Huonville - Huon Valley, Tasmania.
The establishment of the colony at Hobart Town in 1804 inevitably led to the exploration of surrounding areas including that now known as the Huon Valley. The botanist Robert Brown was one such early explorer but he labelled the area unsuitable for settlement due to its poor soil.
The first permanent white settler in the Huonville area was a convict escapee known only as Martin. He was found by timber-cutters in the early 1820’s living rough in a primitive camp. As settlements spread along the river Martin was absorbed into the growing population and eventually became a well regarded member of the local community.
The development of Huonville began in 1847 with the Wharton family being granted 1644 acres. They built a brick house named “The Inlet” using clay from a site next to the house and that home still stands today.
The town of Huonville developed slowly and wasn’t ensured until the construction of a bridge in 1876. Costing Four thousand four hundred pounds to build it was in fact a toll bridge with a fee of two-pence for pedestrians and six-pence for horses. Initially the town consisted of the Picnic Hotel and just one or two shops along the riverbank. The Picnic Hotel subsequently burnt down and was rebuilt and renamed the Grand Hotel. The Grand still stands today.
It wasn’t until 1889 that the settlement took on the name Huonville.
Huonville is at the heart of the valleys apple industry with the surrounding area producing more than half of Tasmania’s annual apple crop. It is also a large hop growing area with the nearby township of Ranalagh surrounded by hop fields.
This Tassie Local snapshot was produced by Footloose Photographic & Media Solutions
Things to see around - Huonville
Huonville - Huon Valley, Tasmania
