Geeveston & Port Huon - Huon Valley, Tasmania.
The area that is now Geeveston was first explored in 1804, shortly after the establishment of the settlement at Hobart Town, but wasn’t settled until around 1850 in response to a request from Lady Jane Franklin, wife of Tasmania’s first Governor, that a church be established in the district.
William Geeves moved to the area, then known as Lightwood Bottom on the banks of the Kermandie River. It became Geeves Town in 1861 and Geeveston in 1888.
Geeves must have been a pious individual because he wouldn’t allow a hotel to be built within the town. As a result the Kermandie Hotel sprang up just outside the town boundary.
Apart from tourism, the local economy relies on apple growing and timber for local sawmills. APM operated a pulp-mill at nearby Hospital Point for twenty years between 1962 and 1982. It was the regions largest employer and the plants closure devastated the local economy.
Today Geeveston is the administrative centre for the districts apple growing & timber industries and is the gateway to the nearby Hartz Mountains National Park. The park is part of a glacial valley with features including Mount Hartz rising to a height of 1255 metres, glacial lakes and a variety of unique flora and fauna.
The Geeveston Forest & Heritage Centre provides a detailed history of the region, its origins and the timber industry.
A short distance south of Geeveston is Port Huon, once the most important deep-water port in the region. But the advent of containerized shipping and a significant reduction in local timber exports has seen its importance decline rapidly.
This Tassie Local snapshot was produced by Footloose Photographic & Media Solutions
Things to see around - Geeveston & Port Huon
Geeveston - Huon Valley, Tasmania
