Churches of Tasmania

Deloraine is a historic tourist town situated on the Meander River and lies approximately halfway between the cities of Launceston and Devonport. The settlement dates to the 1830s and was named by the surveyor, Thomas Scott, after Sir William Deloraine, a character in Sir Walter Scott's poem "The Lay of the Last Minstrel".  Sir Walter Scott was a relative of Thomas Scott. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) dates back to 1854, when Robert Owen began to proselytise in Hobart. This mission was however unsuccessful and it was not until the 1890’s that congregations was established in Hobart and Upper Huon. Chapels were built in North Hobart in 1924 and in Glen Huon in 1927. Many early converts migrated to Utah which was a cause of opposition to the 'Saints' proselytising by the Australian government. The Latter Day Saints established a ward (parish) at Deloraine in 1995. Prior to this members of the LDS had to travel to Launceston for meetings. O

Rokeby is an eastern suburb of Greater Hobart on the east bank of the Derwent River. It remained a small village until the State Government’s Housing Department built a large public housing estate in the 1970s. Rokeby is named after "Rokeby House”, built by George Stokell in 1830, which in turn remembers the village of Rokeby in Yorkshire.In 1821 the first Anglican service at Rokeby (then Clarence Plains) was conducted by Reverend Robert Knopwood, the first chaplain of Van Diemen’s Land. Following a public meeting in January 1828, tenders were called for the construction of a church. The Colonial architect, John Lee-Archer, oversaw the tenders but for reasons not known, the project did not proceed. (see plans of the 1828 church below). When Knopwood’s retired to the district in 1829, he continued to hold services in the local schoolhouse, until his death in September 1838. Perhaps Knopwood’s death was the catalyst for the planned church to be resurrected. In June 1839, the Ar

Scottsdale is the largest town in north-east Tasmania. It is named after the Government Surveyor, James Scott, who explored the region in the 1850s. Scottsdale is viewed as part of Tasmania’s Bible belt having 10 places of worship in a town with a population of a little over 2000. The Exclusive Christian Brethren, now known as the Plymouth Brethren, originated in Plymouth, Great Britain, in the 1820s. By the mid 19th century the movement had spread to Australia. The 'Exclusive Brethren' is a restrictive group which broke away in 1848. In 2012 the Exclusive Brethren adopted the name 'Plymouth Brethren Christian Church'. Tasmanian Plymouth Brethren churches are part of global organisation with about 50 000 members. The Plymouth Brethren are known for avoiding social interaction with people outside the faith, which has contributed to it being viewed as a somewhat controversial Christian sect. The Plymouth Brethren Church should not be confused with the 'Open Brethre

Rokeby is an eastern suburb of Greater Hobart on the east bank of the Derwent River. It was a small village until the Housing Department built a large public housing estate in the 1970s. Rokeby is named after "Rokeby House”, built by George Stokell in 1830, in honour of a village in Yorkshire, England. A forlorn cemetery wedged between commercial premises on South Arm Road is now the only reminder of a small Congregational church that was destroyed in the 1967 bushfires. The cemetery is well maintained and has been restored by a local land and coast care group. About two dozen of the headstones remain intact. No photograph or image of the church, which served the Rokeby community for 100 years, has survived. However, detailed newspaper reports from the time of the church’s opening in 1866 provide a glimpse of an active and closely knit community. Before the “Mission Chapel” was built, Congregational services were held in a large room of a homestead belonging to Mr Joseph Holmes.