.
He arrived at Hobart Town on the ship Royal George on October 18,
1830.
His Gaol Report stated “Connexions very
respectable” and his Hulk Report showed him as “Orderly”, a fact that probably
helped him gain a conditional parole (no. 1245) on January 10, 1837, and a free
pardon (no. 751) on August 10
1841.
Joseph Oakley came to the Bush
Inn an experienced publican, having been the Licensee of the Victoria Inn
in Collins Street, Hobart and the City
of London Arms in Old Market Road, Hobart.
With him ended the spate of short term Licensees, as he stayed from 1858
to 1865, and like Charles Barker before him, returned to the hotel for a second
time.
Back in
New Norfolk at the Bush Inn another woman was the Licensee, a Mrs Mary
Anne Mann. Marry Anne was a widow, her
husband, Anthony, had died at New Norfolk in 1862116, five years
before she took over the hotel.
They
operated a brewery at New Norfolk until 1860, when the business was wound up
after an insolvency case was proved against them. In the hearing it was found he owed to Ralph
Terry of New Norfolk the sum of £29 8s 4d [$58.88] for flour, and £1248 11s
[$2497] on Bills of Exchange. After that they held the License for
the Golden Lion in 1861 and the Bridge Inn in 1864, both hotels
in New Norfolk.
When
Joseph Oakley returned as Licensee in 1869 had the hotel until 1872.
Perhaps
the most innovative of the publicans at the Bush Inn during this period
was Captain Blockey.
Octavious
Blockey was the eighth son of John Blockey, of London, England. He was educated at Hammersmith and Folkstone,
in England. At the age of fourteen he
entered a sea faring life, a career that would continue for 17 years, broken
only by a visit to the Victorian gold diggings.
He passed
his examinations as ‘Master’, and was therefore entitled to use the name
“Captain”.
In 1874,
on January 12, he married the youngest daughter, Marion, of a Mr Glashier of
Tasmania at St John's, Hobart, and had one son, William Francis in 1875. With a wife and family, it was now time to
settle down, so after leaving the Mercantile Service he took up residence in
New Norfolk in 1877 where he became the Licensee of the Bush Inn. Life there must have agreed with the
Blockeys, as more children followed, William Frances (1875), Marion Elizabeth
(1877), Violet (1879), Minnie
(1880), Hilda (1881) and one identified
only as “M” In 1882.
Contemporary Research on the Bush Inn
History
from "On The Convict Trail"
As originally built, the Bush Inn
at New Norfolk was a typically English Inn of the nineteenth century.
1823 the arrival of a most extraordinary woman, Ann Bridger, who would
within a year be the proprietor of the Black Snake Inn, and a year later be
destined to play a major role in the lives of so many people in the young town
of New Norfolk, and in the development of the town itself. Ann Bridger, a
widow, bought with her from England her son, Henry, and two daughters, £500
($1,000) in cash and £200 ($400) in ‘various merchandise for investing in
agricultural pursuits’, and a desire to succeed. It didn’t take long before
Anne Bridger had entered into a business in her adopted homeland, as the
proprietor of the Black Snake Inn at Granton.
The inn had a reputation as being
‘a shady thieves’ kitchen’, but before long Mrs Bridger had transformed the inn
to a respectable Public House. It was known as the ‘halfway house’ to
those who journeyed to New Norfolk. New Norfolk was one of the fastest
growing areas of the Colony, and an astute business woman like Mrs Bridger
would have looked upon that as a potential opportunity for making money.
This opportunity was realized when she decided to move her business and
family there in 1825, to build the hotel still bearing the name of the Bush
Inn, Australia’s oldest continually licensed hotel.
In the early days of the Inn, its
rooms were used by many different local groups as it was the only substantial
building in town at the time. A group of devout Methodists from the local area
used to hold their services in the taproom of the hotel and the taproom was the
meeting place for the group who gathered to discuss the building of a toll
bridge to cross the Derwent. That was in 1838 and the first bridge was built in
1841.
The Bush Inn also enjoyed Vice
Royal patronage with Sir John and Lady Franklin being frequent visitors. Lady
Franklin visited the hotel in 1837 after a boat trip from Hobart and planted a
pear tree in the hotel's garden. The tree still bears fruit to this day.
Inspired by the beauty of the
surrounding countryside, it is generally acknowledged that Irish composer,
William Vincent Wallace wrote the theme song to his famous opera,
"Maritana" whilst he sat on the hotel balcony in 1838. This was just
the first of a series of significant events that took place at the Bush Inn
over the next 100 or so years.
In 1888 the first trunk telephone
call in the commonwealth was made by the then proprietor, Captain Blockey. This
was made just 10 years after Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. When
Dame Nellie Melba visited the hotel, she was surprised to discover that the
theme song for "Maritana" had been composed at the hotel. To mark her
interest in the special event, Melba sang the song for all the hotel guests who
gathered on a stairway leading to her private suite to hear this one off event.
http://ontheconvicttrail.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-bush-inn-new-norfolk.html
From ABC Radio
Australia's
oldest continuously licensed hotel is preparing to celebrate its bicentenary in
the coming months.
Named after DW
Bush, the clerk of Reverend "Bobby" Knopwood, who was the first
chaplain in the colony, the Bush Inn at New Norfolk was built in 1815 and
became licensed in 1825.
Current lessee
Don Smith said although there is no definitive date as to when construction of
the heritage-listed building was complete, various signs and documents show
1815 as the year.
"I know it's
September or October sometime. I thought it was about March but apparently it's
not," Mr Smith said.
"[There's]
only the sign the out the front saying it was established in 1815."
The hidden
secrets of New Norfolk
The long and rich
history of the hotel is proudly displayed on the walls of the building in the
form of plaques and photographs.
As well as a
haunted room, Mr Smith said there was a well-known, but hidden tunnel
underneath the pub, which he would like to learn more about and explore.
"It [was]
used to transport the patients from the [Derwent] River to the Royal Derwent
[Hospital] so they wouldn't be seen on the public streets," Mr Smith said.
"It's all
blocked off at the moment but I'd like to get in and take a look."
Mr Smith said he
has seen video of the inside of the tunnel, which may have also been used as a
sewer drain.
"I've seen actual footage of it and it's about
five-feet deep and about three-foot wide," he said.
"Hopefully one day we'll see what's behind
there."
Rich history still stands
The hotel proudly displays memorabilia of a
christening font from when the pub acted as a chapel prior to another church
being built in the 1830s.
There are still records from famous singers who
visited in 1924, and signs commemorating the first telephone call in the
Commonwealth made from the hotel in 1888 and the first call to London in 1939.
Underneath the pub, there is a large wooden door which
once led to a wine cellar and butchery down stone steps.
"That'd be as old as the pub," Mr Smith said
of the door.
"We've got some steps that are leading inside to
outside and you can see how worn they are.
"It leads straight outside to the main road. It
would've been pretty scary here of a night I reckon."
Room
Six haunted by ghost of young girl
All of the rooms
above the pub contain old, high beds as well as baths, but Room Six, known as
"the ghost room", has a small single bed and a chair in a corner and
is said to be haunted by a ghost resembling a small girl.
"There's a
little girl that must've fell down the stairs going back nearly 200 years ago
and there's been sightings of her... I've heard noises," Mr Smith said.
"The first
night I stayed here, I stayed here by myself.
"There was
no one here at all, just me... I can tell you it was pretty scary."
Mr Smith said
plans to celebrate the anniversary are still being organised, but colonial-era
clothing will be worn at the celebrations and dances with the local Derwent
Valley Concert Band are planned.
The often
hotly-debated title of the longest serving hotel in Australia is said to be
between the Hope and Anchor in Hobart and the Bush Inn, but Mr Smith said his
establishment to take the title and put an end to the argument.
The Derwent Hotel -
Elwin's Hotel
There a
restaurant at New Norfolk called the Glen Derwent.
If you are travelling between
Hobart and the West Coast or Lakes St Clair or Pedder, you’ll drive right past
our front gate, just across the bridge from New Norfolk. Glen Derwent, 44
Hamilton Rd, New Norfolk http://glenderwent.com/?page_id=86
It was the home of William Elwin,
the father of Lousia Elwin who married William Bradshaw's son, William in
1854. But there is another mixture into
the relationships.
William Bradshaw (1800)
granddaughter Grace Bradshaw married Ilo Athol Terry. He was the son of Flora Sophia Caroline
Bradshaw who married George Terry. Flora
was the granddaughter of James Bradshaw.
(1909)
Glen Derwent Tea Rooms offer traditional Devonshire teas on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. We bake our scones on demand so they are as fresh as possible, so although no booking is necessary for Devonshire teas during regular opening hours, please let us know if you are bringing a large group or have any special dietary needs so we can have your scones ready.
We open on other days by
appointment for group functions or if our “Tea Room is Now Open” sign is out,
you are welcome to drop in 
St Matthew's Church: One of the oldest churches in Australia, construction commenced in 1823 and it was consecrated in 1828 by Archdeacon Scott from Sydney. In 1833 extensive additions made it a much more impressive building. A tower was added in 1870 and in 1894, after a period of energetic fund raising, the chancel was added and the windows, roof and transepts were altered. All that is left of the original church are the walls and flagged floor of the nave and part of the western transept. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the church are the excellent stained glass windows.
Bush Inn: Bush Inn is claimed to be the oldest licensed hotel in Australia (1825). Dame Nellie Melba once sang on its balcony, Lady Franklin (wife of Governor) planted the pear tree in the garden
Oast House Hop Museum: The Oast House Hop Museum was a working oast house from 1867 to 1969. It has now been converted into a museum, gift shop, craft market and tea room.
Rosedown Cottage Gardens: Rosedown Cottage Gardens features hundreds of roses in this four and a half acre garden, which was transformed from orchards and hopfields into a series of delightful gardens.
Willow Court: a superb old stone building that was built as a military hospital in 1830-31 by Major Roger Kelsall. Only one room wide, with wide verandahs and gabled two storey sections at the corners and in the centre, Willow Court was originally conceived by Governor Arthur as a location where invalid convicts could be housed. Willow Court is part of the former Royal Derwent Hospital and is the oldest mental hospital in Australia on its original site. It is a remarkable and simple building of great elegance and character.
Many founding folk were "First Fleeters", transferred from Sydney to Norfolk Island when it was settled just a few weeks after Sydney. Ten First Fleeters are buried in the Methodist Chapel at Lawitta, New Norfolk.
Notable is Betty King, née Elizabeth Thackery, a first fleet convict girl who married at New Norfolk on the 28th January 1810. The headstone on Betty's well-tended grave reads, "The first white woman to set foot in Australia" from the First Fleet at Sydney Cove. She is also believed to be the last surviving First Fleeter, male or female, when she died at 89 years of age on 7 August 1856. Her husband was Marine Private Samuel King of the First Marine Regiment, another First Fleeter who arrived aboard the warship "Sirius". Sam King was the last male "First Fleeter" to survive until 21 October 1849, aged 86 years.
Nine other First Fleeters were Ellen Guy (née Wainright), James Bryan Cullen, William Dempsey, William Edmunds, William Foyle, Abraham Hand, Stephen Martin, John Ruglass, and Edward Westlake.
The pioneers were successful farmers of the rich land around the town. Initially cattle and sheep were predominant, with some cropping as land was cleared. Hop plants were introduced in 1846, and became an important crop. A number of hop drying kilns or "oast houses" remain in the area including those at Glen Derwent (built by Cullen) and Valleyfield.
The first road connecting the town to Hobart was built in 1818.
On 19 April 1827, Governor George Arthur issued an order to create the Willow Court infirmary, later known as Lachlan Park and most recently the Royal Derwent Hospital, as an asylum to accept sick and invalid convicts from Hobart, Launceston and outstations. Willow Court is now a large antiques centre.
The New Norfolk Post Office opened on 1 June 1832.[5]
For some years after 1848, New Norfolk was the place of exile of the Irish nationalist leader Terence MacManus. His cottage "Kilburn Grange" still stands. Later he was joined by his fellow Irish rebel, William Smith O'Brien, who lived at Elwin's Hotel (now known as Glen Derwent).
In 1887, the railway, now preserved as the Derwent Valley Railway, was built. In 1888, Australia's first telephone trunk call was connected from Hobart to the Bush Inn Hotel in New Norfolk.[4]
During the 1940s, a newsprint mill was established at nearby Boyer, boosting industry in the local area.
New Norfolk
New
Norfolk was the third planned settlement to be undertaken in Tasmania, after
Hobart and Launceston. In 1803-4 when Hobart was first settled on
the banks of the Derwent, it was considered important to explore this
waterway and find out the potential of the surrounding areas. By
1807 the European population on the Derwent was "483 starving persons".
The food supplies were so low that convicts were being sent out into the bush
to kill kangaroos for meat issues from the stores.
Starting in November 1807 and on through the following year, people from the Norfolk Island penal colony were persuaded to come to Van Diemen’s Land by offers of a generous exchange of land (4 acres for each acre held on Norfolk Island), a house of similar standard to that left behind, 2 or 4 convicts to assist them in clearing their new farms, and food and clothing from the stores for 12 months. By late 1808, 544 people (soldiers, convicts and free settlers) had arrived and they put an enormous strain on the colony's fragile economy.
However they did form a basis for the
settlement of the district and provided many skills and profession that were
lacking including 2 bakers, 2 blacksmiths, 4 bullock drivers, a butcher, 13
ex-constables, 2 gardeners, a harness maker, a milkman, a stonemason, 8
overseers, a painter & glazier, 2 saltboilers, 2 sawyers, a cooper and 2
carpenters. Although they were promised compensation for their
forced move, many had the sense to realise that it would be impossible for
the government ever to fulfil the wildly optimistic promises held out to them
and some offered to supply themselves with housing if they could be provided
with nails and a few necessary tools. Others proposed to wave all
their claims for housing in exchange for stock (bengal cows and sheep) equal
in value to the houses they had left behind on Norfolk.
Of the new settlers, 24% were located to Sandy Bay, 19% to New Town and Glenorchy, 27% to the eastern shore between Bridgewater and Pittwater and the Clarence Plains area. The remaining 30% came to New Norfolk. New Norfolk was at first known as "The Hills" because of its setting among hills, valleys and gentle streams. In 1811 Governor Macquarie came to visit Van Diemen’s Land. He mapped out a town site and named the town "Elizabeth Town" (after his wife) in the District of New Norfolk. The name did not catch on although it was used on and off from 1811 to 1825, but the local settlers, wanting to preserve a link with their old island home, won the day and the town was officially known as "New" Norfolk. The stream called the Thames by the locals, was renamed the "Lachlan" (pronounced Locklon) by Governor Macquarie (in honour of his son).
However,
although it retains the name to this very day, it is pronounced as
"Lacklan" by the locals, much to the confusion of newcomers.
Governor Macquarie ordered the Surveyor to plan and mark out the township and details of grants and leases. Hobart Town Authority was instructed to afford every encouragement and facility to industrious tradesmen and useful mechanics to reside and settle as soon as the new township had been sub-divided into regular allotments. The going was tough for the early settlers and most had to be supported on government rations until 1812. There were no roads and no transport as we know it and the population was entirely dependent on river transport or following dirt tracks overland using horse-drawn vehicles and bullock wagons. But the settlement slowly grew and prospered. |
In 1846
the first hop plants were brought in from Maria Island and this became a
flourishing industry resulting in the traditional "New Norfolk"
landscape - oast houses, fields of wired poles and windbreaks of Lombardy
Poplars, a spectacular sight in autumn.
|
  |
The
Derwent Valley was rich in soil and timber and by 1902, had began to develop
at a rapid pace. One of the contributing factors was the
extension of the railway line. This much needed facility brought
greater prosperity to the rural communities and in 1907 the Hydro-Electric
Power & Metallurgical Company commenced operations at the Great
Lake. Hobart was first illuminated by the Hobart Gas Company on 1
January, 1913 but three years later changed over to electricity from the
Great Lakes Works. In 1915 the Hydro Electric Department was
requested by the Minister for Lands and Works to report on the possibility of
an electricity supply for New Norfolk.
|
River
steamers were an essential part of New Norfolk’s development, among them the
SS Marana, which ended its days as a fishing trawler at Victoria; the Maweena
which eventually burnt; the Emu, which sank later near the New Norfolk bridge
and is still there; and the Monarch which sank at the Lime Kilns.
Flooding in the lower reaches of the Derwent River has been a periodic event
and New Norfolk has rebuilt the bridge, linking both sides of the town, four
times. The existence of Meadowbank Dam should remedy this
situation.
|
 |
Displays of historic information, including photographs are mounted at numerous functions within the Derwent valley municipality.
Local historical publications are available for purchase from the New Norfolk Newsagency which is located in High Street, New Norfolk.
Physical Address: Circle Street New Norfolk Tas 7140
Email: nnhicc@gmail.com
The Derwent Valley Visitor Information Centre has a small photocopied
brochure which provides a map and descriptions of 44 places of interest around
the town. Titled New Norfolk Historic Walks it claims you can wander
around and see everything of interest in 30 minutes. This would be to do the
town an injustice. Allow two hours and be prepared to drive out to Tynwald and
the Oast House. Each building is of considerable historic interest. Here are
some of the highlights:
Arthur Square
This is a true rarity. A village green in an Australian town. It was approved as a green by Governor Lachlan Macquarie after he passed through the area in 1811. The placard on the edge of the green explains that "The Town was named Elizabeth Town after Governor Lachlan Macquarie's wife. The Lachlan Creek was to be known as The Thames. Norfolk Island settlers who came to 'The Hills' (New Norfolk's early name) disregarded Macquarie's orders and named the town New Norfolk after their island home and the rivulet they named The Lachlan after Macquarie. In early days the square was used for recreation purposes." Today it is a pleasant picnic and recreation area.
This is a true rarity. A village green in an Australian town. It was approved as a green by Governor Lachlan Macquarie after he passed through the area in 1811. The placard on the edge of the green explains that "The Town was named Elizabeth Town after Governor Lachlan Macquarie's wife. The Lachlan Creek was to be known as The Thames. Norfolk Island settlers who came to 'The Hills' (New Norfolk's early name) disregarded Macquarie's orders and named the town New Norfolk after their island home and the rivulet they named The Lachlan after Macquarie. In early days the square was used for recreation purposes." Today it is a pleasant picnic and recreation area.
Old Colony Inn
One of the town's most intriguing buildings is the Old Colony Inn at 21 Montague Crescent which dates from 1815 when it was nothing more than a cellar for storing hops. The brick upper floor was added by convict labour in 1835. It has changed usage over the years being variously a private home, a hotel, tearooms and craft shop. Today it is boutique B&B accommodation. It has a charm which is decidedly English. It was probably built to cater for the coaches which started passing through the town in the mid 1830s. Check out more details at http://www.newnorfolk.org/~old_colony_inn.
One of the town's most intriguing buildings is the Old Colony Inn at 21 Montague Crescent which dates from 1815 when it was nothing more than a cellar for storing hops. The brick upper floor was added by convict labour in 1835. It has changed usage over the years being variously a private home, a hotel, tearooms and craft shop. Today it is boutique B&B accommodation. It has a charm which is decidedly English. It was probably built to cater for the coaches which started passing through the town in the mid 1830s. Check out more details at http://www.newnorfolk.org/~old_colony_inn.
Norse Skog
About 3 km downstream from New Norfolk are the huge paper mills now owned by Norse Skog and once owned by Australian Newsprint Mills. Opened in 1941 they are located on the Derwent River at Boyer. The original mill was reputedly the first in the world to manufacture newsprint from hardwood. It employs 300 people and produces 290,000 tonnes of newsprint and other papers annually.
About 3 km downstream from New Norfolk are the huge paper mills now owned by Norse Skog and once owned by Australian Newsprint Mills. Opened in 1941 they are located on the Derwent River at Boyer. The original mill was reputedly the first in the world to manufacture newsprint from hardwood. It employs 300 people and produces 290,000 tonnes of newsprint and other papers annually.
* Prior to the arrival of Europeans the area around New Norfolk had been
occupied by members of the Lairmairrener Aboriginal language group.
* The district was first explored by Europeans in 1793 when Lieutenant
John Hayes of the East India Company sailed up the Derwent River and, when the
river became too shallow, proceeded to row to a point just upstream from the
present site of New Norfolk.
* In 1805 Joseph Holt rowed up the Derwent from Hobart and passed the
current site of New Norfolk.
* Between 27 November, 1807 and 2 October, 1808 some 500 people from
Norfolk Island (23 were convicts) were settled at what is now New Norfolk. It
was known as The Hills at the time.
* On 30 April, 1808 the settlement became known as New Norfolk.
* The first person to build a house at New Norfolk was Denis McCarty, an
Irish rebel who had been transported to New South Wales. By 1808 McCarty had
become a police constable and been appointed to administer justice in New
Norfolk.
* In 1811 McCarty hosted Governor Lachlan Macquarie who decided the
township should be named Elizabeth Town, after his wife. The name never became
popular but was used from 1811-1825 when it was changed it to New Norfolk.
* In 1812 McCarty was granted 50 acres at Boyer east of New Norfolk. He
successfully petitioned for a road between Hobart Town and New Norfolk. He won
the construction contract and proceeded to build it himself. That same year
James Meehan, a surveyor, laid out the street plan for Elizabeth Town/New
Norfolk.
* By 1815 Turiff Lodge, the Government Cottage, had been built for the
Governors of Van Diemen's Land to use as a retreat from Hobart.
* In 1819 John Terry established the Lachlan River Mills downstream from
the present site of New Norfolk.
* St Matthews Church was built in 1823 and used primarily as a school
room until 1825.
* Anne Bridger was granted a licence for the Bush Inn in 1825.
* In 1827 the Military Invalid Hospital was transferred from Hobart to
New Norfolk.
* By 1829 a regular coach service between New Norfolk and Hobart had
commenced.
* The first bridge across the Derwent at New Norfolk was completed in
1840.
* In 1846 hops were introduced to New Norfolk.
* By 1864 brown and rainbow trout were being bred at the Salmon Ponds.
* In 1868 the Duke of Edinburgh visited New Norfolk.
* In 1887 the railway between New Norfolk and
Hobart was opened.
* In 1906 the Municipality of New Norfolk was
formed.
* By 1928 a peg factory was established by the
Pioneer Woodware Company.
* The Australian Paper Mills started manufacturing
newsprint at Boyer in 1941.
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