Perth, Tasmania
Encyclopedia
Perth is a town in the north-east of Tasmania
, Australia
. It lies 20 km south of Launceston
, on the Midland Highway. The town has a population of 1,984 and is averaging a 1% increase per year (2001 census). Perth is part of the Northern Midlands Council. Federal Lyons
MHR
Dick Adams also has an office in the town. At the 2006 census
, Perth had a population of 2,239.
It is the first major town out of Launceston on the route to Hobart
, and also serves as a major junction for people bypassing Launceston on the route from Hobart to the northwest of the state.
Like nearby Longford
, Perth is a historic town with many buildings dating back to the early 19th century.
In 1837, five years after the practice ceased in England, the body of John McKay was gibbet
ted on a tree 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 place where this occurred was just to the right (when travelling towards Launceston) of the Midlands Highway on the northern side of Perth, and is marked by a sign which reads "Gibbet Hill". Though the place is not visible from the present road, the tree upon which McKay was hanged still stands. Local legend maintains that animals will not pass the tree and dogs raise their hackles and growl.
It was the last case of gibbeting in a British colony.
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It lies 20 km south of Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
, on the Midland Highway. The town has a population of 1,984 and is averaging a 1% increase per year (2001 census). Perth is part of the Northern Midlands Council. Federal Lyons
Division of Lyons
The Division of Lyons is an Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania. The division was created in 1984 to replace the abolished Division of Wilmot and is named for Joseph Lyons, Prime Minister of Australia 1931-39, Member for Wilmot from 1929-39, and his wife Dame Enid Lyons, the first woman...
MHR
Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 2004-2007
This is a list of members of the Australian House of Representatives from 2004 to 2007, together known as the 41st Parliament. It had a total of 150 members, comprising 74 Liberal, 1 Country Liberal and 12 National members, together forming a Coalition majority government with 87 members...
Dick Adams also has an office in the town. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Perth had a population of 2,239.
It is the first major town out of Launceston on the route to Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, and also serves as a major junction for people bypassing Launceston on the route from Hobart to the northwest of the state.
Like nearby Longford
Longford, Tasmania
Longford is a town in the north-east of Tasmania, Australia. It lies 175 m above sea level at the convergence of the Macquarie River and the South Esk River, 21 km south of Launceston. It is just south of the Illawarra Road, a road connecting the Bass and Midland Highways. It has a...
, Perth is a historic town with many buildings dating back to the early 19th century.
Historical event of note
Gibbet
A gibbet is a gallows-type structure from which the dead bodies of executed criminals were hung on public display to deter other existing or potential criminals. In earlier times, up to the late 17th century, live gibbeting also took place, in which the criminal was placed alive in a metal cage...
ted on a tree 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 place where this occurred was just to the right (when travelling towards Launceston) of the Midlands Highway on the northern side of Perth, and is marked by a sign which reads "Gibbet Hill". Though the place is not visible from the present road, the tree upon which McKay was hanged still stands. Local legend maintains that animals will not pass the tree and dogs raise their hackles and growl.
It was the last case of gibbeting in a British colony.
External links
- Map showing Perth's location and that of Gibbet Hill (maps.google.com.au)