Churches of Tasmania

Lymington is a coastal settlement south of Cygnet. It was the site of a convict probation station established in the 1840s and by the late 19th century it had developed as an orchard-growing district. St Teresa’s replaced St Patrick’s Convent School at Upper Lymington which had been established in 1900 [ See No.1623 ]. The new convent school, which also served as a church, was built at a more central location. The foundation stone for the new school was laid by the Archbishop of Hobart, Dr. William Hayden on Sunday 21 December 1930. The Mercury reported: “The parish priest (the Rev; A. Cullen) explained the reasons that had prompted them to abandon the old convent at Lymington, and concentrate on the new and central position. He said he had personally purchased 10½ acres of land for the purpose, and deemed it the greatest honour of his life to be able to give the deeds to the Archbishop that day…. The Catholic schools were the very heart of the church, and he hoped that the new school...

Kamona is a rural district approximately 15 kilometres southwest of Scottsdale, situated on the eastern side of the Sideling Range. With the development of the Scottsdale-Branxholm railway in 1909, the area opened up for development. In 1910 the district’s name changed from Billycock Hill to Kamona, which is part of the aboriginal word for “venom", the full word being "kamona moina”. Kamona’s church was originally a State school built by volunteer labour in 1908. When a new school was built in 1915 the old school building was adapted for use as a church. Over the years it was used as a place of worship by Presbyterians, Methodists, the Salvation Army and by the 1940s as a Gospel Hall. The church was in use well into the mid 1950s. It is not known when religious services ceased or what has become of the building. There is a surprising number of reports about the Kamona church given the relative isolation of the district and its small population. A small selection of these rep...

Belle Vue is a property overlooking the South Esk river east of the Midland Highway near Epping Forest. Belle Vue was originally granted to Launceston brewer William Barnes, who managed nearby Clyne Vale. It is likely that Barnes did not occupy the property, for he soon exchanged it for land near his brewery in Launceston, which he named Trevallyn. In 1828 David Gibson of Pleasant Banks acquired the land on which Belle Vue now stands. A stone building had been erected on the property by the 1840s and the estate was managed until James Gibson (1829-1906), son of David Gibson, took up residence in the 1850s. The Eskvale Presbyterian chapel was built in the vicinity of Belle Vue in 1846. In 1885 the Eskvale chapel was closed following the construction of a new Presbyterian church at Epping Forest. The land on which the chapel stood was sold to Gibson in 1885. It is likely that it was about this time a private chapel was built at Belle Vue. While little information is available about th...

The Little Eucharistic Brothers of Divine Will are a Catholic ‘contemplative-active’ community of men who settled at a rural property outside in Dover in 2014. The community was formed in Perth in 2013 and had previously been associated with the Apostles of Perpetual Adoration, a Public Association of Christ’s Faithful established in the Archdiocese of Perth to promote perpetual Eucharistic adoration. in 2025 the Little Eucharistic Brothers of the Divine Will relocated to St James’ at Cygnet where they are based in the old St James’ Convent. A private chapel, or Oratory, will feature at the Cygnet Convent as it did at the Dover Beit Achim (House of Brothers). The former convent at Cygnet Sources and Further Information: https://hobart.catholic.org.au/vocations/lay-religious-orders/little-eucharistic-brothers-of-divine-will/ https://littleeucharisticbrothers.org/ https://hobart.catholic.org.au/2021/03/15/little-eucharistic-brothers-of-divine-will-become-public-association-of-christs-fa...

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. Lymington is a coastal settlement south of Cygnet. It was the site of a convict probation station established in the 1840s and by the late 19th century it had developed as an orchard-growing district. St Patrick’s Convent School was located midway between Lymington and Wattle Grove.  In the early 1890s Archbishop Murphy promised the Catholic community of Cygnet that a community of nuns would be established to run a Catholic school for the district. Father O’ Flynn welcomed a small group of three Sisters; M. Joseph; M. Hyacinth, and M. Magdalen, as they arrived aboard the S.S. Nubeena. Following the establish...