Churches of Tasmania

Gowrie Park is a former village built by the Hydro Electric Commission to house workers constructing the Mersey-Forth Hydro-Electric Power Development Scheme. Gowrie Park is located on the Claude Road about 15 kilometres south west of Sheffield Tasmania’s vast hydro-electric scheme dates back to 1914 when the Tasmanian Government bought a small electricity company in financial difficulty and created the Hydro-Electric Department. The first power station at Waddamana in the Great Lake Power Scheme was opened in 1916. Over a period of 80 years, 30 power stations and 54 major dams were built. Construction camps and villages were built to support major projects and during this period 10 villages were established, most of which had a full social infrastructure including a school, public hall and a church. After the Second World War, large numbers of migrants were recruited to construct dams and power stations. This brought English, Polish, German, Italian, Scandinavian and other migrants to

Devonport’s Plymouth Brethren Hall is located on William Street. The Exclusive Christian Brethren, now known as the Plymouth Brethren, originated in Plymouth, Great Britain, in the 1820s. By the mid 19th century the 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 known for avoiding social interaction with people outside the faith, which has contributed to the denomination being considered a Christian sect. The Devonport Plymouth Brethren Hall is a typical example of modern functional Brethren Halls being a virtually featureless brick building and very well secured and unaccesible to the public. With very limited contact with the secular world, information about the D

Upper Natone is a rural area located about 25 kilometres south of the town of Burnie in the North West region of Tasmania. The name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘peak’. Methodist services were initially held in the Upper Natone Hall which opened in 1934. In 1941 the Burnie Advocate reported that at the quarterly meeting of the Burnie Methodist Circuit a decision was made to move the Methodist church at Upper Stowport to Upper Natone. In January 1942 the Advocate reported that the new church at Upper Natone was almost completed. A subsequent report advised that the church was to officially open on Sunday 22 February with two services conducted by Revered W. J. Wilson. On the same day a concert was held in the Upper Natone Hall in aid of church funds. Methodist services were held up at Upper Natone until the late 1950s. The date of the church’s closure is not known. I have yet to find a photograph of the church. A photograph of the Upper Natone Hall has been used to illustr

Upper Stowport is a rural district in the hill country south east of the city of Burnie. It is an area that was first settled by employees of the Van Diemen's Land Company. In 1908 the North West Post carried a short report describing the opening of a new Methodist Church at Upper Stowport on Sunday 10 May: “The new Methodist Church at Upper Stowport was officially opened on Sunday last by Mr G. G. Pullen, of Penguin, who preached an eloquent sermon from Luke xv, 13. The building was filled to overflowing, people being present from Stowport and several of the surrounding districts. Mrs Somerville presided at the organ. Tho opening ceremonies will be brought to a close to-day by a concert and coffee supper. The new building is very roomy, of Gothic design, and is lined inside with T. and G. pine”. The church was almost lost in bushfires in the summer of 1912. The North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times reported: “Stowport is again under a cloud of smoke. For several days bush f

Upper Stowport is a rural district in the hill country south east of the city of Burnie. It is an area that was first settled by employees of the Van Diemen's Land Company. The construction of an Anglican church at Upper Stowport began in 1910. In June of that year the North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times reported: “The new Anglican Church, being erected in Upper Stowport, is rapidly nearing completion, and promises to be one of the prettiest churches on the coast. It is built on a gentle rise on land generously given by Mr. John Sturzaker, and will serve residents, both of Stowport and Natone. The dimensions are 25ft by 16ft, with an apse to contain the altar. The door and windows (5) are early Gothic, the latter being filled with cathedral glass of a pale green tint. The roof is an open one. The upper part of the walls is painted pale green, with a 4ft panelling stained and varnished oak, running round the building. The contractors, Messrs. Metcalfe and Son, have done the

Latrobe is a large country town on the east bank of the River Mersey. The settlement was named after Charles LaTrobe, who was acting Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania in 1846-7. Until the River Mersey silted up Latrobe was once an important port town. St David’s is an independent Presbyterian church. The community was established in about 2018 and is located in the former Uniting Church building on Hamilton Street. The building was constructed as a Methodist church which opened in 1881. The church was sold in 2011. Further Information: https://www.facebook.com/StDavidLatrobe/

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 which no longer exist. Sassafras is a rural settlement in the North-west region and is located about 20 kilometres from the city of Devonport. A Wesleyan Methodist church opened at Sassafras in 1876, the history of the building can be found here: [No. 217] A Methodist Sunday school was established in the 1880s and by 1895 it had reached an enrolment of 107 children with 15 teachers. Land was donated by David Clyne for the construction of a hall to house the Sunday school under the proviso that it “be invested with the names of the Trustees of the Church for all time”. Construction of the hall began in 1909 and the building was officially

Scamander is a small resort town at the mouth of the Scamander River. It is situated on the east coast approximately 20 kilometres north of St Marys on the Tasman Highway. The area was previously known as Yarmouth before it was changed to Scamander. Scamander’s Kingdom Hall is located off Steel Street in the centre of the town. 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 following infor

Currie is the main town and administration centre of King Island. In 1866 the ship "Netherby" ran onto rocks off the island and was salvaged by Captain Archibald Currie. The harbour and later the settlement were named in his remembrance. In 1913 the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart began a permanent ministry on King Island. Masses were mostly held in the Methodist Church. Father Goodman oversaw the construction of the first Catholic church which opened in April 1914. The Presentation Sisters ministered on the island from 1963 until 1999. The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by the Venerable Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. In the same year the Sisters arrived at King Island a convent, which included a small chapel, was built next to Star of the Sea Catholic church. The official opening of St Joseph’s Convent in April 1963 was recorded b

Forth is a small town in north-west Tasmania located on banks of the Forth River. It was previously known as Hamilton-on-Forth. The area was settled in the 1840s after James Fenton, a young man of Irish descent, explored the Forth estuary in search of arable land. In the second half of the 19th century several churches were built at Forth representing the Anglican, Methodist, Catholic and Congregationalist religious denominations. Less known is a Christian Brethren Gospel Hall which was used intermittently for a period of about 20 years. The hall opened in late 1882 with an article in the Devon Herald in October noting that a Gospel Hall at Hamilton-on-Forth was “in the course of erection”. While there is no record of when the hall was officially opened, an advertisement placed in the Devon Herald in December 1882 provides the “hours of meeting” and is evidence that it was in operation before the end of that year. In October 1884 another report in the Devon Herald states that the Gospe

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 which no longer exist. In 1894 St Finn Barr’s Catholic church and school opened on a site on the corner of Forster and Holbrook Streets. The school was run by the Presentation Sisters who travelled by coach from their convent at the Church of the Apostles. In 1921 the Church trustees bought a local residence for the Sisters near the school. In 1925 the church and school were destroyed in a fire and a new school was built on Invermay Road. In 1927 the Sisters moved to a small cottage close to the new St Finn Barr’s school which had opened at the beginning of that year. In 1932 Invermay became a seperate parish under the charge of Fr. Will

Lunawanna is located on the western side of Bruny Island and lies approximately 6 kilometres south of Alonnah. The settlement was known as Daniel's Bay until 1907 when part of the aboriginal name for the island, “Lunawanna-alonna”, was adopted. Anglican services at Lunawanna date back to 1909 and were held in the new State school. Plans for the construction of a church began in 1912 and the foundation stone for a small wooden building was officially laid on Saturday 29 September 1912. The occasion was reported by the Hobart Mercury: “Although the district of Daniel's Bay has been settled for many years, religious ministrations have been few and far between but of late many Hobart residents have acquired property in the neighbourhood, and the need of a place of worship has been much discussed. About 18 months ago the Rev. G. Lumsden was appointed by the Bishop to the charge of the island, and regular services were commenced in the State schoolhouse, but the inconvenience of this

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 which no longer exist. Cygnet is a small coastal town situated about 70 kilometres south of Hobart. It is named after the adjacent bay of Port Cygnet which was 'discovered' by D'Entrecasteaux and named ‘Port des Cygne’ (meaning the port or harbour of swans). The settlement was known as Port Cygnet until 1895 when it was changed to Lovett. In 1915 the town’s name was changed again becoming Cygnet. In 1875 a ‘special correspondent’ for the Hobart Mercury published an article titled “The Huon District: Its Conditions and Wants”. The report contains a detailed description of the settlement at Port Cygnet including the religious lif

It is not my intention to delve into the complex history of New Norfolk’s ‘mental institutions’ but a brief outline is necessary for some context with regard to places of worship established at the institution. There are five distinct phases in the history of the 'hospital': The New Norfolk Lunatic Asylum (1829-1859) The New Norfolk Hospital for the Insane (1859-1915) The New Norfolk Mental Diseases Hospital (1915-1937) Lachlan Park Hospital (1937-1968) Royal Derwent Hospital (1968-2001) Before the 20th century religion and worship had a minor role in the institution. However it is interesting that plans for the original asylum included a chapel (see illustration below). The intention was that the asylum was to house the colonies 'invalid convicts' and as well as convicts classed as ‘lunatics’. The provision of a chapel was in keeping with the belief that religion was a critical part of the process of a convict's moral improvement. However, as the convict ‘invalid h

Copping is a small settlement on the Arthur Highway approximately 20 kilometres east of Sorell. The settlement’s history dates back to the 1860s. The district was originally named Coppington after a Captain Richard Copping who was a magistrate and early settler in the district. The origins of St Paul’s Anglican church date back to April 1887. The Hobart Mercury’ s local correspondent at Bream Creek wrote: “Some time ago I spoke of the advisability of providing ways and means of building a church at Coppington. Since then the matter has been taken up. Mr. Bloomfield, of Coppington, and Mr. A. Hean, of Wattle Hill, have been appointed secretary and treasurer, and already have about £100 in hand, and, with several liberal offers made by a few around we anticipate that they will have good hope before them of success in raising sufficient money”. In October 1892 a tender to construct a church was awarded to Mr James Parkinson of Brighton at a cost of £143 with the hardwood supplied by the b

Currie is the main town and administration centre of King Island. In 1866 the ship "Netherby" ran onto rocks off the island and was salvaged by Captain Archibald Currie. The harbour and later the settlement were named in his remembrance. Reverend Max Stansall’s ‘Tasmanian Methodism’ summarises the origins of the Methodist Church at King Island as follows: “As much as ninety years after the beginnings of Methodism in Hobart, the work in King Island was just commenced. Actually a young home missionary, C.C. Dugan, who later had a distinguished career as minister and historian, visited the island in 1903. But it was in 1910 that the real beginning was made. Rev. Joseph Penna that year became the first minister appointed to the island”. Soon after Penna’s arrival the construction of a church began in mid 1911. This was undertaken by volunteer labour under the direction of Mr Will Batton. The church was officially opened on Sunday 24 December 1911. The Launceston Examiner reporte