Churches of Tasmania

Cape Barren Island is the second largest island in the Furneaux Group. It is situated at the southern end of Flinders Island and separated by the Franklin Sound. The island is also known as truwana, an Aboriginal word meaning 'sleeping water’. In 1881 Cape Barren Island Reserve was established for the descendants of Aboriginal women and European sealers living in the Furneaux Islands of Bass Strait. In 1871 the inhabitants of the Furneaux Islands petitioned Governor Charles Du Cane for a reserve and the exclusive use of the mutton bird rookeries. They received only two ten hectare blocks on Cape Barren Island for homesteads and agricultural activity. While the government accepted that the Islanders were a separate community it did not acknowledge that they had exclusive land rights based on their Aboriginality. From the 1870s the Anglican Church sought to increase its influence on the Islands and, following a campaign by the Islanders, with the support of the Church, the government...

Westbury is a historic town situated approximately 30 kilometres west of Launceston. It was surveyed in 1828 and was developed as an administrative centre for the district. For most of its history Westbury has been served by only three religious denominations. The town’s Catholic, Anglican and Uniting (Methodist) churches all date back to the first half of the 19th century. The first regular Catholic Mass held at Westbury can be dated back to 1847 when the Government permitted Catholics to use the Colonial Hospital ‘for divine service’ for Westbury and the surrounding districts. Prior to this a priest from Launceston periodically ministered to Catholic convicts at Westbury’s Probation Station. In 1850, Bishop Robert Willson asked for a Government land grant at Westbury on which to build a church, a priest's house and school. This was approved on condition that the Catholics built their church as soon as possible. Father Hogan, who was to serve the Catholics of the Westbury district...

Bridport is a small resort town on Tasmania’s north-east coast. It is situated at the mouth of the Brid River. It was once a significant port for hinterland mining settlements during the boom of the late 19th century. Very little is known about Bridport’s Union Church. While there is no information about the opening of the church, it can be established that it was constructed in 1873 from a brief reference to it published in The Cornwall Chronicle: “Another accident also happened on Sunday last [9 November 1873] which might have proved fatal but for the intervention of a kind Providence….it appears that as Mr P. Miller was returning to Scottsdale, from Bridport, at which latter place he had been holding divine service in the chapel, lately erected there by the residents…”. In 1877 there is a further reference to the church made by the ‘travelling correspondent’ for the Tribune of Hobart. The article describes Bridport as “consisting of twelve weatherboard cottages” and that there was “...

Geeveston is a country town on the Huon Highway approximately 45 kilometres south of Hobart. The town is named after William Geeves, an English settler, who received a land grant at what was then called Lightwood Bottom. The settlement was renamed Geeves Town in 1861 before becoming Geeveston. The early history of the Catholic Church at Geeveston is not well recorded. Catholic’s initially worshiped at the home of Mr R. Hill, who established the first sawmill and flour mill in the Huon Valley. Catholic Church historian Terry Southerwood records that the church dates back to 1864 and was built from logs floated down the Huon River. The church was built by John Helmer who also constructed the first bridge at Huonville. St Joseph’s was designed by Henry Hunter. It was officially opened by Bishop Willson on Tuesday 29 November 1864. The opening is mentioned in an article published in the Hobart Mercury following Bishop Willson’s visit to nearby Franklin to administer the sacrament of confir...

Nicholls Rivulet is a small settlement located about 8 kilometres east of Cygnet. The rivulet was named after William Nichols who settled there in 1834. Up until the 1880s the settlement was known as Irish Town. Early Methodist services in the district of Nicholls Rivulet were held in the home of William and Fanny Smith. Fanny Cochrane Smith, (1834-1905) was born in early December 1834 at Wybalenna, Flinders Island. In 1889 she was granted 305 acres of land at Nicholls Rivulet. The Smith family became leading members of the Methodist community and services were initially held in the kitchen of the family home. One of the sons, William, became a lay preacher. In the mid 1890s Fanny she donated half an acre of land for the purposes of building a church. The foundation stone of the church was ceremonially laid on Tuesday 6 November 1900. The construction of the church took six months and the opening services were held on Sunday 5 May 1901, when the Reverend CW Atkinson preached in both t...

Rosebery is a mining town located on the Murchison Highway approximately 60 kilometres north of Queenstown. The town’s name is taken from a mine pegged out by Tom McDonald in 1893. He named it the Rosebery Gold Mining Company after the Prime Minister of England, Lord Rosebery. The develop of the town only took off in the 1920s. In February 1930 a visitor to Rosebery remarked on the development that had recently taken place: “Since our last visit over three years ago, Rosebery has made immense strides, and a now town has practically arisen. Building operations are still going on to provide new houses and places of worship. Ringed around by mountains of imposing height - Mounts Murchison, Read and Black, and by lower heights, clothed by trees and bush, Rosebery is really beautifully situated, and might be considered a most delectable residential town, if it were not for the heavy rainfall, the roads, alternately dusty and muddy, and the comparatively few days of sunshine and warmth”. “A ...

Geeveston is a country town on the Huon Highway approximately 45 kilometres south of Hobart. The town is named after William Geeves, an English settler, who received a land grant at what was then called Lightwood Bottom. The settlement was renamed Geeves Town in 1861 before becoming Geeveston. The Church of Christ has had a limited presence in the Southwest of Tasmania and the denomination was centred in the North and North West of the State as well as on the Tasman Peninsula and in Hobart. The Church of Christ arrived in Tasmania in the 1870s and established itself first in Launceston and Hobart. Initially the denomination was simply known as the ‘Christians' then from 1885 as 'Disciples of Christ' and finally as 'Churches of Christ'. The Churches of Christ believed that Christian communities should be similar to those described in the New Testament, simple and with autonomous congregations. The Church of Christ has similarities with the Christian Brethren although...

Nubeena is a small town on the western side of the Tasman Peninsula. It is approximately 13 kilometres northwest of Port Arthur. The town was previously named Wedge Bay. From the late 1870s several Church of Christ communities were established on the Tasman Peninsula. The first church was built at Impression Bay in 1889 and and this was followed by the construction of places of worship at Koonya, Highcroft and Oakwood. The Church of Christ community at Nubeena did not build a church but used a Baptist Hall constructed in 1892. In September 1892 the opening of the “Wedge Bay Hall” was reported by the Hobart Mercury: “A public hall has been erected at Wedge Bay by the Baptist community, with Mr. J. Soundy, of Hobart, as the mover and leader in getting the same done. The work has been carried out by local men, Messrs. Quinn and Co., and it is said to be a very creditable building. How it is to be utilised remains to be seen”. In 1897 the ‘Church of Christ’ began to use the hall for evenin...

At the turn of the 20th century there were a number of small registered independent churches which operated from various halls and other public venues in Hobart. These include groups such as the ‘Church of the Disciples’, the ‘Unitarian Church’ and the Undenominational King Street Chapel. These churches were typically short-lived and led by charismatic leaders. The subject of this article is a small independent church which was established by Reverend John Anderson who was active in Hobart from about 1893 to 1904. In June 1895 the Tasmanian News reported that a new church, ’The Christian Temple’, had opened in New Town. The ‘Temple’ was located in Arthur Street* opposite the “Anchorage Home” on the corner of Pedder Street. The church was very likely a converted house and not a purpose built structure. The Tasmanian News commented: “This unpretentious looking place of worship, with its original belfry, is making its mark at New Town, and country folks are also noting its existence. The ...

This article is one of a series about buildings associated with Tasmania’s historical churches.These buildings include Sunday schools, parish halls, convents, schools and residences of the clergy. Ancillary buildings are often overlooked and rarely feature in published histories. My aim is to create a simple record of these buildings, including of those that no longer exist. Avoca is town in the Fingal Valley and on the Esk Highway. It is situated on the junction of the St Pauls and South Esk Rivers. The area was previously known as St Pauls Plains. The word ‘Avoca’ is derived from Gaelic and means ‘meeting of the waters’. The Anglican church of St Thomas was completed in 1841 but only consecrated in 1886. [ See No. 160 ] St Thomas’ Parish Hall is located former storehouse constructed by R.C. Foster in 1850. In 1937, Mr B O’Connor, landowner of nearby property, Benham, purchased the building and donated it to the Anglican Church. In September 1937 the Launceston Examiner reported: “Th...

This article is one of a series about buildings associated with Tasmania’s historical churches.These buildings include Sunday schools, parish halls, convents, schools and residences of the clergy. Ancillary buildings are often overlooked and rarely feature in published histories. My aim is to create a simple record of these buildings, including of those that no longer exist. Westbury is a historic town situated approximately 30 kilometres west of Launceston. It was surveyed in 1828 and developed as an administrative centre for the district. For most of its existence Westbury has been served by only three religious denominations. St Andrews Anglican church which was built 1836 and was consecrated in 1851. Construction of the first parsonage began at a site on Shadforth Street site in 1842. Convict labour was used in the construction of a brick building which was completed in 1843. Bishop Nixon selected the site for the new rectory. The Reverend John Bishton, M.A. and his family were the...