No. 1643 - Nubeena - Congregational Church (1893) - A Nice Little Building

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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.

Little information is available about the former Congregational Church at Nubeena. In the book ‘Congregationalism in Tasmania’ Theo Sharples states that a fellowship at Nubeena was formed and a church was built in 1880. However, it is likely that the church was only built (or perhaps replaced an earlier building) at a later date. This is surmised from a report published in the Hobart Mercury in January 1893:

“Members of the Congregational Church have lately erected a nice little building at Nubeena, which is now being used, but will be formally opened by Rev. George Clarke, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Tasmania, early in the year”.

George Clarke (1823-1913), was a Congregational minister and educationist. In 1851 Clarke was ordained at the Union Chapel, Islington, and returned to Hobart to become minister of the Congregational Church in Collins Street before moving to the Davey Street church. He ministered in Hobart for a total of fifty-two years. When the University of Tasmania was instituted in 1890 Clarke became its first vice-chancellor and served as chancellor from 1898-1907. 

While there is no record or description of the official opening of the church in 1893, there are frequent newspaper reports concerning the church from the early 20th century. These mostly relate to annual harvest festivals, Sunday school activities and fundraising for the maintenance of the building. 

In January 1925 the church was moved moved from its original site on Edward Street to a new site on Nubeena Esplanade. The Mercury reported:

“The latest improvement is the moving of the Congregational Church from back in the bush to a site chosen by our Congregational folk facing on the Nubeena esplanade. The moving contract was in the hands of Mr. J. Batchelor, and the Nubeena residents gave valuable assistance. Mrs. Fairweather and friends provided afternoon tea. The method of moving was by means of a stump puller, the building being raised on skids. The church was built some 30 years ago, when I
Nubeena was in its infancy by Messrs J. Fazackerley and S. Free”.

In 1938 a report mentions that three Congregational churches on the Tasman Peninsula, namely: Nubeena, Saltwater River and Taranna, had all been renovated, and that the Congregational Union had contributed an amount of £9 towards this with the remainder borne by the local congregations.

In 1975 the Nubeena church became part of the Sorell-Mornington-Tasman Peninsula United Congregations under the Joint Action Committee of emerging Uniting Church. Some time after the establishment of the Uniting Church in 1977 the Nubeena church was closed and sold.

A photograph of the church is held in the Tasmanian Archives and this will be published in a future update of this article.

The Mercury, Tuesday 20 January 1925



Reverend George Clarke Photograph: Notes on Early Life in New Zealand by George Clarke. Published privately in Hobart, Tasmania by J. Walsh and Sons 1903.


A map of Nubeena showing original location of the Congregational church on Edward Street before it was removed to a site on the Esplanade. Source: Libraries Tasmania - Item Number  AF819/1/237


Sources:

The Mercury, Monday 9 January 1893, page 4
The Mercury, Tuesday 20 January 1925, page 3
The Mercury, Monday 17 April 1933, page 2
The Mercury, Saturday 17 April 1937, page 14
The Mercury, Monday 23 May 1938, page 3
The Mercury, Thursday 18 August 1938, page 6
The Mercury, Saturday 2 June 1951, page 18

Sharples, Theo E., Congregational Union of Tasmania. Congregationalism in Tasmania, 1830-1977 : a brief history / compiled by Theo E. Sharples Congregational Union of Tasmania Hobart 1977.

Sally O'Neill, 'Clarke, George (1823–1913)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/clarke-george-3220/text4853, published first in hardcopy 1969, accessed online 18 May 2026.





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