Churches of Tasmania

Lymington is a coastal settlement south of Cygnet. It was the site of a convict probation station established in the 1840s and by the late 19th century it had developed as an orchard-growing district. St Teresa’s replaced St Patrick’s Convent School at Upper Lymington which had been established in 1900 [ See No.1623 ]. The new convent school, which also served as a church, was built at a more central location. The foundation stone for the new school was laid by the Archbishop of Hobart, Dr. William Hayden on Sunday 21 December 1930. The Mercury reported: “The parish priest (the Rev; A. Cullen) explained the reasons that had prompted them to abandon the old convent at Lymington, and concentrate on the new and central position. He said he had personally purchased 10½ acres of land for the purpose, and deemed it the greatest honour of his life to be able to give the deeds to the Archbishop that day…. The Catholic schools were the very heart of the church, and he hoped that the new school...

Kamona is a rural district approximately 15 kilometres southwest of Scottsdale, situated on the eastern side of the Sideling Range. With the development of the Scottsdale-Branxholm railway in 1909, the area opened up for development. In 1910 the district’s name changed from Billycock Hill to Kamona, which is part of the aboriginal word for “venom", the full word being "kamona moina”. Kamona’s church was originally a State school built by volunteer labour in 1908. When a new school was built in 1915 the old school building was adapted for use as a church. Over the years it was used as a place of worship by Presbyterians, Methodists, the Salvation Army and by the 1940s as a Gospel Hall. The church was in use well into the mid 1950s. It is not known when religious services ceased or what has become of the building. There is a surprising number of reports about the Kamona church given the relative isolation of the district and its small population. A small selection of these rep...

Belle Vue is a property overlooking the South Esk river east of the Midland Highway near Epping Forest. Belle Vue was originally granted to Launceston brewer William Barnes, who managed nearby Clyne Vale. It is likely that Barnes did not occupy the property, for he soon exchanged it for land near his brewery in Launceston, which he named Trevallyn. In 1828 David Gibson of Pleasant Banks acquired the land on which Belle Vue now stands. A stone building had been erected on the property by the 1840s and the estate was managed until James Gibson (1829-1906), son of David Gibson, took up residence in the 1850s. The Eskvale Presbyterian chapel was built in the vicinity of Belle Vue in 1846. In 1885 the Eskvale chapel was closed following the construction of a new Presbyterian church at Epping Forest. The land on which the chapel stood was sold to Gibson in 1885. It is likely that it was about this time a private chapel was built at Belle Vue. While little information is available about th...

The Little Eucharistic Brothers of Divine Will are a Catholic ‘contemplative-active’ community of men who settled at a rural property outside in Dover in 2014. The community was formed in Perth in 2013 and had previously been associated with the Apostles of Perpetual Adoration, a Public Association of Christ’s Faithful established in the Archdiocese of Perth to promote perpetual Eucharistic adoration. in 2025 the Little Eucharistic Brothers of the Divine Will relocated to St James’ at Cygnet where they are based in the old St James’ Convent. A private chapel, or Oratory, will feature at the Cygnet Convent as it did at the Dover Beit Achim (House of Brothers). The former convent at Cygnet Sources and Further Information: https://hobart.catholic.org.au/vocations/lay-religious-orders/little-eucharistic-brothers-of-divine-will/ https://littleeucharisticbrothers.org/ https://hobart.catholic.org.au/2021/03/15/little-eucharistic-brothers-of-divine-will-become-public-association-of-christs-fa...

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. Lymington is a coastal settlement south of Cygnet. It was the site of a convict probation station established in the 1840s and by the late 19th century it had developed as an orchard-growing district. St Patrick’s Convent School was located midway between Lymington and Wattle Grove.  In the early 1890s Archbishop Murphy promised the Catholic community of Cygnet that a community of nuns would be established to run a Catholic school for the district. Father O’ Flynn welcomed a small group of three Sisters; M. Joseph; M. Hyacinth, and M. Magdalen, as they arrived aboard the S.S. Nubeena. Following the establish...

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. The Church of Christ at Nubeena is located at the corner of Nubeena Back Road and Nubeena Road opposite the original church [ See No 1583 ] where the final service was held on 12 December 1971. The first communion service at the new church was held on Sunday 19 December 1971 with Church Elder Len Munday presiding. The building was officially open in June of the following year. The Church of Christ is the only place of worship in Nubeena. The only other religious denominations which have had churches in the town were the Baptists and Congregationalists while the Anglican’s worshiped in the Nubeena Hall. The church in the 1970s. Photo: Church of Christ, Tasman Peninsula Centenary Celebrations Photograph - Derek Flannery - churchesaustralia.org Sources and Further Information: Neville, C.C., 1979: Church of Chri...

Rossarden is a former tin mining town in north-east Tasmania. In the 1930s a settlement was established at a site below Stack’s Bluff following the opening of the Aberfoyle Tin Mining Company, which began operating in September 1932. A dramatic drop in metal prices in the 1970s saw the mine’s production decline and its eventual closure in 1982. The town’s population dropped from a peak of over 500 when the mine was fully operational to approximately 60 permanent residents today. ‘Church News’ of 1957 states that a house was to be converted to serve as an Anglican church at Rossarden. In August 1958 a further article in ‘Church News’ remarked that there was “hope to start building soon”.  The church was dedicated as the ‘Church of the Transfiguration’ due to Rossarden’s location in the mountain heights. The church was either removed or pulled down in the late 1970s or early 1980s following the collapse of mining operations. At the time of writing this article a photograph of the bui...

Zeehan is a town on the West Coast region approximately 40 kilometres from Queenstown. As a significant mining town it became the administrative centre for a number of mining companies in the region. Zeehan was established in the early 1880s and by the turn of the 20th century it had become Tasmania's third largest town. Zeehan takes its name from Mount Zeehan which had been named by George Bass and Matthew Flinders after Abel Tasman's brig ‘Zeehaen’. In 1890 the Anglican community at Zeehan built a “church room” at a cost of £250. During Reverend King’s tenure (1890-1893) a second more substantial “temporary” church was built. This was completed in July 1891. [ See No. 1611 ] Fifteen years were to pass before further progress was made in building a permanent church. Foundation Stone for St Luke’s was laid on Sunday 10 November 1907 by Bishop Mercer. and the church was officially opened and dedicated by Archdeacon Beresford on 11 August 1909. A report in the Zeehan and Dundas ...

Mountain River is a small settlement in the Huon Valley located on the southern slopes of Mount Wellington. It takes its name from the river which rises in the Wellington Ranges and flows through the area to join the Huon River. Three religious denominations were once active in Mountain River. The Methodist’s built a church at Mountain River in 1901 and the Salvation Army opened in hall in 1947. Regular Anglican services were first held from 1918 in the local public hall before a church was built. Very little information has survived concerning the Methodist church at Mountain River. At the Hobart Wesleyan District Synod held in November 1900, permission was given for the “erection of a church” at Mountain River. The Synod’s report in the following year confirmed that the church had been built and opened. A single report in the Tasmanian News makes reference of the church’s opening in July 1901: “Our Ranelagh (Huon) correspondent writes:— At the Mountain River Valley Wesleyan Church on...

This article is one in a series about public buildings in country areas that were used as places of worship. In these communities churches may have been planned but were never built due to lack of finance or changing circumstances. In many settlements, before a church was built, worship was typically held in homes, schoolrooms, barns, halls and other buildings. Conversely, in some communities, churches were sometimes the first public building erected and were used as schools and community halls. The focus of this series will primarily be on the public halls and schools that were used as churches. These buildings, and the religious communities which used them, are frequently overlooked in published histories of churches. Woodstock is a rural settlement centred on the junction of ‘Pelverata Road’ and ‘Channel Highway. It is named from John Wallis Kellaway’s (1829-1911) property ‘Woodstock Park’. In 1917 a Congregational church was built at Cradoc which lies about 6 kilometres south of Wo...

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. George Town is the second oldest town in Tasmania. After the establishment of Launceston as the administrative centre of the north of the island, George Town was destined to become a backwater until more recent times. In 1804, a party of men led by Lieutenant Colonel William Paterson sailed into the mouth of the Tamar River where a cove on the eastern side of the river was selected as a temporary settlement. Paterson’s company had no ordained minister therefore he requested Edward Main, a former lay missionary, to read the first service. This event marks the first official religious ceremony in the north. The firs...

Lymington is a coastal settlement south of Cygnet in the Huon Valley region. Lymington was the site of a convict probation station established in the 1840s when the area was known as Copper Alley Bay. By the late 19th century Lymington had developed as an orchard-growing district. In 1912 a correspondent for the Hobart Mercury wrote an article describing this picturesque area: “One of the prettiest settlements in the Huon district is Lymington, … it is getting its share of attention in the wave of progress and prosperity so noticeable throughout the Huon is easily discerned by the number of new houses, and the ever increasing area of land being cleared and planted. The sweep of the well-sheltered bay, with its fringe of native bush, the well kept houses, with their neat gardens and orchards, sloping from the hills at the back to the very water's edge, form a picture that never fails to attract the eye of the visitor; but which we, alas, as residents, have hardly time to pause at in...

Riana is a small rural settlement located 13 kilometres south of Penguin. The settlement was started by loggers and over time farming became the main activity. At the close of the 19th century the recently settled Riana district was described in some detail by the correspondent for the Launceston Examiner: “…The district is a rising and most promising one. Riana is the southern (upper) portion of the Pine road, Penguin, and, has been opened up only within the last six or seven years. The Pine road runs in a due south line from Penguin, parallel with and on the western side of the Dial Range, and extends for a distance of ten miles…..By far the larger number of farms are on the western side of the road, as also are all the by-roads. The soil is a good dark chocolate and black, and yields excellent crops. For the first eight miles from Penguin the timber is almost solely stringy bark, beyond that myrtle, sassafras, celery top pine, and blackwood are the most plentiful. The Dial Range is ...