Tasmanian Midlands and Central Highlands

Campbell Town Heritage Walk

There are no fewer than thirty-five buildings in the Campbell Town district which have been listed on the National Estate. This gives some indication of the great historic importance and interest which exists in the area. The best way to enjoy Campbell Town is to wander and appreciate its charm and antiquity.

The town is a feast of delights for visitors. For people travelling from Hobart, the bridge is a good starting point. If you alight here and walk up into the town you can experience the antiquity and marvel at the buildings.



The Red Bridge: One of Campbell Town's famous attractions is the convict-built Red Bridge, the oldest bridge on the National Highway. The bridge and causeway, were built as a part of the original main road, it was to be a part of Bell's line of Road, but this road never got past Oatlands. Construction was commenced in 1836 and completed in 1838. It consists of drystone abutments and timber top, although the top has been replaced, the stone abutments are original, making this a rare example of early Australian stone work.

In its construction, convicts made 1,250,000 bricks and then built the bridge on dry land. When completed they were then told to divert the river beneath its arches. This was accomplished by digging the new river course a kilometre on both sides of the arches. Built for horse and cart it is today the oldest bridge in Australia still in use on a major highway, such was the workmanship of our forefather convicts.



The Brewery: As its name suggests, this building began its life in the early 1800's as the Campbell Town Brewery. Set beside The Red Bridge on its southern side, this building has served as a boxing gym, a school, as a military drill hall during the First World War, a masonic lodge in the 1920's, a girl guides hall, and also as an antiques shop for many years until recently, following major building renovations, as a successful cafe and providore. There are old original cobbled floor stables at the lower level. 137-141 High Street, Campbell Town.



Campbell Town is home to The Foxhunters Return , a colonial Georgian coaching inn, which retains all its original outbuildings and continues to function as an inn for travellers along the highway. Built by convicts around 1833, with the main building constructed under the direction of stonemason Hugh Keane, Foxhunters Return is described by the National Trust as "the finest and most substantial hotel building of the late colonial period in Australia."

During the construction of the Red Bridge, convicts were reputed to be housed overnight in the extensive cellars beneath Foxhunters Return, which is situated on the banks of the Elizabeth River and adjacent to the Red Bridge. These cellars, featuring sandstone and convict-made red brick arches and freestone walls, are now home to The Book Cellar, and so open to the public daily. They are directly under the Midlands Highway. Rumour has it that the cellars are linked to the cellars of other public houses around town via a number of tunnels. These have yet to be found.

Campbell Town Inn is an excellent example of early Tasmanian architecture and the infamous bushranger, Martin Cash worked for a time on its construction.



St Andrew's Uniting Church was built in 1847 as a Presbyterian Church and is of note for its tower and needle spire, and interior with unaltered fittings. An early Victorian Gothic Revival sandstone church (c. 1857) with iron gabled roof and square tower with castellated parapet, clock mouldings and needle spire. It contains an organ and desk that belonged to Bishop Nixon, first Anglican Bishop of Tasmania. It is considered one of the best churches built in Australia of the period.



The Grange (1840) stands at the centre of the town like an English manor house. In fact it was, for many years, the home of Dr William Valentine who, in 1874, reputedly held the first telephone conversation in Australia when he spoke to a friend in Launceston. The equipment, modelled on designs by Alexander Graham Bell, is now housed in the Queen Victoria Museum in Launceston. Today this superb building, designed by James Blackburn, is leased by the Adult Education Board who use it for weekend seminars.



Beyond The Grange, on the corner of William Street and the High Street, is St Luke's Anglican Church and beyond it on the corner of Bridge and Pedder streets is the church's rectory, a fine example of a colonial Georgian residence with five bay windows. The brick church had its foundation stone laid in 1835 and was completed in 1839. The first builder had laid down part of the base with no foundations, so a new builder was called in to complete the project. Before it could be consecrated, however, rectifications to the job had to be undertaken.

Just opposite St Lukes church you'll see a monument to Harold Gatty, a native son of Campbell Town. In 1931, he and American Wiley Post were the first people to fly around the world. In 1929, Gatty had flown as navigator with Roscoe Turner in a record 19-hour non-stop flight from Los Angeles to New York. He went on to serve, as an Australian citizen, in the US Army Air Corps.

Campbell Town has a number of Art Deco buildings, erected during the inter-war years when Campbell Town enjoyed a growth spurt. Campbell Town State School was built between September 1937 and June 1938. It was designed by S W T Blythe of the Public Works Department assisted by J H Walter. A tower at the corner is its dominant feature. The tall glass brick panel in the tower will offers a pleasing contrast to the marked horizontality of the class and cloak rooms.



Climar: In the 1950s, Marjorie Blackwell was Tasmania's queen of the household scene. Her dream home, 'Climar', was built by her and her first husband Cliff Blackwell in 1955. The name 'Climar' is made up from the first three letters of their christian names - It features a fence with the notes from The Melody of Love  and a gate with a piano accordion design motif - from the Marjorie Bligh family photograph collection.

Often referred to as 'Australia's Mrs Beeton' or 'Tasmania's Mrs Beeton', in Marjorie Blackwell's self-styled career as a housewife superstar, she married three times and produced six books on cooking, home economics, craft, history and gardening. It has long been rumoured that Marjorie was an inspiration for Barry Humphries' Dame Edna Everage.

The Black Bridge: The Original 1822 Bridge was once part of a causeway which crossed the original course of the Elizabeth River. It was built in 1823 and marked the establishment of the town itself. Still in use as part of a footpath, it is one of Australia's oldest. At one end stands the former Campbell Town Inn which was the town's first brick building, at the other end, Bridge Street, which was originally the main street.

The Black Bridge so called because it was made of bluestone, carries the railway through the east of the town. Once a lifeline for the community it opened the market for Campbell Town's main industries - agriculture and timber.

Campbell Town Convict Brick Trail is dedicated to the nearly 200,000 convicts who were transported to Australia for almost 100 years from 1788 onwards. Over 70,000 came to Tasmania. Today it is estimated that 80% or 4 out of every 5 Tasmanian have a little convict blood in their veins. The trail begins here at the red bridge, this famous bridge was built entirely with convict labour.



Campbell Town's home-grown chainsaw sculptor, Eddie Freeman, created a series of macrocarpa pine memorials to the town's rich heritage. The sculptures capture some of the essence of the natural and human history of Campbell Town in these finely detail carvings in the trunks and limbs of the 80 year old trees. The sxulptures are in Blackburn Park beside The Red Bridge.

Heritage buildings - Convict built three-arch red brick bridge (1836-38); St. Luke's Church of England (1839); Former Anglican School House (1845); St Luke's Rectory; St Andrew's Presbyterian Church (c.1857); St Michael's Roman Catholic Church (1857); 'Quorn Hall (1834); 'Camelford Homestead' (1830s); 'Aringa'; Bicton (25 km west, c.1836); Kirklands Church and Manse (9 km north-west, 1826-36); 'Balmoral' (c.1840); 'Howley Lodge' (1835-45); Powell's Hotel (1834); Shearer's Cottages (1860); The Grange (1840); Methodist Chapel (Brickhill Memorial Church, 1839); The Fox Hunter's Return (c.1840); Campbell Town Inn (1840); 176 Bridge Street cottage (c.1828); 'Douglas Park' (1838); "Ivy Lodge'; State School (1878); Masonic Lodge (Old Brewery, c.1840); O'Brien's Store (Brickhill's Store, 1859); Campbell Town Inn (The Beehive, 1840); Campbell Town Hospital (old portion, 1888); 'Morningside' (10 km west, 1830s); 'Streamshalh' (15 km west, c.1842); 'Eglestone' (18 km west, 1830); 'Greenhill' barn (20 km west); 'Barton' (25 km north-west, c.1900); 'Rosedale' (8 km west, 1828); 'Vaucluse' (18 km north, c.1840); 'Wanstead Park' 6 km north, late 1820s) 'Rokeby' and outbuildings (20 km north-west, 1834); 'Winton House' and outbuildings (12 km north-west, c.1900); 'Pituncarty' (14 km north-west, 1825); 'St Johnston House' and outbuildings (late 1830s); 'Plassy' (16 km south-west)