The City of Clarence has a rich and varied history.
Through the Cultural History Working Group, we strive to invoke a sense of identity and place in the community through encouraging participation in the cultural history of Clarence in meaningful and relevant ways. This involves projects that promote the recognition, preservation, and promotion of the cultural history of a community encourages a sense of pride and participation in a community’s cultural life.
The conservation of cultural history includes not only the preservation of the old but also the need to acknowledge the evolution of the new. It is this balance between old and new that is the hallmark of a rich and productive culture.
Self-guided History walks
There are several historical walks in the City of Clarence to explore. A series of interpretive signs have been developed on some of these walks which contain links to oral histories of the land and its former use.
- Bellerive Heritage Walk
- takara limuna (Sheoak Walk)
- Richmond Heritage Walk
- naniyilipata / Clarence Plains Historic Trail
History Publications and Information
Richmond Bicentenary
In December 2023 through to March 2024 the village of Richmond commemorated 200 years with a festival of events over five Weekends in the Valley.
Van Diemen’s Land (lutruwita/Tasmania) was established on the Derwent River by the British in 1803.
For millennia, the lands to the river’s east had been the home of the Oyster Bay nation. Their river valley, the district now known as Richmond and the Coal River Valley, was firestick-farmed and hunted and fished by the Mumirimina people, and the river was an important crossing and meeting point for the Oyster Bay and Big River people.
By 1808, land grants along the Coal River encroached further east. The new occupiers also saw the significance of the location and a bridge over the river was commenced in 1823, with the town of Richmond being proclaimed in February 1824. As a police district, it had a role in preventing traditional owners from using their lands and contributed to the ultimate destruction of the Mumirimina band.
Ferry History
Rose Bay Ferry
Towards the end of the 19th century, Rose Bay was becoming a popular picnic spot and was included on the Hobart – Eastern Shore ferry service.
Tea Rooms were established opposite the ferry wharf and in 1912 a new jetty was built, of which the footings remain visible to this day.
The jetty was built by the developers of a new subdivision of land at Rose Bay and Rosny (which was later promoted as ‘Sunnylands’). At the end of the jetty, the Derwent Ferry Company built a substantial shelter shed for waiting passengers, which was later used as a gymnasium and youth club.
ea Room opposite the jetty, built ca 1915 to cater to picnickers (State Library of Tasmania)
Rose Bay jetty under construction ca 1910 (Lindisfarne Historical Society)
Rose Bay’s more unusual claim to fame is that it was one of two landing places for the Ansett Flying Boat Service, which ran an air service between Sydney and Hobart from 1953 to 1970.
The ‘Flying Boats’ were built to be capable of both landing and taking off on water.
The Sandringham ‘flying boats’ operated by Ansett carried 42 passengers on two decks, and were quite luxurious by the standards of the day. The flight to Sydney took four hours and cost £15.
Take off and landings were sometimes nervous affairs, with spray reaching up to the planes ‘portholes’.
In Hobart, they landed either here at Rose Bay or near the Regatta Grounds, depending on weather conditions. Rose Bay was preferred in rough weather due to the protection afforded by the old Hobart Bridge (the ‘Floating Bridge’). Passengers were met on the water by a small tender, the Nancy, and ferried in to land.
Lindisfarne Ferry
The first regular ferry service to Lindisfarne began in 1890, when the O’May brothers began daily steamer excursions to ‘the new suburb of Beltana’ (now Lindisfarne). The O’May’s also built the first jetty. The promoters of the new suburb ‘Beltana’ (now Lindisfarne) set aside a large area of land for Picnic Grounds (now Anzac Park) which made Beltana a popular place for visitors, especially at the annual Regatta. The ferry services also helped promote sales of suburban allotments and provided a means for the tradespeople building the new houses of Lindisfarne to get to their work.
Ferries on the Lindisfarne run included the SS Endeavour, Beltana, Silver Crown, Rosny and the Kangaroo. One of the best known was the Derwent. Larger than any of the other Omay ferries, the Derwent was double ended, meaning she could steam both ways without turning around at the end, running on coal imported from Newcastle.
At its peak in the 1930s, ferries were running on the half hour. By this time, a large proportion of Lindisfarne residents were commuting into Hobart daily for work. But the age of ferries was soon to change; work began on a ‘floating’ bridge to cross the Derwent in 1941. The bridge, constructed from a series of concrete pontoons, opened in December 1943 and led to a new era of urban development on the eastern shore. It also led to a slow decline in the ferry service as more and more people opted to travel by car or bus. The 1975 Tasman Bridge Disaster reversed this trend for several years, during which ferries were vital in keeping the eastern shore connected to Hobart.
Tasman Bridge Disaster
The Tasman Bridge was open to traffic in August 1964. It was a four-lane, high level concrete bridge constructed with a central navigation span for shipping. Prior to 1964, a floating bridge spanned the Derwent.
On Sunday 5 January 1975 at 9.27pm, the bulk carrier Lake Illawarra collided with the Tasman Bridge. Two piers collapsed along with 127 metres of bridge decking. Four cars ran over the gap into the Derwent River. Five occupants died while several others managed to escape from two vehicles which teetered on the edge of the gap. Seven crewmen from the Lake Illawarra also lost their lives.
The impact of the bridge collapse was quickly felt as Hobart was suddenly cut in two. Eastern Shore residents were severely compromised, transport facilities were tested and to compound the issue further, most hospitals, schools, businesses and government offices were located on the western shore.
In 2013, Council undertook a major project to commemorate the Tasman Bridge disaster. This culminated in a major exhibition and a commemorative artwork now installed at Montagu Bay Park.
As part of this project, oral history interviews were recorded with a number of first-hand witnesses to the events of 5 January 1975.
Centenary of ANZAC: Service at Home and Abroad
2015 marked the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings. To mark the centenary, Council curated a major exhibition which was held at the Rosny Barn.
Centenary of ANZAC: Service at Home and Abroad explored the sacrifices and wartime experiences of both the service men and women who served abroad, and also the effects of the war on those left behind.
The exhibition had a special focus on the men and women of Clarence during this difficult time which forged Australia’s future identity.
Accompanying the exhibition was the associated booklet catalogue- see below.
What Would You Take? – an interactive exhibition
What Would You Take? was an interactive exhibition that commemorated the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Black Tuesday bushfires.
In partnership with the Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery and the Tasmanian Fire Service, Council developed this project which allowed the community to commemorate and reflect on the devastating impact of the 1967 fires.
This publication accompanied the exhibition and detailed local stories of the 1967 bushfires.
Hard copies of the exhibition booklet are available from Rosny Farm.
History Groups
- The Bellerive Historical Society Inc. cares for a growing collection of historic images and documents and is committed to preserving the past for the future.
- Clarence Plains Historical Society merged with the Tranmere Clarence Plains Land and Coast Care Facebook page.
- Lindisfarne Historical Society formed in 1992 and works to foster interest in our local history.
- South Arm Peninsula Residents’ Association History Committee – The Maurice Potter History Room in the Community Centre at South Arm contains historical images and information on the people, families, places, events and history of the Peninsula. Join the South Arm Peninsula History Facebook Group.
History Policy and planning
Cultural History Plan 2018 – 2023
Council’s Cultural History Plan 2018 – 2023 provides strategic direction for Council in the area of cultural history and associated activities and events, through an emphasis on the stories that are important to the history and development of our city.
Cultural History Plan 2018 – 2023
Cultural History Working Group
The aim of the working group is to assist with the implementation, monitoring, and review of the strategies and actions contained within the Cultural History Plan 2018-2023.
The committee provides advice and makes recommendations to assist Council with the implementation of the plan.
Projects and activities
Through the plan, a number of projects have been undertaken during past years including staging several exhibitions telling stories that are of importance to Clarence’s history, a street names interpretation project at key locations through the city, and a range of community events celebrating the history of Clarence.