Forth is a small village in north-west
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
on the
Forth River, west of
Devonport and north-west of
Launceston via the
Bass Highway. It is mainly in the
Central Coast Council area, but with just under 25% in the
City of Devonport
Devonport City Council (or City of Devonport) is a local government body located in the city and surrounds of Devonport in northern Tasmania. The Devonport local government area is classified as urban and has a population of 25,415, which als ...
.
Forth has a population of about 738.
Previously known as Hamilton-on-Forth, the village predates the larger settlement of Devonport.
Forth
''The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'', 8 February 2004.
Nearby is the Forthside Dairy Research Facility run by the Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research
The Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) is a research institute in Tasmania dedicated to research and development of sustainable agricultural industries. Founded in 1996, it is a collaborative effort of the University of Tasmania (UTAS) and ...
.
History
James Fenton
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
, a young man of Irish descent came to the Forth estuary in 1839 in search of arable land. Assisted by his hired male companion, he erected the first European edifice in the district, and in 1840 returned to take up permanent settlement. He was soon to be followed by Andrew Risby, his wife and young family and a handful of other settlers seeking a new life.[F. C. Green]
Fenton, James (1820–1901)
''Australian Dictionary of Biography
The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...
'', Volume 4, Melbourne University Press, 1972, pp 162-163.
Fenton expended large sums of money attempting to drain the estuarine swamplands which he hoped would produce ideal cropping fields. This venture failed and he resorted to moving further inland to the rich, although heavily timbered soils of the sloping ground to the west. Fenton is attributed to introducing the practice of ring-barking the large eucalyptus trees to allow light to penetrate the forest floor where the first domestic crops were grown. The district produced fine crops of potatoes in those early years.
Notable people
* Bertha Southey Brammall
Bertha Southey Brammall (10 December 1878 – 10 February 1957) was an Australian writer. A direct descendant of English Poet Laureate Robert Southey, Brammall wrote material for children's radio programs as well as poems, novels and short stori ...
(1878–1957), writer
* Mother Mary Xavier Dooley (1858–1929), Australian nun
* Alexander Rud Mills
Alexander Rud Mills (1885 – 8 April 1964) was an Australian barrister and author, interned in 1942 for his Nazi sympathies and fascist beliefs. He was also a prominent Odinist, one of the earliest proponents of the rebirth of Germanic Neopagan ...
(1885–1964), barrister and author
References
Localities of Central Coast Council (Tasmania)
Towns in Tasmania
Populated places established in 1840
1840 establishments in Australia
{{CentralCoastTAS-geo-stub