A picturesque Georgian town set idylically on the banks of the River Derwent. New Norfolk is centrally located and is a perfect base from which to explore the surrounding areas. Mount Field National Park with its rugged beauty and seclusion is only 30 minutes away.
New Norfolk is a recommended day trip destination from Hobart. The stretch of Lyell Highway between Bridgewater and New Norfolk is particulary pretty, especially in the early morning with the river is calm and the reflection on the water of the hills is mirror-like.
New Norfolk is a central location for tourism in the upper Derwent Valley since it is the last sizeable town heading west until Strahan on the west coast. It is therefore something of a hub for more remote tourist attractions of Mount Field, Lake Pedder, Strathgordon hydroelectric site, and the South West Wilderness. It is a convenient take-off point for the Lyell Highway to the west coast via Hamilton, Ouse, Tarraleah, Derwent Bridge and Queenstown.
Where is it?: Hobart and Environs. 35 km from Hobart on the Lyell Highway between Hobart and Queenstown.
Markets
OAST HOUSE FARMERS MARKET
Tynwald Park, Lyell Highway, New Norfolk
Trading: Every Saturday – 9am – 1pm
Type: Farmers, Produce. Phone: (03) 6261 1322
Things to see and do:
There are numerous historic buildings in New Norfolk. These include: St Matthews church is the oldest church in Tasmania. Sections date from 1823; The Methodist Chapel is the oldest church of that denomination in Tasmania (1837); Old Colony Inn, another early hostelry, is now a folk museum; The Toll House, built in 1841, displays and sells Tasmanian produce and local crafts.
Bush Inn is claimed to be the oldest licensed hotel in Australia (1825). Dame Nellie Melba once sang on its balcony, Lady Franklin (wife of Governor) planted the pear tree in the garden.
The Oast House Hop Museum was a working oast house from 1867 to 1969. It has now been converted into a museum, gift shop, craft market and tea room.
Willow Court is a superb old stone building which was erected as a military hospital in 1830-31 by Major Roger Kelsall.
Rosedown Cottage Gardens features hundreds of roses in this four and a half acre garden, which was transformed from orchards and hopfields into a series of delightful gardens.
Surrounding area:
Magra (3km north): In the grave yard of the Methodist Church is the grave of Betty King, the first white woman to set foot on Australian soil.
Plenty (11km north west): Plenty Salmon Ponds is the oldest trout hatchery in the Southern Hemisphere – in operation since 1864. Includes Museam of Trout Fishing and Hall of Fame.
Boyer (2km east): tours of the Norske Scog Boyer Newsprint Mill are available Tuesdays and Thursdays for groups to see the papermaking process from start to finish.
Mt Field National Park (29km west): a popular National Park close to Hobart. It features Russell Falls, Marriotts Falls; Lady Barron Falls; Horseshoe Falls; Lake Dobson, Tarn Shelf walk, Wylds Craig walk; Florentine Valley walk; Tall Trees walk. Website >>
Nearby Towns
Bushy Park (19km north west)
Hamilton (39 km north west)
Bothwell (65 km north)
National Park (37 km west)
Brief history:
The town’s pioneers were many of the 554 folk resettled from Norfolk Island during the period of 29 November 1807 to 2 October 1808. Lt. Governor David Collins selected the site as a separate crop production area in the fertile valley, as the Norfolk Islanders were mainly farming families, who were offered extra acres in Tasmania as an incentive to relocate. The climate was colder than sub-tropical Norfolk Island, which proved a challenge for the hardy pioneers during the first few years, but eventually the district became self-supporting.
Many of these folk were “First Fleeters” as Norfolk Island was founded just a few weeks after Sydney. Nine First Fleeters are buried in the Methodist Chapel at Lawitta, New Norfolk. Notable is Betty King, née Elizabeth Hackery, a first fleet convict girl who married Sam King at New Norfolk on 28 January 1810. The headstone on her still-tended grave reads, “The first white woman to set foot in Australia” from the First Fleet. She was also the last surviving female First Fleeter when she died at 89 years of age on 7 August 1856. Eight other First Fleeters there are Ellen Guy (née Wainright), William Dempsey, William Edmunds, William Foyle, Abraham Hand, Stephen Martin, John Ruglass, and Edward Westlake.
The pioneers soon farmed the rich land around the town and hop plants were introduced in 1846, which became an important crop. There remain a number of hop drying kilns known as oast houses in the area. The first road connecting the town to Hobart was built in 1818; the first railway was in 1887. During the 1940s, a newsprint mill was established at nearby Boyer, boosting industry in the local area. The railway is now preserved as the Derwent Valley Railway.
Place Categories: Areas, Derwent Valley and Hobart Surrounds.
