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 mine pegged out by Tom McDonald in 1893. He named it the Rosebery Gold Mining Company after the Prime Minister of England, Lord Rosebery. The develop of the town only took off 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 now 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 comparatively few days of sunshine and warmth”. “A ...

Geeveston is a country town on the Huon Highway approximately 45 kilometres south of Hobart. The town is named after William Geeves, an English settler, who received a land grant at what was then called Lightwood Bottom. The settlement was renamed Geeves Town in 1861 before becoming Geeveston. The Church of Christ has had a limited presence in the Southwest of Tasmania and the denomination was centred in the North and North West of the State as well as on the Tasman Peninsula and in Hobart. The Church of Christ arrived in Tasmania in the 1870s and established itself first in Launceston and Hobart. Initially the denomination was simply known as the ‘Christians' then from 1885 as 'Disciples of Christ' and finally as 'Churches of Christ'. The Churches of Christ believed that Christian communities should be similar to those described in the New Testament, simple and with autonomous congregations. The Church of Christ has similarities with the Christian Brethren although...

Nubeena is a small town on the western side of the Tasman Peninsula. It is approximately 13 kilometres northwest of Port Arthur. The town was previously named Wedge Bay. From the late 1870s several Church of Christ communities were established on the Tasman Peninsula. The first church was built at Impression Bay in 1889 and and this was followed by the construction of places of worship at Koonya, Highcroft and Oakwood. The Church of Christ community at Nubeena did not build a church but used a Baptist Hall constructed in 1892. In September 1892 the opening of the “Wedge Bay Hall” was reported by the Hobart Mercury: “A public hall has been erected at Wedge Bay by the Baptist community, with Mr. J. Soundy, of Hobart, as the mover and leader in getting the same done. The work has been carried out by local men, Messrs. Quinn and Co., and it is said to be a very creditable building. How it is to be utilised remains to be seen”. In 1897 the ‘Church of Christ’ began to use the hall for evenin...

At the turn of the 20th century there were a number of small registered independent churches which operated from various halls and other public venues in Hobart. These include groups such as the ‘Church of the Disciples’, the ‘Unitarian Church’ and the Undenominational King Street Chapel. These churches were typically short-lived and led by charismatic leaders. The subject of this article is a small independent church which was established by Reverend John Anderson who was active in Hobart from about 1893 to 1904. In June 1895 the Tasmanian News reported that a new church, ’The Christian Temple’, had opened in New Town. The ‘Temple’ was located in Arthur Street* opposite the “Anchorage Home” on the corner of Pedder Street. The church was very likely a converted house and not a purpose built structure. The Tasmanian News commented: “This unpretentious looking place of worship, with its original belfry, is making its mark at New Town, and country folks are also noting its existence. The ...