Towns, Cities, Mountains & Lakes in Tasmania, Australia includes some history plus Bays & Islands
- NABOWLA: A village on the Lisle Road which grew around an important station on the North-Eastern Line. It is in a farming and logging district on the eastern side of the Little Forester River. When the railway station first opened it was named Lisle Road Station and so was the settlement. The name changed to Nabowla in 1913. Refer Map
- NEWNHAM: A northern suburb of Launceston, situated on the eastern side of the Tamar River and the western side of Mowbray Heights.
- NEW NORFOLK: A large town on the banks of the Derwent River 38 Km west of Hobart. This is the main town of the Derwent Valley. A very historic town, it had its beginnings about 1806 when the settlers from abandoned Norfolk Island were resettled in the district. Known first as The Hills, Governor Lachlan Macquarie visited the settlement and wanted to name it Elizabeth Town after his wife. However, it was later decided to name it New Norfolk to help the new settlers feel more at ease. Elizabeth Town was given to the next town to be decreed. Refer Map
- GRETNA: A small country town on the Lyell Highway 55 Km from Hobart. It is of historical interest as it played a big part in the early formation of this area. Said to be named after "Gretna Green" in England, because it was the first place in the Derwent Valley to have a blacksmiths shop with a couple of rooms in the back.
- CONTRIBUTION FROM [email protected] - With the association of the blacksmiths the Gretna Green referred to was in Scotland, not England as stated. I believe under Scottish law a couple could be legally married by simply declaring themselves so in front of a witness, usually at the blacksmiths shop (because there was usually someone there!)
The reason many English couples fled to this town to marry were two:
* it was the first town over the border in Scotland; and,
* under the Scottish law there were no age restrictions on marrying as there were in England.
Thus a couple marrying in this way were usually two teenagers or an older man and his teenage bride. This is what made the place so well known.- HAYES: A small rural district on the Lyell Highway 5 Km west of New Norfolk, it is situated on the banks of the Derwent River. Among the farms in the district is the State Prison Farm. Hayes was named after Commander John Hayes (later Sir John) of the East India Company who was the first British explorer to 'discover' and chart the River Derwent. He named the river in 1793 after the River Derwent of his birthplace Cumberland, England. The river is not easily navigable above the township of Hayes and the township was located near the spot where it was thought that Commander Hayes concluded his survey of the river. Note The correct name of the river is the 'River Derwent' and not as frequently quoted the Derwent River.
- LAWITTA: A small community 2 Km west of New Norfolk on the Lyell Highway, Lawitta is now considered an outer suburb of New Norfolk. The Derwent Valley Line had a station at Lawitta and by all reports it was a busy little station.
- MAGRA: A settlement 3 Km north of New Norfolk, formerly named Back River. The chapel at Magra was built in 1837. In the churchyard is Betty Kings' headstone. Claims are made that she was the first white woman to set foot in Australia. Born Elizabeth Thackery she was a convict transported in the First Fleet and said to be the first ashore on Botany Bay. She made her way to Tasmania and married Samuel King. They settled in the Derwent Valley in 1808.
- NEWSTEAD: A suburb of Launceston situated on the eastern side of East Launceston. Named after "Newstead House" which was built and named by Ronald Campbell Gunn in 1855. The name of the Post Office in Newstead was changed in 1919 to Kawalla and was not renamed to Newstead until 1961.
- NEW TOWN: A northern suburb of Hobart which is both a residential and commercial district. It is a very old suburb with some historic old buildings. The early settlers started farming the area to try and feed the colony. The most historic building is "Runnymede House" which was built by Robert Pitcain and sold to Bishop Nixon in 1850. It became a municipality but was absorbed into greater Hobart in the 1930s.
- NUBEENA: A town on the western side of the Tasman Peninsula, 13 Km north west of the Port Arthur township. It is the largest town in the Tasman Municipality and is situated in Parsons Bay. Originally the town was named Wedge Bay. It was an important link in the semaphore stations set -up on the peninsula. Refer Map
- OATLANDS: An historic town on the Midlands Highway, 90 Km north of Hobart. Now a quiet little country town it attracts a number of tourists to visit the many historic buildings in the town. Governor Lachlan Macquarie thought the site 'a very eligible situation for a town' and named it Oatlands after 'Oatlands Park' one of the royal estates of his patron King George III located on the Thames River near London. Although named in 1821 it wasn't until 1832 that the first survey was carried out by Surveyor Sharland. The oldest buildings in the town are the Courthouse built in 1829 and the Callington Mill, a unique wind-driven flour mill (1830-1890). Refer Map
- ORFORD: An historical town sited at the mouth of the Prosser River, 95 Km east of Hobart on the Tasman Highway. It began as a convict settlement in 1825, and later a station for a local garrison and Whalers station. Orford was named after a nearby property called 'Orford' owned by Thomas Cruttenden. Cruttenden named the property after the Earl of Orford because Edward Atkins Walpole (a relative of the Earl) relinquished his claim to the same land in favour of Cruttenden. Walpole established another property nearby that he called 'Strawberry Hill'. In turn 'Strawberry Hill' was named after the Walpole family estate in England. Refer Map
- OUSE: A country town on the Lyell Highway 89 Km west of Hobart. Situated on the junction with the Victoria Valley Road and on the banks of the River Ouse. The Victoria Valley Road was once the main access to the west coast area until it was replaced by the Lyell Highway. The name comes from its location on the Ouse River which was named in the 1820s after one of the many Ouse Rivers in England. The origin behind the name of the English Ouse Rivers simply means 'water' and comes from a Celtic root seen also in the Greek 'hydor' and Gaelic 'uisge' (hence whisky and indirectly English 'wash'). Refer Map
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