Richmond, Tasmania
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Richmond is a town in
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
about 25 km north-east of
Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
, in the Coal River region, between the Midland Highway and
Tasman Highway The Tasman Highway (or A3) is a highway in Tasmania, Australia. Like the Midland Highway, it connects the major cities of Hobart and Launceston – however it takes a different route, via the north-eastern and eastern coasts of the state. The ...
. At the , Richmond had a population of 880. Richmond's most famous landmark is the Richmond Bridge, built in 1823 to 1825, around the time of the town's first settlement. It is Australia's oldest bridge still in use. St John's
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
church was built in 1836, and is considered the oldest
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
church in Australia. St Luke's was built in 1834-1836 and is the oldest Anglican Church in Australia. The clock mounted in the church tower chimes the hour Is manually wound by a group of volunteers. The clock was previously from St David's Church in Hobart, which was demolished to build St David's Cathedral. St Luke's cemetery is located on Wellington Street, just before Paramore Street. The town was initially part of the route between Hobart and Port Arthur until the
Sorell Causeway The Sorell Causeway is a causeway that carries the Tasman Highway across Orielton Lagoon and Pitt Water, from the western side of to in the south-east of Tasmania, Australia. The causeway and adjacent Mcgees Bridge provide vital links betw ...
was constructed in 1872. Present-day Richmond is best known as being preserved as it was at that time. It is a vibrant tourist town, with many of the sandstone structures still standing. Many of these structures are built in the
Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
style.


History

Richmond was initially established as a pioneering district within the Van Diemen's Land penal colony. Richmond later developed as a police district for the surrounding region after Governor George Arthur appointed a number of paid magistrates to oversee penal discipline in 1827.Stefan Petrow, 'Policing in a Penal Colony: Governor Arthur's Police System in Van Diemen's Land, 1826- 1836.' ''Law and History Review'' 18, no. 2 (2000), 387.    Arthur implemented this measure as a way of increasing penal order, punishing crime and keeping an accurate record of the movements and behaviour of all convicts in attempt to hold the colony up as an orderly colony, enforcing strict convict discipline. Consequently, Richmond grew as a centre of local government with a centralised justice system, holding council and court hearings from the Coal River Valley to Campania and Colebrook. According to historian Peter Macfie, there was a high degree of prejudice among the senior public figures of Richmond toward the convicts, which resulted in a 'caste system' within the community – something that was maintained in the region through most of the nineteenth century.Peter Macfie, 'Oral History and the Demise of Folk Culture in the Richmond District, Tasmania,' ''Tasmanian Historical Research Association'' (1982), 97. Immigrant settlers mostly occupied the estates within the township, whereas emancipists eventually settled on farms on the fringes of the township. The Grass Tree Hill Road and Governor Arthur's Road leading into Richmond was built from 1833 to 1838 by groups of convicts known as ‘Chain Gangs’.Richard Tuffin, 'Australia’s industrious convicts: A reappraisal of archaeological approaches to convict labour,' ''Australian Archaeology'' 76 (2013), 4. These prisoners were sentenced to day labouring near the town and were employed in construction within the localised area. They frequently experienced shortages of food and clothing, which lead many of the men to steal from each other as well as from neighbouring houses.Peter Macfie, ‘Dobbers and Cobbers: Informers and Mateship among Convicts, Officials and Settlers on the Grass Tree Hill Road, Tasmania, 1830-1850,’ ''Tasmanian Historical Research Association'' 35 (1988), 117-118.    Prisoners also lay kangaroo traps as a means of supplementing rations. Anyone that was found to be stealing or was caught laying traps was severely punished. In 1834 and 1835, there were a number of resistance efforts in response to the shortages. Some men refused to attend church, refused to labour and there was even a rebellion led by five prisoners who wielded their picks against authorities. Many of the Georgian style buildings which are present in the township today were constructed by these convict gangs, including the Bridge, the Court House and the Gaol. The name given to the region was the Coal River district.Philip Cox & Wesley Stacey (1973), ''Historic Towns of Australia'', Melbourne, Lansdowne, p.54. Lieutenant-Governor William Sorell was the first to take steps to form a town and later he took up land there himself. The Land Commissioners surveyed land for a township in the mid 1820s.
James Backhouse :''See alsfor two other James Backhouse botanists and nursery owners of York.'' James Backhouse (8 July 1794 – 20 January 1869) was a botanist and missionary for the Quaker church in Australia. His son, also James Backhouse (1825–1890), wa ...
reported Richmond had a court house, a gaol, a windmill and about thirty houses by 1832. Backhouse visited the town again in February 1834 and reported Richmond had nearly doubled in size. The court house was built in 1825-26 and the northern part of the gaol in 1825. Richmond Post Office opened on 1 June 1832. Richmond bridge was built in 1823, using convict labour, and is known as the largest stone span bridge in Australia. The foundation stone for St Luke's was laid on 3 February 1834 by Governor Arthur and it is considered one of the finest churches designed by
John Lee Archer John Lee Archer (26 April 1791 near Chatham, Kent, England – 4 December 1852 in Stanley, Tasmania, Australia) was the Civil Engineer and Colonial Architect in Van Diemen's Land, serving from 1827 to 1838. During his tenure, Archer was resp ...
.Cox & Stacey, p.56


Tourist attractions

Some notable
tourist attractions A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...
in Richmond are the Richmond Bridge, the
Richmond Gaol The Richmond Gaol is a convict era building and tourist attraction in Richmond, Tasmania, and is the oldest intact gaol in Australia. Building of the gaol commenced in 1825, and predates the establishment of the penal colony at Port Arthur ...
, Richmond Court House, Zoodoo Wildlife Park
a model of Old Hobart Town in the 1800s
and numerous old and heritage-listed buildings and parks.


Gallery

File:Richmond-Tasmania-Australia02.JPG, St Luke Anglican Church File:Richmond-Tasmania-Australia01.JPG, Another view of St Luke File:Cemetery at Richmond.JPG, One of the smaller Richmond Cemeteries File:The Teddy Bear Shop.JPG, The Teddy Bear Shop File:Richmond-Tasmania-Australia05.JPG, St. John's church File:Richmond-Tasmania-Australia04.JPG, Richmond Bridge


References


External links

{{authority control
Richmond Tasmania Website
- information on the attractions and history of Richmond and the Coal River Valley. Towns in Tasmania City of Clarence Localities of City of Clarence