Ulverstone is a town on the northern coast of
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
on the mouth of the
River Leven, on
Bass Strait
Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...
. It is on the
Bass Highway, west of
Devonport and east of
Penguin
Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...
.
As of June 2021 Ulverstone had an urban population of 11,613, being the largest town in
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
. The town is a part of the municipality of the
Central Coast Council which also includes Penguin, Turners Beach, Leith, Gawler and surrounds, and
Forth
Forth or FORTH may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine
* ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008
* ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw
* Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotla ...
.
History
![New River Leven Bridge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/New_River_Leven_Bridge.jpg)
The town area was first settled by Europeans in 1848, when Andrew Risby, his wife Louisa and their five young children arrived to settle and develop farmland from what was mostly a thickly forested wilderness.
Andrew & Louisa arrived in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
in 1839 as a newly married couple from their ancestral town of
Horsley, Gloucestershire
Horsley is a village and civil parish about one and a half miles south-west of the small Cotswold market town of Nailsworth. The origins of the name Horsley are much debated, although it is thought to be derived from the pre-7th-century Old Engli ...
in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The first of their five children were born in Adelaide. Soon after the birth of their 2nd child they moved to Tasmania. In 1841 they arrived at the
Forth River where a young 19-year-old James Fenton had pioneered just prior to their arrival. After clearing land and subsistence farming for a few years, they were evicted from their "patch" after a land dispute with a wealthy speculator and moved westward. The district was, at that time, known as 'the Leven' and recognised as a good source of quality timber with a similar climate to England. When their 5th child, Andrew Risby jnr. was just 2 years old the Risby family moved and settled on a patch of land known as The Rises, at the south-eastern perimeter of the present day Ulverstone town boundary where they farmed for many years. Descendants of this pioneering family still live in the district.
During the 1850s, the district received a few new settlers but was also frequented by transient timber getters. The timber found ready markets in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, which desperately required good quality split timber during the
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony, and an influx of population growth and financial capita ...
. Until June 1854, land releases in the district were often purchased under 'pre-emptive rights legislation' by distant purchasers whose intention was to keep the land for later sale at an increased price. With the repeal of that legislation, the conditions for settlers to take up residence improved.
The name Ulverstone is first known to have been used in 1854 when Hugh Ross McKay opened the Ulverstone store. ''Leven'' Post Office opened on 30 May 1857 and was renamed ''Ulverstone'' Post Office in 1881. Ulverstone was declared a town on 22 February 1861 by
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
H.E. Fox-Young.
Reliable rainfall and generally good quality soils favoured the development of agricultural pursuits. The early pioneers of the district struggled against great odds to secure their sustenance and ultimately develop an income from sale of their produce.
Ulverstone grew quite quickly during the 1890s, and the town has become a centralised location between the north-west coast's two cities,
Burnie
Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. When founded in 1827, it was named Emu Bay, being renamed after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company, in the early 1840s.
, Burnie had an urban popul ...
and Devonport. It is named after
Ulverston
Ulverston is a market town and a civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 11,524, increasing at the 2011 census to 11,678. Historically in Lancashire, it lies a few mi ...
in England, which also sits at the estuary of a river called
Leven Leven may refer to:
People
* Leven (name), list of people with the name
Nobility
* Earl of Leven a title in the Peerage of Scotland
Placenames
* Leven, Fife
Leven ( gd, Inbhir Lìobhann) is a seaside town in Fife, set in the east Central ...
. Ulverston in England was spelled ''Ulverstone'' until late in the 19th century.
From 1915 until 1955, a branch railway ran from Ulverstone to Nietta, mostly carrying timber for the
Burnie
Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. When founded in 1827, it was named Emu Bay, being renamed after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company, in the early 1840s.
, Burnie had an urban popul ...
Pulp Mill.
Redevelopment
![War-memorial-Ulverstone-20070420-020](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/War-memorial-Ulverstone-20070420-020.jpg)
The
Central Coast Council has recently redeveloped the area to increase tourism. 2010 saw the completion of a new basketball stadium, the Schweppes Arena. The arena holds around 1,100 people, cost $5.5 million to build and was completed just behind schedule. it overlooks the River Leven and is situated just behind the former stadium.
In 2011, the Leven Bridge was replaced by a new bridge. It was built by VEC Civil Engineering for approximately $6.5 million, with the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources and the Central Coast Council funding the project. In June 2011 a walking track between
Turners Beach
Turners Beach is a small town on the north coast of Tasmania. Almost equidistant between the cities of Devonport and Ulverstone, it is at the western mouth into Bass Strait of the Forth River, opposite the village of Leith on its eastern mou ...
and Ulverstone was opened.
A redevelopment of the wharf precinct was opened to the public on 17 November 2012.
Education
Ulverstone has three public primary schools and one public high school/college.
*East Ulverstone Primary School
*Central Ulverstone Primary School
*West Ulverstone Primary School
*
Ulverstone Secondary College
Ulverstone Secondary College (formerally Ulverstone High School) is a government comprehensive secondary school located in , in the Central Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. Established in 1953, the school caters for approximately 600 stude ...
There are two private schools in Ulverstone.
*Sacred Heart Primary School
*Leighland Christian School
As of 2017, students studying Years 11 and 12 can study at
Ulverstone Secondary College
Ulverstone Secondary College (formerally Ulverstone High School) is a government comprehensive secondary school located in , in the Central Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. Established in 1953, the school caters for approximately 600 stude ...
, or commute to
Penguin District School
Penguin District School is a public, co-educational high school, in Penguin, Tasmania, Australia, a town located midway between of Burnie and Ulverstone. It was created in 2013 when Penguin High School merged with Penguin Primary School. Begi ...
in
Penguin
Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...
, to
Don College
Don College is a government comprehensive senior secondary school located in Devonport on the north-western coast of Tasmania. "The Don", as it is commonly known to residents of Devonport, is situated by the Don River and enjoys views over the ...
in Devonport, or to
Hellyer College
Hellyer College (often stylised as hellyer college) is a government comprehensive senior secondary school located in in north-western Tasmania, Australia. Established in 1976, the college caters for approximately 800 students in Years 11 and ...
in
Burnie
Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. When founded in 1827, it was named Emu Bay, being renamed after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company, in the early 1840s.
, Burnie had an urban popul ...
.
Ulverstone is home to TastroFest - Tasmania's Astronomy Festival. This event is held annually in August and is the largest astronomy festival in Australia. Centred around education, this event holds both student and public programs over three days.
Notable people
*
Nita Burke (born 1937), Australian basketball representative
*
Joseph Lyons
Joseph Aloysius Lyons (15 September 1879 – 7 April 1939) was an Australian politician who served as the List of prime ministers of Australia by time in office, 10th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1932 until his death in 1939. He ...
,
Prime Minister of Australia
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...
from 1932 to 1939, spent some of his early years living in Ulverstone - he arrived with his family from
Stanley
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
at age 5 and attended school, but his family relocated back to Stanley when Joseph was 12.
*
Richard Fromberg
Richard James Fromberg (born 28 April 1970) is a former professional tennis player from Australia.
Tennis career
Fromberg began playing tennis at the age of 10. He was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder.Ben Hilfenhaus
Benjamin William Hilfenhaus (born 15 March 1983) is an Australian former professional cricketer who played for Tasmania in Australian domestic cricket and for the Australia national cricket team. He is right-arm fast-medium bowler known for his ...
, Australian national and state cricketer
*
Frank MacDonald, last-surviving Tasmanian veteran of World War I
*
David Neitz
David Neitz (born 22 January 1975), is a retired Australian rules footballer. The strongly built centre half back who became a full forward was the longest-serving captain in the history of the Melbourne Football Club and the first Melbourne ...
,
Australian rules
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
footballer
*
Alex Pearce
Alexander James Pearce (born 9 November 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre back for EFL League Two club AFC Wimbledon and the Republic of Ireland national team. He made two international appearances for the Scotland und ...
,
Australian rules
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
footballer
*
Tammy Tyrell, federal senator
*
Craig Walton
Craig Walton (born 10 October 1975 in Ulverstone, Tasmania) is an Australian triathlete.
Walton competed in the triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He took twenty-seventh place with a total time of 1:50:57.66.
Walton was a powerful ...
, triathlete and coach
See also
*
West Ulverstone, Tasmania
West Ulverstone is a locality and suburb of Ulverstone in the local government area of Central Coast, in the North West region of Tasmania. It is located about north-west of the town of Ulverstone. The Bass Highway passes through from south- ...
References
{{authority control
Localities of Central Coast Council (Tasmania)
Towns in Tasmania
North West Tasmania