Bishopsbourne is a rural locality in the local government area (LGA) of

Northern Midlands Northern Midlands Council is a local government body in Tasmania, extending south of Launceston into the northern region of the Tasmanian central midlands. Northern Midlands is classified as a rural local government area and has a populatio ...

in the Central LGA region of

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 ...

. The locality is about south-west of the town of

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It had a population of 10,952 at the 2022 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of ...

. The 2016 census recorded a population of 136 in the state suburb of Bishopsbourne. The community is predominantly agricultural, featuring a church, graveyard, and recreation ground. The town holds historical significance for establishing Christ College, Australia's first tertiary education institution, and hosting registered Tasmanian heritage sites, The Anglican Church of the Holy Nativity and cemetery. The township has experienced increased residential development, though no commercial enterprises have been established within the township.

History

For approximately 40,000 years, the traditional owners of these plains were the Panninher people of the Stoney Creek Nation, who lived on and shaped the lands for thousands of years with their own law, customs, language, cosmology, and farming. The Panninher clan set-up numerous mountain rockshelter camps within the tiered mountains known as taytitikithika, and used the river tilapangka as a pathway. In 1821 the invading British colonial government settled and granted land in the district to released convicts, farmers, and colonists. Families began constructing homes, convict-quarters, and farms.

Bushrangers Bushrangers were armed robbers and outlaws who resided in the Australian bush between the 1780s and the early 20th century. The original use of the term dates back to the early years of the British colonisation of Australia, and applied to ...

were known to come down from the mountains to rob homesteads such as Enfield mansion. The Panninher people, who had already suffered from European diseases, resisting takeover of their country, and settler harassment, were dispossessed and displaced by the land grants. Meaning 'bishop's villa by the stream,' Bishopsbourne's boundaries were established in 1848. Original Christ College

In 1846, Australia's oldest tertiary institution, Christ College, was established in Bishopsbourne by Bishop Francis Nixon (1803–1879), Tasmania's first Anglican bishop. Modelled after Oxford and Cambridge, at its peak 110 students (all male and Anglican) studied at the College. The grounds contained a chapel, hall, library, museum, and cricket oval - where the first games of

Rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union or rugby league. Rugby football started at Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire, England, where the rules were first codified in 1845. Forms of football in which the ball ...

were played in Australia. One notable student was Henry Grant Lloyd, a prolific 19th-century Australian landscape painter. He was purportedly declined ordination by Bishop Nixon because of Lloyd’s homosexuality. Many sketches and water-paintings survive of the college and township. The school closed in 1856, after an inquiry into the educational and financial condition of the school, which recommended moving the college to Hobart. Notable early settlers included William Field (1774–1837), a former convict who became a prominent pastoralist and horse racing enthusiast, owner of the Enfield estate. William Webb (1792–1868), also a former convict, ran the "Bush Inn" from 1844, once advertised as Tasmania’s most profitable hotel. The premises later operated as the local store, post office, telephone exchange and now a private residence. By 1904, the district was known as an agricultural town, and was still connected with a local railway station on the Western Line. The township had a methodist church, state school, police station, blacksmith, and a

coffee palace A coffee palace was an often large and elaborate hotel, residential hotel that did not serve alcohol (drug), alcohol, most of which were built in Australia in the late 19th century. A modest temperance hotel was opened in 1826 by activist Ger ...

(once known as the pub and hotel the Bush Inn). In 1918, a soldiers avenue row of trees were planted in the township, which was attended and set in the ground by Tasmanian Premier Lee and his wife. In 1941, athlete Mick Goss set a world professional two-mile running record of 9 minutes 11.4 seconds. In 1946, the Longford Council purchased land in Bishopsbourne to establish a community hall and new recreation grounds for cricket and football, completed by 1947, and moving away from the old college grounds. The Bishopsbourne Post Office opened on 31 December 1846 and closed in 1976. Bishopsbourne was gazetted as a locality in 1966. The township’s cricket team has participated in local competitions for approximately 70 years, reflecting the sport’s long-standing community importance.

Geography and Environment

Bishopsbourne lies in Tasmania’s

Midlands The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefor ...

region and historically featured extensive native grasslands. The district is now predominantly used for agricultural purposes, with farms and grazing lands. The climate exhibits Tasmania’s warmest summers and some of the coldest winters, often accompanied by frost. The Liffey River forms the western boundary of the locality, providing water resources and natural habitat.

Notable People

* Elizabeth Field (née Richards) (abt.1774–unknown): Early convict and original land grantee in Bishopsbourne. * William Field (1774–1837): Convict-turned-pastoralist; owner of Enfield estate and horse racing enthusiast. * William Webb (1792–1868): Former convict and proprietor of the Bush Inn (from 1844). * Bishop Francis Nixon (1803–1879): First Anglican Bishop of Tasmania; founder of Christ College. * George Briscoe Skardon (1786–1850): Royal Navy lieutenant and early settler. * Rev. John Philip Gell (1816–1898): Warden of Christ College; Cambridge-educated clergyman. * Henry Grant Lloyd (1830–1904): Noted 19th-century Australian landscape painter; student of Christ College. * Mick Goss (unknown): Athlete; set world professional two-mile record in 1941. * Aunty Judith Rose Thomas (1952– ): Tasmanian Aboriginal elder and artist.

Road infrastructure and Transport

Bishopsbourne is accessible via Route C513 (Liffey Road / Bishopsbourne Road), which runs south to north through the locality. Route C518 branches east from C513. The nearest railway station, formerly on the Western Line, no longer operates passenger services. Public transport services are limited, and residents primarily rely on private vehicles for access to larger centres like Longford and Launceston.

Gallery

File:Church of the Holy Nativity Bishopsbourne.jpg, Church of the Holy Nativity, Bishopsbourne File:Bishopsbourne field and church of the holy nativity.jpg, field of the Church of the Holy Nativity, Bishopsbourne File:Bishopsbourne Community Centre Recreational Ground field.jpg, Bishopsbourne Community Centre Recreation Grounds

References

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