Franklin - Huon Valley, Tasmania.
Franklin is located on the Huon Highway, 45 kilometres and about a 35 minute drive south of Hobart, and sits astride the Huon River at the heart of one of Tasmania’s premium tourist regions.
Originally settled in 1804 by timber cutters, the settlement was named after Tasmania’s first Governor, Sir James Franklin who took up a grant of 260 Hectares of riverside land.
Early agriculture was mainly mixed cropping, primarily potatoes and root vegetables, but by the mid to late 1800’s Franklin was the centre of a major apple-growing district. Apples remained the main source of income until the collapse in the 1970’s of the Tasmanian export fruit industry, resulting in a change back to mixed cropping.
Franklin was the pre-eminent town of the Huon Valley until about the mid-1930’s, prosperous and home to a thriving sea port with several pubs, banks, a Town Hall and its own Court House. It even boasted its own hydro-electric power station, run using a local creek.
Many buildings and the village atmosphere of Franklin remain today with much of the main street faithfully restored. Also of interest is Ye Olde Franklin Tavern, a historic pub established on the riverbank in 1853.
Franklin is also home to the world-renowned Wooden Boat Centre which incorporates the Wooden Boat School. Here students from around the world are taught traditional wooden-boat building skills with the emphasis on the use of Tasmania’s unique boat-building timbers such as Huon and King Billy Pine, Tasmanian Blue Gum and Celery Top.
This Tassie Local snapshot was produced by Footloose Photographic & Media Solutions
Things to see around - Franklin
Franklin - Huon Valley, Tasmania
