Search results
People also ask
When did Launceston become a city?
What is Launceston famous for?
When was the first British settlement in Tasmania?
Who were the first inhabitants of Launceston?
The history of the European settlement of Launceston and the Tamar Valley dates back to 1798 when Bass and Flinders were sent to explore Van Diemen's Land Tasmania) and determine if there existed a strait between what we now call the mainland and continent and Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania).
- The Letteremairrener People
- York Town
- Patersonia
- Launceston Surveyed
- Development
The geographical area in which Launceston is now located was previously occupied by the Letteremairrener people. The Letteremairrener country encompasses most of the Tamar Valley region. In 1804, reports from Early European voyagers describe a number of Letteremairrener camps, consisting of up to ten bark huts located on either side of the Tamar Ri...
The first significant colonial settlement in the region dates from 1804, when the commandant of the British garrison Lt. Col. William Paterson, and his men set up a camp at Outer Cove, the current site of George Town. A few weeks later, Paterson deemed their camp site to be unsuitable for the new settlement and established across the river on West ...
Initially, the new settlement was called Patersonia; however, Paterson later changed the name to Launceston in honour of the New South Wales Governor Captain Philip Gidley King, who was born in Launceston, Cornwall. The name still survives in the tiny hamlet of Patersonia 18 kilometres north-west of Launceston. Paterson himself also served as Lieut...
Buried away in the Archives Office of Tasmania, the Sharland Map was compiled in 1826 by surveyor William Stanley Sharland and is one of the earliest and most detailed survey maps of the then fledgling settlement of Launceston. Sharland had joined the Survey Department under Surveyor-General George Evans in 1823, and this was one of his first proje...
In February, 1807, a party of 5 men led by Lt Thomas Laycock, mounted an expedition to cross the State from North to South and back again. The expedition opened up the Midlands to settlers, explored the route which would later become the Midlands Highway, and ultimately led to the end of separate government administration in Northern Tasmania. The ...
1802 – A French expedition led by Baudin was commissioned by Napoleon to undertake scientific research in the South Seas. One group led by Faure explored the entrance to Port Dalrymple. 1804 – An expedition to settle the area was formed in NSW under Lieutenant Colonel William Paterson.
Settled by Europeans in March 1806, Launceston is one of Australia's oldest cities and it has many historic buildings. Like many places in Australia, it was named after a town in the United Kingdom – in this case, Launceston, Cornwall .
- 15 m (49 ft)
- 90,953 (2021) (21st)
1835: In separate expeditions, John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner leave Launceston to launch first European settlements at Port Phillip, which developed into Melbourne. 1835: Samuel Anderson leaves Launceston to establish third permanent Victorian settlement at Bass in Western Port.
As Australia's third oldest European settlement, established in 1806 (The first being Sydney in 1788, the second Hobart in 1803), Launceston's city centre is home to many beautifully preserved and historically significant buildings.
On June 10, 1838, a group of heavily armed European settlers rounded up and shot 28 Aboriginal men, women, and children near Myall Creek Station. It is believed that the settlers were seeking revenge for the theft of cattle. Hundreds of attacks similar to this one occurred during Australia’s settlement.
