Historic Richmond Village

17/12/2014 - 17/12/2014 24 °C

As Tasmania's most important historic town, Richmond is one of the state's most popular destinations, with good examples of Tasmania's stark convict heritage and beautiful historic buildings.

The town is as elegant today as it was in the 1820's, when it was an important military staging post and convict station linking Hobart with Port Arthur. Nestled in the Coal River Valley, this classified historic town is famous for its Georgian architecture.

Richmond Bridge (1823).
Originally named Bigge's Bridge, Richmond Bridge is Australia's oldest bridge still in use. It was built by convicts from sandstone quarried at Butchers Hill and hauled by hand carts to the bridge site. The cutwaters were added in 1884. The bridge is said to be haunted by several ghosts, including Grover, a cruel flagellator.

St John's Catholic Church and burial ground (1837)
This is the oldest Catholic Church still in use in Australia. The church has had three spires. The present one was raised in 1972.

St Luke's Anglican Church (1834).
The foundation stone was laid in 1834 by Governor Arthur. Designed by John Lee Archer and built by convict labour, the church was completed in 1835. James Thompson, the convict who was responsible for the original timber work inside the building, was granted his freedom as a reward for his work.

Richmond Court House (1825)
In the early days, it was also used for church services. It was used as Council Chambers from 1861, when the Richmond Municipality was established, until 1993, when Richmond Council amalgamated with Clarence City Council.