Parattah is a small township in

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

, located approximately 6 kilometres (4 mi) southeast of the town of Oatlands. At the 2011 census, Parattah had a population of 360. Parattah Hotel

The area is home to about 100 families, and contains many historic buildings, such as a farmhouse which was once home to

Hudson Fysh Sir Wilmot Hudson Fysh, KBE, DFC (7 January 18956 April 1974) was an Australian aviator and businessman. A founder of the Australian airline company Qantas, Fysh was born in Launceston, Tasmania. Serving in the Battle of Gallipoli and Pale ...

, one of the founders of

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

, and a historic railway station. The main street contains a number of attractive dwellings dating from the town's heyday, some of which are currently undergoing restoration. The village retains the original general store, the impressive Tudor style 'Parattah Hotel' and a number of historic churches. The first

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

serving the township opened 1 June 1879 and was originally named 'Oatlands Station' until it was renamed Parattah with effect from 1 January 1882. It was located at the railway station (which, while at Parattah, was actually the official Station for Oatlands) until 8 January 1914. The postmistress from 1946 to 1966 was Mrs. Mary Fisher. She was succeeded by her daughter, Miss Vera Fisher, who retired in March 1977 and who has been claimed to be a descendant of the postal reformer

Sir Rowland Hill Sir Rowland Hill, KCB, FRS (3 December 1795 – 27 August 1879) was an English teacher, inventor and social reformer. He campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the postal system, based on the concept of Uniform Penny Post and his soluti ...

. The town also has a public telephone, which was removed in July 2009, but after much local outcry, was restored one month later.

Parattah Junction

Parattah was once known as Parattah Junction due to the former

Oatlands Railway The Oatlands Railway was a short branch of the Main Line from Launceston to Hobart in Tasmania, which was built to give rail access to the town of Oatlands. The railway opened on 13 May 1885 and it closed on 10 June 1949. The line branched of ...

, which branched off towards Oatlands from this area. Today, the railway station serves no passenger traffic, with the last passenger visits occurring in the early 2000s on heritage rail tours. Loading crane at Parattah

The railway in Parattah served as an important point on the

Main line Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to: Transportation Railway * Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system * Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...

from Hobart to Launceston, being the halfway stopping point for the Tasman Limited, and the terminus for suburban and inter-regional passenger services on the

Tasmanian Government Railways The Tasmanian Government Railways (TGR) was the former operator of the mainline railways in Tasmania, Australia. Formed in 1872, the railway company was managed by the Government of Tasmania, and existed until absorption into the Australian Na ...

. Within the timetables, Parattah was allocated as a station where refreshments could be purchased, or where train, taxi or airplane connections could be arranged. Because of the high volume of traffic the station received, it was the location of a coaling stage and water refilling station for steam locomotives, a wye for turning locomotives around, as well as sidings and a loading crane for freight and goods traffic. Whilst not a part of the system nowadays, the sidings and loading crane can still be seen today. The station building itself has been restored, with a small museum housed there, and is now situated beside a public picnic reserve. Parattah Junction remains the highest elevated station on the Tasmanian rail network, and originally housed the town's post office until 1914.

References

{{authority control Towns in Tasmania Localities of Southern Midlands Council