Churches of Tasmania

Rosebery is a mining town located on the Murchison Highway approximately 60 kilometres north of Queenstown. The town’s name is taken from a mining claim established by Tom McDonald in 1893. It was named the Rosebery Gold Mining Company after the Prime Minister of England, Archibald Philip Primrose, The Earl of Rosebery. The develop of the town only got underway 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 new 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 com

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. At Rosebery’s peak all of the main religious denominations were active in the town. The town now only has a Catholic church and an independent Protestant church. Rosebery Eternal Life Church is a small church that was formed in October of 2022. It is non-denominational Protestant church which meets at Rosebery Community House on Agnes Street. The church was previously known as the Rosebery Christian Fellowship which described itself as a congregation of ‘conservative non-denominational evangelical Christian believers’. The Eternal Life Church meets at Rosebery Community House  Further information: https://www.facebook.com/roseberychristianfellowship

Bicheno is a small seaside town on the east coast and is located approximately185 kilometres from Hobart. It was named in honour of James Ebenezer Bicheno, a popular Colonial Secretary. Bicheno’s Community Church is used by a joint Anglican and Uniting Church congregation as well as a Catholic congregation. When the church was built in 1882 it was shared by the Presbyterian and Anglican communities. The church was officially opened on Sunday 10 December 1882. The Hobart Mercury’s report of the occasion also reveals the church’s origins: “On Sunday last the inhabitants of the little township of Bicheno gathered together to celebrate the opening of a new church. Very curiously, but altogether undesignedly, the church was opened exactly 12 months after its inception. On December 10, 1881, it was decided to have it built, and on December 10, 1882, it was opened for public service”. “In the morning the Rev. H. T. Hull officiated according to the Presbyterian form of worship, delivering a ve

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. Gretna is a small township in the Derwent Valley approximately 60 kilometres from Hobart. The area was originally known as Stony Plains Hut and Macquarie Plains. The name Gretna was adopted in the early 20th century. The origin of this name comes from a local farm called ‘Gretna Green’ and also an Inn established in the 1860s which bore the same name. St Mary’s church was built in 1847 and was consecrated by Bishop Nixon on 1 June 1848. A church hall was built some distance from the church about 80 years later. Both the church and St Mary’s Hall have recently been sold by the Anglican Church. The hall’s foundation

The Northern Church of Christ was established by Gerald Pace in the early 1970s and meetings were first held at Dilston. It was then known as the Northern church of Christ. In the early 1980s a property was acquired on Balfour Street in Launceston and the churc h became known as the Balfour Church of Christ. In about 2018 the church moved to Longford and is now known as the Midland Church of Christ. Amongst its work, the congregation supplies World Video Bible School material to brethren in the Australian brotherhood. The Balfour street Church of Christ (photo: Harcourts Real Estate Launceston) The Balfour street Church of Christ (photo: Harcourts Real Estate Launceston) The Balfour street Church of Christ (photo: Harcourts Real Estate Launceston) Sources: https://www.aussiechristians.net/tassie.html https://www.nmcoc.com.au/about Launceston Churches of the 20th Century (pamphlet) Launceston Historical Society, 1996  

The first members of the Church of Christ arrived in Tasmania in 1865 and by the 1870s congregations were established in Launceston and Hobart. The first followers were initially known as ‘Christians' then from 1885 as 'Disciples of Christ' and from 1915 as the 'Churches of Christ’. The Launceston Church of Christ has operated from various premises since it was established in August 1884. Following the placement of an advertisement in the Examiner calling for ‘Disciples of Christ’ a congregation of nine members initially met in private homes and halls. A mission tent was erected on the corner of the Kings Way and Brisbane Street in 1913 with almost 300 people “committing their lives to Christ”. In 1913 the Church of Christ purchased the former Catholic Apostolic Church (built in 1898) situated on Margaret Street. The Margaret Street building served the Church of Christ for more than 80 years. In 1994 the Church moved into a former plaster’s factory and warehouse on Fr

Prospect is suburb of Launceston located between Summerhill and Prospect Vale. It was originally a small village in the Westbury Municipality but has been absorbed into the City of Launceston. Several churches have existed at Prospect including the Christian Mission (now the Summerhill Baptist Church); a Congregational church and a Church of Christ, which was established as a branch of the former Margaret Street Church of Christ. The first members of the Church of Christ arrived in Tasmania in 1865 and by the 1870s churches were established in Launceston and Hobart. The first followers were initially known as ‘Christians' then from 1885 as 'Disciples of Christ' and from 1915 as the 'Churches of Christ'. Little information is available about the Church of Christ at Prospect and its exact location is not known. The chapel, as it was called, opened in February 1927 and was in use for about 15 years before closing in early 1939. The Prospect church was founded in early

Kingston is a large town located approximately 12 kilometres south of Hobart. The area was first settled in 1804 and was known as Brown’s River, after Scottish botanist Robert Brown, who had visited the area. The settlement was developed as a town in the 1830s which officially adopted the name Kingston in 1882. The Primitive Methodist movement began in 1808 and was led by Methodist lay preacher Hugh Bourne, who had been expelled from the British Methodist movement. Bourne and his followers became known as Primitive Methodists, meaning ‘first’ or ‘original’. Bourne's followers were also disparagingly called ‘Ranters’, a reference to their crude and often noisy preaching. Their outdoor camp meetings generally attracted the working classes who sometimes did not feel that they were accepted by the Wesleyan Methodists. The centre of Primitive Methodism in Tasmania was at Launceston while the movement was far less successful in Hobart and the South. Wallace Barns traces the establishment

Kingston is a large town located approximately 12 kilometres south of Hobart. The area was first settled in 1804 and was known as Brown’s River, after Scottish botanist Robert Brown, who had visited the area. The settlement was developed as a town in the 1830s which officially adopted the name Kingston in 1882. Kingston Beach is the beachfront area about 2 kilometres south-east of the town centre. In 1905 a new Methodist church was built on Windsor Street at Kingston Beach. This replaced the original Kingston Methodist church located on the old Main Road to Summerleas which had been in use since 1838. Land for the new building was donated by Mr Joseph Bidencope, a wealthy Hobart draper. Bidencope’s holiday home was located next to the church. In September 1905 the Hobart Mercury reported on the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone of the new building: “One of the oldest churches in Southern Tasmania some even say it is the oldest - is that in which the Wesleyan services has been

Pegarah is a rural community about 13 kilometres west of Currie on the Pegarah Road, the main road between Currie and Grassy. Pegarah was used as an administrative centre for a Soldier Settlement Scheme in 1946. A school, a public hall and church were built at Pegarah at the time of World War One. Pegarah’s only church was built in 1916 was established by the Methodists but was later shared with the local Anglican community. In August 1916 an article published in the King Island News describes plans for the church’s construction: “Plans for a new Methodist church, to be erected on Pegarah Road, have been approved by the Council, and the work will be proceeded with at an early date. The site selected for the building occupies a corner of Mr Geo. Pearson's homestead block, in the corner nearest to Curry and the building will be about half a chain from the road. The work of clearing the site was undertaken by the Rev. P. O. Parnaby, Messrs C.W.E. Milsom, Geo. Pearson, W. Walker, and

Pelham is a rural district about 7 kilometres west of Elderslie. It is on the Pelham Road which was used as a coach road linking Brighton, Broadmarsh and Hamilton. Little is known about Pelham’s Anglican church. Dorothea Henslowe’s compendium of Anglican churches in Tasmania only notes that the Pelham church “was burnt down years ago and not replaced”. While I have been unable to find out when the church was formally established, the earliest reference to the Anglican community is found in a report in the Mercury in August 1901: “A very enjoyable concert was given by the Bloomfield Minstrels, in the Barn at Bloomfield, very kindly lent by Mr. C. F. Parsons, in order to purchase an organ for the Pelham Church. People came from all parts of the district, and there was a bumper attendance, fully 150 being present. The building was beautifully decorated with ferns and flags….The sum of £11 was collected and there will be a handsome balance to hand over to the organ fund”. It is very likely

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. Behind the Federation facade of Wesley Chambers on Patterson Street in Launceston, stands a much older building. It was called ‘Wesleyan Centenary House’ and was constructed in 1839 as a residence for Launceston’s ‘Methodist Missionary’. The year 1839 marked the centenary of the establishment of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in England. In 1832 the Methodist cause had been revived in Launceston by a local preacher, Mr Francis French, who held services on the Windmill Hill. This was the beginning of the Launceston Methodist Society which established a church on Paterson Street. Following the approval of a grant of

New River is a location south-east of Ringarooma and close to Alberton in Tasmania’s North East. New River is a small river that rises in the northern foothills of Mount Victoria and is a tributary of the Dorset River. In 1921 an Anglican church was built at the junction of Ringarooma and Alberton Roads near the Ringarooma cemetery. The church was built as a memorial to the men of the district who had served and died for their country in World War One. Very little information is available about this church which was in use for about 20 years. The church was opened and dedicated as All Saints' on Tuesday 25 October 1921. The service was reported in the North East Advertiser and the Daily Telegraph: “On Tuesday last the Bishop of Tasmania paid a visit to the Ringarooma district and dedicated the new Church of All Saints (which has been erected at the junction, of the Alberton and New River roads) to the memory of the men or the Empire who fell in the Great War, and especially R. A. S

Weegena is a rural area approximately 20 kilometres northwest of Deloraine following the road from Dunorlan. The area was previously known as Blackmore before the name Weegena was adopted in the 1920s. In the 1960s an Anglican church was established in the former Brookhead State school at Weegena. The original school, which was established in 1873, was replaced by a new building in 1908. The school operated for 80 years before it closed in 1953. After the school’s closure the building was acquired by the Deloraine Council. From 1960 it was used as an Anglican church. The building was officially dedicated in April 1963. Due to a declining population the church only functioned for a short period and closed in November 1966. Since the 1960s the former school building has been used as the Weegena Community Hall. The Weegena Community Hall, previously Brookhead State school and an Anglican church: Photograph: Weegena Community Hall Facebook page (2017) The Weegena Roll of Honour is housed

Sheffield is a country town in northern Tasmania approximately 25 kilometres south of Devonport. The area was explored by the surveyor Nathaniel Kentish in 1842 who was trying to find a route from Deloraine through to the north west coast. The area was subsequently opened up to settlement and by 1862 plots of land had been sold and the settlement of Sheffield had been named. Sheffield’s first church was a ‘union church’ built in 1866 on a site close to the Uniting Church on Main Street. In 1865 a meeting was held at Powlett’s Hotel concerning the establishment of a non-denomination church. It was intended that the church be used by the Methodist, Independent, Baptist and the Anglican communities. There is no report of the church’s official opening in December 1866 however a detailed description of the first anniversary service and tea meeting was published in the Cornwall Chronicle. This is a useful source of information about the church and also provides details about its origins: “T

Kettering is a small town on the Channel Highway approximately 35 kilometres south of Hobart. It was originally named Little Oyster Cove before being renamed Kettering in the 1870s. Three ‘union’ churches have been built at Kettering. The first church, built in 1865, was replaced by a new church in 1900. This church was lost in the 1967 bushfires and replaced with another non-denominational church in 1969. This article’s focus is on the 1865 church which was in use for 35 years. The history of the first union church is not recorded in any detail. The church was initially built as a school promoted by Dr William Crowther, who had business interests in the area. In the early 1860s a Sunday school was established by Mary Jane Pybus, the wife of Henry Harrison Pybus a business associate of Crowther. An article published in the Hobart Mercury in January 1864 describes a Sunday school celebration held at the Prybus' home. “I am sure you will be glad to hear that a most interesting juveni