Kingston is a town on the outskirts of Hobart,

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia. Nestled 12 km south of the city between and around several hills, Kingston is the seat of the Kingborough Council, and today serves as the gateway between Hobart and the D'Entrecasteaux Channel region, which meets the Derwent River nearby. It is one of the fastest-growing regions in Tasmania. The Kingston-Huntingfield statistical area had an estimated population of 11,200 in June 2012. Although the Kingston-Blackmans Bay region is statistically classed as a separate urban area to Hobart by the ABS, Kingston is also part of the Greater Hobart statistical area.

History

In 1804, the botanist Robert Brown visited the area. Browns River, that runs from

Mount Wellington Mount Wellington may refer to: Mountains * Mount Wellington (British Columbia), in Canada * Mount Wellington (New York), in Otsego County, New York, United States * Mount Wellington (Tasmania), in Tasmania, Australia * Mount Wellington (Victoria) ...

to Kingston Beach is named after him. The area was settled in 1808 by Thomas Lucas and his family, who were evacuated from

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together w ...

, and quickly the land became actively used by many pioneers who spread out to form the beginnings of Kingston's localities today. In its early years, the area was also named after Brown, but when the population grew and a commercial district was established, Kingston was proclaimed a township in 1851. The Kingston region comprises many suburban estates, including Blackmans Bay and Kingston Beach. Kingston has close ties with the Dutch community, where after 1950 many post-war immigrants moved to an area they called 'Little Groningen' (today Firthside). The Kingston Dutch community were primarily members of the

Christian Reformed Churches of Australia The Christian Reformed Churches of Australia (CRCA), formerly known as the Reformed Churches of Australia (RCA) is a Christian denomination established in Australia belonging to the Reformed/Presbyterian tradition. Background This denomination ha ...

, which they set up the local church of in 1952.

Calvin Christian School Calvin Christian School may refer to: *Calvin Christian School (Kingston, Tasmania) *Calvin Christian School (Escondido, California) Calvin Christian School is a private Christian school in Escondido, California. It consists of a preschool, elem ...

was founded by the Dutch community in 1962. Kingston was named by the Best Suburb in Australia for families by Aussie Home Loans in their annual study of 3800 Australian towns.

Economy

Kingston hosts the national headquarters of the Australian Antarctic Division. It has two major shopping centres, Kingston Town Shopping Centre and

Channel Court Shopping Centre Channel Court is a sub regional shopping centre located on the Channel Highway, Kingston, Hobart, Tasmania. Comprising an indoor outdoor complex, and standalone facilities, the centre is primarily anchored by Tasmania's largest Big W and a Woolw ...

. The newest shopping centre complex opened in 2008 its new name is,

Kingston Plaza Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, which was built over the existing Coles supermarket site, comprising a new one and 15 other shops.

Media

Kingston is served by two free publications; the full-size newspaper ''Kingborough Chronicle'' and the weekly newsletter ''Kingston Classifieds''. Kingston is served by

Pulse FM Kingborough and Huon Pulse Hobart is a Tasmanian digital news publisher and broadcaster owned by Pulse Media Group Pty Ltd based in Hobart. Pulse is best known for its local news and entertainment posts across social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram ...

and Huon FM 98.5.

Education

Kingston is served by a pair of public schools, Kingston High School (Grade 7-10) and Kingston Primary School (grade 1–6). It is also served by three private Christian schools;

(kinder to year 12) and Southern Christian College (kinder to year 12), both of which are nondenominational, and the Kingston campus of St Aloysius Catholic College (grade kinder to year 4) at Kingston campus, grade 5 to year 10 at Huntingfield campus).

Sister cities

Grootegast Grootegast (; fy, Gruttegast) is a village and former municipality in the northeastern Netherlands. It is the sister city of Kingston, Tasmania. The municipality was merged into the municipality of Westerkwartier on 1 January 2019. Geography ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

References

External links

Kingborough Municipal CouncilAustralian Antarctic Division
{{authority control Localities of Kingborough Council Suburbs of Hobart Localities of City of Hobart Towns in Tasmania