Churches of Tasmania

Sacred Heart Church at Karoola was built in 1898.  However, it is not the first Catholic church at Karoola with an earlier building opening in 1868. This event was recorded in the Cornwall Chronicle: “The Catholic church lately erected in the district of Piper’s River, about fifteen miles distant from Launceston, was solemnly opened on Wednesday last. The distance and the rough, unformed state of the road deterred many from being of the number of visitors who would otherwise gladly avail themselves of the occasion to enjoy the pleasure of an “outing”, to express their appreciation of the struggles made by the people of this rural district to erect a religious edifice where the most sacred rites of their religion will be performed…” The Chronicle's reporter was clearly impressed by Father O’Callaghan's 'sermon': “Seldom have the people been favoured by a discourse so simple – adapted to the understandings of an unlearned people – so persuasive for its clear, forcible and...

Congregationalists appeared in the Forth region as early as the 1840’s. By the 1850’s communities were established in Don and Leith and a church was opened by Reverend William Law at Milton at the River Don in 1862. An article in the North West Post titled “The Early Days of the North West Coast” recalls the work of Reverend Walter Mathison. The story verges on hagiography but this should not detract from the work of the early pioneer Congregationalists. The story of Mathison also provides an insight into of rural life in the Don and Forth region in the mid 19th century: “The Congregation Church at Milton, River Don, was opened on December 28th, 1862, by Rev. W. Law of Launceston…. At this period Messrs Cummings, Raymond & Co. [to become the Don River Trading Company] were doing a very extensive business at the Don. The heads of the firm and a large number of employees were staunch supporters of Mr Mathison’s ministry, so that the Don church soon became larger than the parent one ...

On Saturday 4th February 1927, the foundation stone was laid for a new Presbyterian Church Hall at Mowbray Heights. Although it was initially built for the purpose of holding Sunday school classes, the intention was that it would later be used for church services and eventually a full church would be established. The land was bought on Button Street, which was close to the tram terminus. The Presbyterians had also considered Newstead as a site for a new hall and this was eventually accomplished in 1941 when a church was opened there. The laying of the foundation stone for the Button Street church hall was reported in both the The Daily Telegraph and The Mercury: “The hall…would first be used as a Sunday school, and later also as a church. Promises had already been received of attendance at the Sunday school, where Methodists, Baptists, and others might gather, in that they would simply be taught the Scriptures, there being no denominational teaching”. Expressing his gratitude, the Mo...

A Congregational church at Latrobe opened in April 1878 when a simple timber church was opened.  (1)   A report in The Examiner provides some detail about this building: “The place of worship just opened is a neat wooden structure situated in Hamilton Street between the Wesleyan and Episcopalian churches, and is capable of seating about 150 hearers. The site on which it is built is a corner allotment fronting in Hamilton and George streets. The first promoters hoped to build a more imposing brick structure, but failing this they have erected the present building, and it has been so nicely finished that it will serve the purposes of this body of Christians for some time, and will, it is hoped, at some future period serve the purposes of a Sunday school”. (2) At this time, the church did not have a permanent pastor but was awaiting the arrival of Reverend Bennett from America, “with whom a correspondence had been opened respecting the permanent pastorate of the Mersey churches”....

The first Anglican church at Forth opened in 1868. It was originally situated on the road to Leith but in 1893 it was moved closer to the village of Forth. The old cemetery where the church was once situated still exists. (This is described at the end of this entry.) In 1933, this old church from Leith road was destroyed in a fire. A report in The Advocate described the event: “All Saint's Church of England was completely destroyed by fire about 4 o’clock on Tuesday afternoon. The origin of the outbreak is a mystery, but it is thought that it commenced in the vestry as the result of a short circuit in the electric wires. Mr Onions, who was working at his home nearby, first noticed smoke coming from under the roof of the building, and gave the alarm. With the assistance of other residents the door of the church was burst open, but all that could be saved were five pews and four kneelers…. It was impossible to save the building owing to a lack of water”. (Advocate Thursday 27 April...