Churches of Tasmania

Tunnack is small rural town about 20 kilometres south of Oatlands which was predominantly settled by Irish migrants in the mid-19th century. The district was densely settled under the Waste Lands Act of 1863, which sold cheap land in small lots for clearing and farming. The settlement was officially proclaimed in 1871 and adopted the name ‘tunnack’ which is derived from the local Aboriginal word for cold. Religious life in the Tunnack district was dominated by Catholic and Presbyterian communities reflecting the significant numbers of Irish and Scottish settlers. Unlike most rural towns, an Anglican church was never established. However, the Methodists were active at Tunnack from the 1870s and a church was eventually built in 1903. Little is known about the small weatherboard church which functioned for only about five or six years. In August 1902 the Midlands News reported: “A public meeting was held here [Tunnack] to arrange for the erection of a new Methodist Church. The attendance...