Sorell is a town in

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 country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, 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 ...

. It is located on the

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 junction with the

Arthur Highway The Arthur Highway (A9) is a Tasmanian highway which runs from Sorell in the near south to Port Arthur in the far south-east. Route description From its intersection with the Tasman Highway in Sorell the highway runs east, crossing Iron Creek ...

. Sorell is one of Tasmania's oldest towns, being first settled in 1808 as a small farming community and becoming an official township in 1821. At the , Sorell had a population of 1,546, and at the 2011 census, a population of 2,476. and at the 2016 census, a population of 2,907.

History

Sorell was named after

William Sorell William Sorell (1775 – 4 June 1848) was a soldier and third Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land. Early life Sorell was born probably in the West Indies, the eldest son of Lieutenant-general William Alexander Sorell and his wife Jane. So ...

, the third Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land. Historically, it was known as a major town on the route from Hobart to Port Arthur on the

Tasman Peninsula The Tasman Peninsula, officially Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula, is a peninsula located in south-east Tasmania, Australia, approximately by the Arthur Highway, south-east of Hobart. The Tasman Peninsula lies south and west of Forestier Peninsula ...

. It was the centre of an agricultural area and an important market town. It is now a

dormitory town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

, as well as the seat of the Sorell Council. In 1872 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 opened, from the

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

direction, across

Pitt Water Pitt most commonly refers to: *The University of Pittsburgh, commonly known as Pitt, a university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States **Pitt Panthers, the athletic teams of the University of Pittsburgh * Pitt (surname), a surname ...

and Orielton Lagoon to Sorell, stopping at Midway Point in the middle. This shortened the route considerably from the original road via

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

. Sorell Post Office opened on 1 June 1832. There is also a mountain in the

West Coast Range The West Coast Range is a mountain range located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The range lies to the west and north of the main parts of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. The range has had a significant nu ...

with the same name.

Port Sorell Port Sorell is a town on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is on the waterway of the same name, just off Bass Strait, 20 km east of Devonport and close to Shearwater and Hawley Beach. It borders the Rubicon Estuary, whic ...

is located on the mid north coast of Tasmania.

Infrastructure

Sorell is served by

Sorell School Sorell School is a government co-educational comprehensive primary and secondary school located in , a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Established in 1821, the school caters for approximately 900 students from Years K to 12. The sch ...

, the oldest continually operating public school in Australia, opened in 1821. It is a co-educational primary and secondary school, serving years

K-12 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acqui ...

. Sorell is served by a

Libraries Tasmania Libraries Tasmania, formerly LINC Tasmania, is the Tasmanian state government-run organisation that operates the state's reference library, a network of public lending libraries, archives, heritage, adult education, and adult literacy service ...

library, a Service Tasmania office, and Australia Post Office. Sorell Plaza shopping center, built in the mid 2000s, provides a supermarket and other major retail outlets. It was purchased by SCA Property Group, a subsidiary of

Woolworths Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shop ...

, in 2019. Gateway Shopping Center includes a competing supermarket and small retail. Sorell is served by private bus companies,

Tassielink Transit Tasslielink Transit is a bus and coach operator in Hobart and Launceston, Tasmania. History In July 1987 Melbourne based Invicta Bus Services purchased the business of Morse's Bus Service, Devonport. This was sold in 1990. The businesses of ...

and Redline Coaches. Sorell falls within the Anglican Parish of South East Tasmania, based at St George's Church, and the Parish of Richmond, with services at St Thomas's Church. Historically, it was also served by the Presbyterian Scots Church, designed by James Blackburn, which is now a private residence. Sorell has a number of historic buildings, including the Sorell Barracks, constructed to house soldiers during the

Black War } The Black War was a period of violent conflict between British colonists and Aboriginal Tasmanians in Tasmania from the mid-1820s to 1832. The conflict, fought largely as a guerrilla war by both sides, claimed the lives of 600 to 900 Aborig ...

. These and other historic buildings - including the railway house, the old Sorell Library (now an antiques center), and the Gordon Highlander Hotel, form a heritage walk. The area also has a local historical society as well as a Freemasons Lodge (Lodge Pembroke).https://www.facebook.com/masoniclodgepembroke/

Gallery

Image:SorellCauseway.JPG, Sorell Causeway Image:Sorell_BerryFarm.JPG, Berry farm near Sorell Image:Sorell Aerial.jpg, Aerial photo

References

{{authority control Towns in Tasmania East Coast Tasmania Localities of Sorell Council