Churches of Tasmania

The Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers have had a presence in Tasmania for almost 200 years. This blog entry will review the Quakers first meeting house which was established on Murray Street. This article is substantially based on the University of Tasmania’s Companion to Tasmanian History which was developed by the Centre for Tasmanian Historical Studies. The history of the the ‘Society of Friends’ dates back to the early 1830s when two English Quakers, James Backhouse and George Washington Walker visited Van Diemen's Land with a mission to investigate contemporary Quaker concerns: the treatment of convicts and Aborigines, promoting temperance, and preaching the Gospel to settlers. The first Quaker meeting for worship in Australia took place in Hobart on 12 February 1832. Encouraged by Lt-Governor Arthur, Backhouse and Walker spent three years visiting almost every convict and Aboriginal settlement. Detailed reports to to Governor Arthur as well as the Colonial Office and

Smithton is the commercial and industrial centre of the Circular Head district in the far northwest of the island. The early settlement was known as Duck River but this was changed to Smithton in 1895. Smithton is named after an Irishman, Peter Smith, who was a constable, and later the licensee of ‘The Plough Inn,’ at Stanley. The Dreambuilders Church located on Brittons Road is associated with the Apostolic tradition. The church was previously known as the The New Life Centre Apostolic Church. In recent years the Apostolic Church in Australia has been renamed and is now called the “Acts Global Churches” . The Apostolic Church is a Christian denomination that came from the Pentecostal movement. The term "Apostolic" represents the denomination's belief that it follows the teachings of the twelve apostles who followed Christ. With roots in the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival, it seeks to stand for first-century Christianity in its faith, practices, and government. The Apostolic Chu

The historic homestead Somercotes is located south of the town of Ross off the Midland Highway. It was established by Captain Samuel Horton, an important figure in the history of Ross. Horton was one of the earliest settlers in the district and also a staunch Wesleyan. Samual Horton was persuaded to migrate to Tasmania by his cousin, the Reverend William Horton, the first resident Wesleyan Minister in Hobart Town. Horton was granted 1000 acres of land ‘near the Ross Bridge’. Horton called his property Somercotes after the area he had come from in Lincolnshire. The homestead was built in 1833, close to the banks of the Macquarie River. In 1850 Horton offered the Wesleyan Church 20 acres of land and £1350 for the establishment of a Wesleyan boys’ school, Horton College, which opened in 1855. Somercotes is considered the cradle of Methodism in Midland Tasmania. The homestead was frequented by Wesleyan ministers from the mid 1830s, including John Manton, Joseph Orton and William Butters. C

New Town is a northern suburb of Hobart. It is also one of Hobart’s oldest suburbs and consequently the area contains many historic churches. New Town became a municipality in 1907 but was absorbed into Greater Hobart in the 1920s when its municipal status was relinquished. Sacred Heart Catholic Church is the fourth Catholic church built at Hobart. The church at New Town was established largely as a result of the work of Father P. R. Hennebry, who appears to have had charge of the New Town, Glenorchy, Bellerive, Rokeby, and Kingston congregations from about 1869 until 1888, when the district was served from St. Mary's Cathedral.  Sacred Heart church took nearly four years to complete following the laying of the foundation stone in 1878 on a green-field site purchased for £120. While the church opened in 1880, a further two years were to pass before the sanctuary was completed in 1882.  The construction of the church was covered in great detail by contemporary newspapers. This artic

Lenah Valley is a suburb of Hobart situated in the foothills of Mount Wellington north of the city centre. Lenah Valley was originally known as Kangaroo Bottom and later as Kangaroo Valley. Lenah is the native Aboriginal word for kangaroo. The Hobart Nepali Church was established in 2010 and is the only Christian congregation of the Nepalese community in greater Hobart. Weekly services are held in the Lenah Valley Citywide Baptist Church located on Pottery Road. The church enables Nepalese believers to practice their Christian faith in their native Nepali language thereby sustaining Nepalese cultural life and community bonds. Links for further information: https://www.facebook.com/nepalichurchinhobart/ https://www.citywidehobart.org.au/nepali/ https://www.tasbaptists.org.au/advance---june-july-2020/from-bhutan-to-hobart

Granton is a suburb of Greater Hobart and is situated approximately 20 kilometres north of the city centre. Originally known as South Bridgewater, it was renamed as a tribute to Charles Henry Grant, one time General Manager of the Main Line Railway which opened in 1876. The Exclusive Christian Brethren, now known as the Plymouth Brethren, originated in Plymouth, Great Britain in the 1820s. By the mid 19th century the Christian Brethren became established in Australia. The 'Exclusive Brethren' is a restrictive group which broke away from the original Christian Brethren 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 notorious for avoiding social interaction with people outside the faith, which has contributed to the denomination being considered a Christian sect. The Granton Plymouth Brethren Hall is located

Retreat is a district north west of Lebrina in North East Tasmania. A settlement at Retreat centred on the junction of Retreat and Security Roads. In the 1920s and 1930s the settlement had a school, post office and a Methodist church. Nothing now remains with area now covered with pine plantations. Very little is know about the Retreat Methodist church which fell under the Lilydale Circuit. This included Methodist churches at nearby Tunnel and Lebrina. The Retreat church is not listed in Max Stansall’s Tasmanian Methodism (1975) as the church had ceased operating by the mid 1930s. A single photograph of the church exists which reveals that the church was probably a converted cottage. It is likely that the Retreat church and school are one and the same building. Only a handful of newspaper reports exist which provide little information about the church’s origins or demise. One of these, published in the Launceston Examiner in 1928, provides a glimpse of Methodist life at Retreat: “

New Norfolk is a large town on the banks of the Derwent River approximately 40 kilometres west of Hobart. It is a historic town mostly settled by Norfolk Islanders soon after its establishment. When Governor Lachlan Macquarie visited the township he named it Elizabeth Town after his wife. However, it was later decided to adopt the name New Norfolk to acknowledge the new settlers. In Tasmania there are many examples of plans to build churches which were never realised. However, there are very few examples of a church being built but never used as a place of worship. The story of St Columba’s at New Norfolk is one of these and it needs to be told even though it is a virtual footnote in the rich history of the town’s many churches. Presbyterian services at New Norfolk date back to the 1870s although these were somewhat intermittent and ceased in 1876. By the mid 20th century progress towards building a Presbyterian church was finally realised. In October 1951 the Launceston Examiner repo

Stanley is a historic town on the far northwest coast approximately 80 kilometres west of Burnie. The Van Diemen's Land Company once had its headquarters in the area which was originally known as Circular Head. It was later named after Lord Stanley, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, who went on to serve three terms as British Prime Minister. Stanley’s Christian Community Church location falls under the umbrella of the Association of Christian Community Churches in Victoria and Tasmania. The association describes itself as “a movement of like-minded local churches, predominantly of a Christian Brethren heritage, that have united under a common vision and mission, set of beliefs and core values”. The Christian Brethren, also known as the Plymouth Brethren, originated in Great Britain in the 1820s. By the mid 19th century the movement had spread to Australia, with the first revival meetings held in Tasmania from 1869. As a result, fellowships were formed in Hobart, Launceston,

Moonah is a suburb of Greater Hobart and is located approximately 5 kilometres north of the central business district. Moonah was previously known as South Glenorchy before it was developed as a residential area in the late 19th century. In 2016 St Mary’s Anglican church was purchased by the Australian Coptic Orthodox Church and reconsecrated in the same year. Previously the Coptic Christian community had worshipped at St Timothy’s, Hobart, while another Coptic community worshipped at St Demiana and St Abraam at Newstead, Launceston. The Coptic Orthodox Church in Australia is organised into two Coptic Orthodox dioceses with over 50 parishes, three monasteries, two theological colleges and four schools. The church is a member of the National Council of Churches in Australia. Additional information about this church and the building is most welcome as all articles are continually updated. I can be contacted through this page or my Facebook page "Churches of Tasmania" which is

St Marys is a small township at the junction of the Tasman Highway and the Esk Highway on the East Coast of Tasmania. It was once the eastern terminus for the Fingal Railway. The town is part of the Break O'Day Council. Our Lady of the Assumption is the second Catholic church built at St Marys. The first church, a weatherboard building which opened in 1899, was destroyed in a fire in 1974. A new brick church, designed by Father Mitchell of Taroona was built as its replacement. The new church was opened on 9 May 1975 by Archbishop Guilford Young. The church is one of five Catholic churches in St Marys parish which covers the Fingal Valley and the North East coast.

Lenah Valley is a suburb of Hobart situated in the shadow of Mount Wellington north of the city centre. Lenah Valley was originally known as Kangaroo Bottom and later as Kangaroo Valley. Lenah is the native Aboriginal word for kangaroo. The Lenah Valley Baptist Church, now called Citywide Baptist Church, is located on Pottery Road. Baptist activity at Lenah Valley dates back to 1948 when a Sunday school was established. Church services were held for the first time in February 1952. A manse to house the first minister was acquired in July 1954. The site of the present church was purchased in June 1956. In July I960 the foundation stone was laid for a modern brick church and hall which opened in November 1960. The church, designed by architect Dirk Bolt, has been significantly altered in recent years.   The church is also home to the Hobart Nepali Church which was founded in 2010. It is the only congregation of Nepalese people in the Hobart, where Nepalese believers can practice their

George Town is one of the oldest towns in Australia and is the second oldest town in Tasmania. It is therefore surprising that many of the town’s churches were only established after World War Two. The Anglicans and Methodists had an early presence but Catholic and Presbyterian churches were only established in the 1950s and other religious denominations arrived after the 1970s. The establishment of Launceston as the administrative centre of the North in the early years of the colony meant that George Town was destined to remain a backwater until more recent times. The construction of an aluminium smelter at nearby Bell Bay in the 1950s as well as the development of industry south of the town, accelerated George Town’s population growth in the post-war era. George Town’s Anglican church is a modern, functional and austere building therefore it may be surprising to learn that its origins go back to the first European settlement in northern Tasmania. It is located close to the site where

Forest is a small settlement off the Bass Highway about 12 kilometres south of Stanley in Tasmania’s far North West. The early settlers referred to the area as "the forest" and when an official name was needed it became simply “Forest”.  For a time locals referred to the settlement as “Tierney’s Town”. Forest and the surrounding district has been home to numerous churches, most of which have closed and no longer exist.  The settlement at Forest centres on the intersection of Mengha Road and Back Line Road. Three churches were established near this intersection: St Bartholomew’s Anglican church (1905); a Union Church (1894) - now the Forest Christian Centre (Christian Brethren) and a short-lived Baptist church established in 1913. In 1918 a visitor to Forest mentions all three churches: “Now we come upon that pretty, quaint-looking Church of England—St. Bartholomew’s—the inside of which is well worth a visit. It has almost within a stone’s throw two other less pretentious-look