Churches of Tasmania

Queenstown is the main town in West Coast region and is named in honour of Queen Victoria. At one time it was Tasmania's third largest town. Like all towns on the west coast it has a long history of mining. Queenstown South is a southern suburb of the town that spread along the road leading to Lynchford and straddled the Queen River. The Methodist Church at Queenstown South was officially opened on Sunday 1 July 1900. It was a corrugated iron building that was used for about 60 years as a Sunday school and for church services. In 1960 it was decided to transport children and the congregation to Queenstown Methodist Church rather than meet separately. The building was sold and a store was built on the site. A brief report concerning the opening of the church appears in the 'Mount Lyell Standard': "Yesterday afternoon the church which has been erected by the Wesleyan denomination in South Queenstown, opposite the Railway Hotel, was opened by a service which was conducted

Franklin is a small town on the Huon Highway approximately 45 kilometres south of Hobart. Settled in 1804, it was the first settlement in the Huon area. It was named a Governor of Tasmania Sir John Franklin and his wife Lady Jane Franklin. Until the 1930s Franklin was the major town in the Huon Valley with its own court house, several hotels a Town Hall and four churches. The former Congregational church at Franklin was the oldest Congregational church in the Huon Valley. The building was demolished in the early 1940s. The church stood on Price Street (later renamed Kent Street). Congregational services were first held at Franklin in 1843 in a small room lent by Mr James Coleman. A Sunday School was started at the same time. A little weatherboard church was built by Mr William Geeves with financial assistance from Mr Henry Hopkins, of Hobart. In 1859 construction of a new stone church began with the foundation stone ceremonially laid on Monday 28 March. “The Foundation Stone of the new

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. Perth is one of Tasmania’s oldest towns having being established in 1821 by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. Macquarie was so impressed with the area that he selected it as a site for a township. At the time Macquarie was hosted by pastoralist David Gibson and named it after Gibson's home town of Perth in Scotland. The former Temperance Hall at Perth is located on Clarence Street less that 100 metres from St Andrew’s Anglican church. In recent years the hall has been converted into a house. The hall is closely associated with Reverend Alfred Stackhouse* (1811–1876), a long-serving Anglican Minister at Perth. In addi

Margate is a coastal town on the Channel Highway approximately 7 kilometres south of Kingston. The original settlement was closer to the sea however the modern commuter town is now centred along the highway where the town’s churches are located. Margate’s Kingdom Hall is located off Van Morey Street and borders on the local Primary School. It is built in the style typical of most of the 21 Kingdom Halls established in Tasmania. No published information about the hall is available. The Jehovah's Witness diverges from the mainstream doctrines of Christianity in that it is a non-trinitarian tradition. Jehovah's Witnesses believe their denomination is a restoration of first-century Christianity. The historical persecution of members of the Jehovah’s Witness in many countries, including Australia, has further contributed to the denomination maintaining a low profile in the media. For this reason the history of the Jehovah Witness in Tasmania presents a challenge to research. The fol

Snake Banks is the former name of Powranna, a district north of Epping Forest on the Midland Highway. The name was changed to Powranna in 1913, an Aboriginal word meaning 'black snake’. In 1850 a chapel was built by William Gibson on his property at Snake Banks. William was the fourth son of David Gibson, a convict who became a successful agriculturalist and pastoralist. Following William’s marriage to Mary Ann Blackler in 1843, the couple settled on 634 acres of land at Snake Banks which was given to him by his father. In about 1853 William Gibson moved to his estate at Native Point at Perth. William Gibson became a successful breeder of merino sheep and exported about £20 000 worth a year to merchants in other colonies. After the move to Native Point, the Gibson’s became prominent supporters of the Baptist movement and funded the construction of several Baptist churches in the north. The chapel built by Gibson on his property ‘Eskdale’ at Snake Banks should not be confused with

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. St Monica’s Convent School at Longford is one of eleven convent schools established by the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, better known as the Presentation Sisters. The Presentation Sisters arrived in Hobart in 1866 to establish schools to teach impoverished children. After establishing St Mary’s College in Hobart, and a ‘poor school’ St Columba’s, on the same site, the Sisters soon opened schools in Launceston, Bellerive, Lindisfarne, Queenstown, Beaconsfield, George Town, Karoola, Lilydale and Longford. They also took over an already established school at New Norfolk. Plans to open a conve

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. There is little information available about the old Wesleyan Methodist parsonage on Margaret Street which situated alongside the former Sunday school building. Increasing work in the Launceston Methodist Circuit led to the appointment of a second minister in 1863 and four years later the circuit accepted the responsibility of a married minister. Rev. N. Bennett. Mr. Isaac Sherwin loaned a house for a parsonage until 1872 when a parsonage was built at a cost of £500. The parsonage was designed by Harry Conway, who is responsible for many of Launceston’s heritage buildings. The Margaret Street parsonage is heritage

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 those that no longer exist. Perth is one of Tasmania’s oldest towns having being established in 1821 by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. Macquarie was so impressed with the area that he selected it as a site for a township. At the time Macquarie was hosted by pastoralist David Gibson and named it after Gibson's home town of Perth in Scotland. Perth’s Baptist Tabernacle is the product of the generosity of it benefactor, William Gibson, one David Gibson’s sons, who had established the property ‘Native Point’ on the South Esk River. William Gibson and his wife Mary, were instrumental in establishing and funding Baptist Tabernacles at Hobart and La

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 those that no longer exist. Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania. The origins of the town date back to 1827 when a settlement was established at Emu Bay by the Van Diemen’s Land Company. The settlement was later renamed Burnie after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company. Catholic education at Burnie date back to back to the 1860s but it was not until the turn of the 20th century that the education system was formalised after the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy. In 1900, the parish priest, Father Hayes, invited the Sisters of Mercy to conduct a school, which they commenced in the church building wit

Queenstown is the main town in the West Coast region and it is named in honour of Queen Victoria. At one time it was Tasmania's third largest town. Like all towns on the West Coast it has a long history of mining. The Wesleyan Methodists arrived in the Queenstown district in the mid 1890s and by 1897 a weatherboard church was under construction which was opened on Sunday 1 August of that year. [ see No. 1436 ] By the 1940s the old church had become structurally unsound and in 1945 the building was dismantled to make way for the construction of a new cement brick church. The rear section of the weatherboard church was renovated and retained for continued use as a church hall and Sunday school. The foundation stone for the new church was ceremonially laid on Saturday 21 April 1946. The Mercury reported: "The new building will be a symbol of Christian faith and way of life,” said the Rev Gordon Arthur, MA, chairman of the Hobart District, when he laid the foundation stone of the

Redemption Hills Church is a relatively new independent church which was established in 2018. The church initially met at Albert Hall before relocating to the Tramsheds at Inveresk. In 2023 the church relocated to ‘Ark City Mission’ at the Killafaddy site near Waverley. In August 2019 Launceston City Mission purchased the Killafaddy property which was built in 1974 for Tasmanian Board Mills. The building was designed by Hank Romyn and features extensive use of Blackwood, Huon Pine, Sassafras, Myrtles and Tasmanian Oak. City Mission has developed the building into a refuge for children and young adults. Called “Ark City Mission, it draws on the symbol of the biblical Ark as a place of safety. City Mission has made the building available for weekend church services. The building has previously been used as a church by the former Launceston Community Church and from 2008 until 2014 it housed the “Community Christian Academy”. Photo: realestate.com.au Sources and further information: http

The former ‘open’ Christian Brethren Gospel Hall on Murray Street was the first place of worship built by the Brethren in Hobart. The Brethren community had previously worshipped at a number locations including the Harrington Street Baptist Chapel and the Mariners Church on the wharf. The Brethren arrived in Australia in the 1860s as a result of the work of immigrant English evangelists following the 1859 revival. These included Frank Brewster, John Baird, William Brown, Charles Perrin and many others. The evangelists preached to large congregations and won converts who established local assemblies and built gospel halls. In May 1898 the Hobart Brethren rented the formerHarrington Street Baptist chapel. [ see No. 631 ] For the next 9 years the “Harrington Street Gospel Hall” hosted visiting preachers and overseas missionaries who regularly addressed meetings. In 1906 the Harrington Street premises was sold by the Baptist Union which forced the Brethren to seek new premises. In April 19