Bagdad is a small town north of

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. It is in the

Southern Midlands Council Southern Midlands is a local government body in Tasmania, covering the southern region of the Tasmanian central midlands. Southern Midlands is classified as a rural local government area and has a population of 6,118, the major localities of ...

. In the days of the horse and buggy, Bagdad was an important rest area and horse-changing place for those continuing their journey up Constitution Hill. It is now an area of orchards and small mixed farms and a

commuter Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...

settlement.

History

The town was named by the explorer Hugh Germain, a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

in the

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

. He was said by James Backhouse in his book "A Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies", published in 1901, to carry two books in his saddlebags while traveling: the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

and the ''Arabian Nights'', which he used as inspiration when he named places. Bagdad Post Office opened on 1 December 1878. A railway line connected the town with Hobart from 1891 until 1947. In April 2003, during the early part of the

Iraq war The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

, the town's website was bombarded by confused internet users from around the world trying to contact

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

is.

Demographics

The 2006 Census by the

Australian Bureau of Statistics The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is an List of Australian Government entities, Australian Government agency that collects and analyses statistics on economic, population, Natural environment, environmental, and social issues to advi ...

counted 996 persons in Bagdad on census night. Of these, 51.7% were male and 48.3% were female. The majority of residents (86.9%) are of Australian birth, with another 2.6% from

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The age distribution of Bagdad residents is comparable to that of the greater Australian population. 62.8% of residents were over 25 years in 2006, compared to the Australian average of 66.5%; and 37.2% were younger than 25 years, compared to the Australian average of 33.5%.

Community

Schools

Bagdad Primary School was established on 14 January 1867 with a total of 22 students. Fire destroyed the school's three classrooms on 26 January 1954, forcing the pupils to attend temporary schooling at the Bagdad Community Hall. The original headmaster's house survives as a classroom for kindergarten students.

Transport

Bagdad is located on the Midland Highway, which connects

and Launceston.

References

External links

Southern Midlands Council2006 ABS Census Data by Location
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bagdad Towns in Tasmania Localities of Southern Midlands Council