Cygnet, Tasmania
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Cygnet (; ) is a town in the
Huon Valley The Huon Valley, often shortened to the Huon, is a rural region and river valley in southern Tasmania, Australia. Centred on the lower reaches of the Huon River, it was historically renowned for its apple orchards. Today the valley’s econ ...
, south of
Huonville, Tasmania Huonville () is a town located on the banks of the Huon River in the Huon Valley, in the south-east of Tasmania, Australia. It serves as the administrative centre of the Huon Valley Council and is the largest town in the Huon Valley region. Sit ...
.


History

The Indigenous people occupied a large territory in South East Tasmania, including Cygnet, Hobart and Bruny Island. Tasmanian leader & elder, Wooraddy, came from Bruny Island. The bay was named ''Port des Cygnes'' (Port of Swans) by French navigator
Bruni D'Entrecasteaux Antoine Raymond Joseph de Bruni, chevalier d'Entrecasteaux (; 8 November 1737 – 21 July 1793) was a French Navy officer, explorer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Isle de France (Mauritius), governor of Isle de Fran ...
in 1793, because he observed a large number of black swans in the area. The first European settler in the district was William Nichols in 1834. Nichols received a grant for three hundred and twenty acres of land on the north side of Port Cygnet in 1829. After the land had been cleared and accommodation built, Nichols moved his family to this property. At the time the property was only accessible by a walking track from Browns River or up the river by boat. His grandson, John Wilson, established a shipbuilding business at what was now known as Port Cygnet. Until the end of the 1850s, timber was the main source of income as land was cleared. Timber was exported from the area for firewood, house building and fence palings. In 1840 the township of Port Cygnet was surveyed. Land was advertised for sale to the public in 1848. The Post Office opened on 1 January 1854. The town was known as Port Cygnet until 1895, Lovett until 1915 and then Cygnet.


Facilities

There are two pubs, three bottle shops, one RSL club, two petrol stations (one with an ATM), a Bendigo Bank, Catholic and Anglican churches, three cafe/restaurants, a hardware store, three doctor's clinics, a couple of backpackers
hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...
s, a bookshop, newsagent, two hairdressing salons, two butchers, takeaway food shop, organic grocer and various other clothing and special interest stores including a local cider makers bar and cellar door. There are also several art studios, a furniture & homewares store, a print workshop with an old printing press, a library linked to the collection of the
State Library of Tasmania The State Library of Tasmania is the reference, special collections, research and public lending library in the Tasmanian capital of Hobart, Australia. It is part of Libraries Tasmania. Libraries Tasmania includes a state-wide network of librar ...
, a children's toy library and a museum. Cygnet is popular amongst artists, musicians, craftspeople and creative types and the home of the annual Cygnet Folk Festival,
Cygnet Folk Festival The Cygnet Folk Festival, run since 1982, is a three-day folk music festival held in Cygnet in Tasmania, Australia, that occurs annually on the second weekend in January. History The festival has developed as one of the premier cultural even ...
br>[1
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/nowiki>which occurs in early January and attracts people from mainland Australia and the world. Festival musicians are billeted with locals. Other events in Cygnet include the Harvest Festival, film festivals (e.g. "Bollywood Film Festival"), annual art exhibition

dances and numerous other social gatherings. Cygnet is also home to the annual "Cygnet Cup" a snail race held in November. The local area also supports a farming population and there are many second homes, sometimes known as "shacks" in Tasmania. About a mile south of the town centre is Port Cygnet (home of the Port Cygnet Yacht Club), with road and walking access to Cygnet. Cygnet and surrounding suburbs have access to the D'Entrecasteaux Channel on one side and the Huon River on the other. Cygnet is in the
Huon Valley Council Huon Valley Council is a local government body in Tasmania, covering most of the south of the state. Huon Valley is classified as a rural local government area and has a population of , towns and localities of the region include Cygnet, Dover ...
municipality. Increasing numbers of people and families are moving to Tasmania and the Huon Valley. Cygnet, like other towns within the Huon Valley and Tasmania, have seen an increase in property sales to foreign and interstate buyers. Many retirees are moving also.


Notable residents

Peter Wright (MI5 officer) Peter Maurice Wright CBE (9 August 191626 April 1995) was a principal scientific officer for MI5, the British counter-intelligence agency. His book '' Spycatcher'', written with Paul Greengrass, became an international bestseller with sales o ...
, the author of
Spycatcher ''Spycatcher: The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer'' (1987) is a memoir written by Peter Wright, former MI5 officer and assistant director, and co-author Paul Greengrass. Wright drew on his experiences and research into ...
, lived here from 1976 until his death in 1995.


References


External links


''The Age'' – Travel: Cygnet
{{Authority control Localities of Huon Valley Council Towns in Tasmania Populated places on the Huon River