Perth is a town in the Australian Island 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 ...
. It lies south of
Launceston, on the
Midland Highway. The town had a population of 3,233 at the
2021 census,
and is part of the
Northern Midlands Council.
Like nearby
Longford, Perth is a historic town with many buildings dating back to the early 19th century. It is the first major town out of Launceston on the route to
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 ...
, and also serves as a major junction for people bypassing Launceston on the route from Hobart to the northwest of the state.
History
Perth was settled in 1821 by Governor
Lachlan Macquarie
Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; ; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Gove ...
. He was staying nearby with the pastoralist David Gibson and named it after Gibson's hometown of
Perth, Scotland
Perth (; ) is a centrally located Cities of Scotland, Scottish city, on the banks of the River Tay. It is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and is the historic county town of Perthshire. It had a population of about ...
.
It was proclaimed as a township in 1836.
John Skinner Prout painted a view of the town in 1845, with various parts of the
inland mountains showing in the painting. Edward Paxham Brandard engraved the picture in 1874.
Landmarks
Baptist church
The Perth Baptist church, opened in 1862, is notable, due to its history, size and architecture.
Gibbet Hill
In 1837, five years after the practice ceased in England, the body of John McKay was
gibbet
Gibbeting is the use of a gallows-type structure from which the dead or dying bodies of criminals were hanged on public display to deter other existing or potential criminals. Occasionally, the gibbet () was also used as a method of public ex ...
ted near the spot where he murdered Joseph Wilson near Perth. There was great outcry, but the body was not removed until an acquaintance of Wilson passed the spot and, horrified by the spectacle of McKay's rotting corpse, pleaded with the authorities to remove it.
The location is still marked by a sign reading, "Gibbet Hill" on the right when heading to Launceston.
This was the last case of gibbeting in a British colony.
Demographics
The population of Perth was 2,965 in the 2016 Census.
It had grown to 3,233 people in the 2021 Census.
References
External links
*
Map showing Perth's location and that of Gibbet Hill(maps.google.com.au)
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Localities of Northern Midlands Council
Northern Tasmania
1821 establishments in Australia