Ulverstone, Tasmania
Encyclopedia
Ulverstone is a town on the northwest coast of Tasmania
, Australia
. It lies at the mouth of the Leven River, on Bass Strait
. It is on the Bass Highway, 21 kilometres (13 mi) west of Devonport
and 12 kilometres (7 mi) east of Penguin
.
At the 2006 census
, Ulverstone had a population of 9,760. making it the state's largest town as Kingston
is a suburb of Hobart. The town is a part of the municipality of the Central Coast Council which also includes Penguin, Turners Beach and Forth
.
, his wife Louisa and their five young children arrived to settle and develop farmland from, essentially, a thickly forested wilderness.
Andrew & Louisa arrived in Adelaide
, South Australia
in 1839 as a newly married couple from their ancestral town of Horsley, Gloucestershire
in England. The first of their 5 children were born in Adelaide. Soon after the birth of their 2nd child they moved to Tasmania. In 1841 they arrived at the Forth River where a young 19 year-old James Fenton had pioneered just prior to their arrival. After clearing land and subsistence farming for a few years, they were evicted from their "patch" after a land dispute with a wealthy speculator and moved westward. The district was, at that time, known as 'the Leven' and recognised as a good source of quality timber. When their 5th child, Andrew Risby jnr. was just 2 years old the Risby family moved and settled on a patch of land known as The Rises, at the south-eastern perimeter of the present day Ulverstone town boundary where they farmed for many years. Descendants of this pioneering family still reside in the district.
During the 1850s, the district received a few new settlers but was also frequented by transient timber getters. The timber found ready markets in Melbourne
, which desperately required good quality split timber during the Victorian gold rush
. Up until June 1854, land releases in the district were often purchased under 'pre-emptive rights legislation' by distant purchasers whose intention was to keep the land for later sale at an increased price. With the repeal of that legislation, the conditions for settlers to take up residence improved.
Reliable rainfall and generally good quality soils favoured the development of agricultural pursuits. The early pioneers of the district struggled against great odds to secure their sustenance and ultimately develop an income from sale of their produce.
Ulverstone grew quite quickly during the 1890s.
The name Ulverstone is first known to have been used in 1854 when Hugh Ross McKay opened the Ulverstone store.
Ulverstone was declared a town on 22 February 1861 by Governor
H.E. Fox-Young
.
The town has become a centralised location between the northwest coast's two cities, Burnie
and Devonport. It is named after Ulverston
in England and which also sits at the estuary of a river called Leven. n.b. Ulverston, U.K. was spelled Ulverstone until late in the 19th Century
From 1915 until 1955, a branch railway ran from Ulverstone to Nietta, mostly carrying timber for the Burnie
Pulp Mill.
In 2010, Ulverstone opened their new Basketball Stadium. Known as Schweppes Arena it holds around 1,100 people. It cost $5.5 million dollars to build and was completed just behind schedule. It overlooks the Leven River and is situated just behind the former stadium. As of 2011, the Leven Bridge had been replaced by a new bridge constructed by local engineering firm VEC Civil Engineering. The new design was costed at approximately $6.5 million dollars, with the Central Coast Council funding the project. It is predicted to be completed before the end of 2011. A future project includes a Wharf Precinct redevelopment which is currently under construction.
also ranges from grades Kinder through to Year Twelve. There is currently no Tasmanian Academy, Polytechnic
, or Skills Institute in Ulverstone. Post-graduates of High School commute to either the Don Campus of the Tasmanian Academy, Hellier College in Burnie or seek a private college.
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 at the mouth of the Leven River, on Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
. It is on the Bass Highway, 21 kilometres (13 mi) west of Devonport
Devonport, Tasmania
-Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...
and 12 kilometres (7 mi) east of Penguin
Penguin, Tasmania
Penguin is a town in the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is located in the Central Coast Council Local Government Area on the Bass Highway, between Burnie and Ulverstone. At the 2006 census, Penguin had a population of 2,943....
.
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,...
, Ulverstone had a population of 9,760. making it the state's largest town as Kingston
Kingston, Tasmania
Kingston is a township and region on the outskirts of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Nestled 15 km south of the city between and around several hills, Kingston is the council seat of its wider municipality, the Kingborough Council, and today serves as the gateway between Hobart and the...
is a suburb of Hobart. The town is a part of the municipality of the Central Coast Council which also includes Penguin, Turners Beach and Forth
Forth, Tasmania
Forth is a small village located in northwest Tasmania on the Forth River, west of Devonport and northwest of Launceston via the Bass Highway. Forth has a population of about 368...
.
History
The present-day town area was first settled by Europeans in 1848, when Andrew RisbyAndrew Risby
Andrew Frederick Risby , born in Horsley, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, was a pioneer settler and farmer of the North West Coast of Tasmania, Australia....
, his wife Louisa and their five young children arrived to settle and develop farmland from, essentially, a thickly forested wilderness.
Andrew & Louisa arrived in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
in 1839 as a newly married couple from their ancestral town of Horsley, Gloucestershire
Horsley, Gloucestershire
Horsley is a village and civil parish near the small Cotswold town of Nailsworth. It is in Gloucestershire in the South West of England. The origins of the name Horsley are much debated, though it is thought that it originates from "Horse in a field" after the large number of horses kept in fields...
in England. The first of their 5 children were born in Adelaide. Soon after the birth of their 2nd child they moved to Tasmania. In 1841 they arrived at the Forth River where a young 19 year-old James Fenton had pioneered just prior to their arrival. After clearing land and subsistence farming for a few years, they were evicted from their "patch" after a land dispute with a wealthy speculator and moved westward. The district was, at that time, known as 'the Leven' and recognised as a good source of quality timber. When their 5th child, Andrew Risby jnr. was just 2 years old the Risby family moved and settled on a patch of land known as The Rises, at the south-eastern perimeter of the present day Ulverstone town boundary where they farmed for many years. Descendants of this pioneering family still reside in the district.
During the 1850s, the district received a few new settlers but was also frequented by transient timber getters. The timber found ready markets in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, which desperately required good quality split timber during the Victorian gold rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
. Up until June 1854, land releases in the district were often purchased under 'pre-emptive rights legislation' by distant purchasers whose intention was to keep the land for later sale at an increased price. With the repeal of that legislation, the conditions for settlers to take up residence improved.
Reliable rainfall and generally good quality soils favoured the development of agricultural pursuits. The early pioneers of the district struggled against great odds to secure their sustenance and ultimately develop an income from sale of their produce.
Ulverstone grew quite quickly during the 1890s.
The name Ulverstone is first known to have been used in 1854 when Hugh Ross McKay opened the Ulverstone store.
Ulverstone was declared a town on 22 February 1861 by Governor
Governors of Tasmania
The Governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as the Governor-General of Australia does at the national level.In accordance with the...
H.E. Fox-Young
Henry Young
Sir Henry Edward Fox Young, KCMG was the fifth Governor of South Australia, serving in that role from 2 August 1848 until 20 December 1854. He was then the first Governor of Tasmania, from 1855 until 1861.-Early life:...
.
The town has become a centralised location between the northwest coast's two cities, Burnie
Burnie, Tasmania
- Sport :Australian rules football is popular in Burnie. The city's team is the Burnie Dockers Football Club in the Tasmanian State League.Rugby union is also played in Burnie. The local club is the Burnie Rugby Union Club. They are the current Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide Division Two Premiers...
and Devonport. It is named after Ulverston
Ulverston
Ulverston is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria in north-west England. Historically part of Lancashire, the town is located in the Furness area, close to the Lake District, and just north of Morecambe Bay....
in England and which also sits at the estuary of a river called Leven. n.b. Ulverston, U.K. was spelled Ulverstone until late in the 19th Century
From 1915 until 1955, a branch railway ran from Ulverstone to Nietta, mostly carrying timber for the Burnie
Burnie, Tasmania
- Sport :Australian rules football is popular in Burnie. The city's team is the Burnie Dockers Football Club in the Tasmanian State League.Rugby union is also played in Burnie. The local club is the Burnie Rugby Union Club. They are the current Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide Division Two Premiers...
Pulp Mill.
Redevelopment
Ulverstone is currently undergoing redevelopment to introduce a larger stream of tourism for an economically sustainable future. The Central Coast Council, together with the local Chamber of Commerce, have various projects under way to facilitate the plans.In 2010, Ulverstone opened their new Basketball Stadium. Known as Schweppes Arena it holds around 1,100 people. It cost $5.5 million dollars to build and was completed just behind schedule. It overlooks the Leven River and is situated just behind the former stadium. As of 2011, the Leven Bridge had been replaced by a new bridge constructed by local engineering firm VEC Civil Engineering. The new design was costed at approximately $6.5 million dollars, with the Central Coast Council funding the project. It is predicted to be completed before the end of 2011. A future project includes a Wharf Precinct redevelopment which is currently under construction.
Education
Ulverstone currently has four primary schools located in various parts of the town: East Ulverstone Primary, Central Ulverstone Primary, West Ulverstone Primary (all Public), and Sacred Heart Catholic School; all of which encompass grades Kinder through to Six. There is one public high school located centrally in the town, Ulverstone High School. Leighland Christian SchoolLeighland Christian School
Leighland Christian School is an independent, co-educational, non-denominational Christian School, situated in Tasmania, Australia.Established in 1976, the school has two campuses, one in Burnie and one in Ulverstone. Both cater for Christ-centred education from years K-12.- History :On 23...
also ranges from grades Kinder through to Year Twelve. There is currently no Tasmanian Academy, Polytechnic
Institute of technology
Institute of technology is a designation employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable levels of the educational system...
, or Skills Institute in Ulverstone. Post-graduates of High School commute to either the Don Campus of the Tasmanian Academy, Hellier College in Burnie or seek a private college.
Notable people
- Joseph LyonsJoseph LyonsJoseph Aloysius Lyons, CH was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928 and a Minister in the James Scullin government from 1929 until his resignation from the Labor Party in March 1931...
, Prime Minister of AustraliaPrime Minister of AustraliaThe Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
from 1932 to 1939, spent some of his early years living in Ulverstone - he arrived with his family from StanleyStanley, TasmaniaStanley is a town on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. Travelling west, Stanley is the second-last major township on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Smithton being the larger township in the Circular Head municipality...
at age 5 and attended school, but his family relocated back to Stanley when Joseph was 12. - Clifford Plumpton, $500,000 winner on the AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , 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...
n edition of "Who wants to be a Millionaire?Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...
", grew up in Ulverstone and attended the local high school. - Richard FrombergRichard FrombergRichard James Fromberg is a former professional tennis player from Australia.Fromberg began playing tennis at the age of 10. In 1987, he reached the Australian Open Junior finals in both singles and doubles. He turned professional in 1988...
, tennis player - Ben HilfenhausBen HilfenhausBenjamin William Hilfenhaus is an Australian cricketer who plays for the Tasmanian Tigers in Australian domestic cricket. Hilfenhaus plays club cricket for Tasmania University Cricket Club. Prior to turning fully professional, he worked as a bricklayer as well as playing cricket...
, Australian national and state cricketer - David NeitzDavid NeitzDavid Neitz , nicknamed Neita, is a retired Australian rules footballer. The strongly built centre half back who became a full forward was the longest-serving captain in the history of the Melbourne Football Club and the first Melbourne player to achieve the 300-game milestone.Neitz was born in...
, Australian rules footballer - James A. HarrisonJames A. HarrisonJames Alistair Harrison was born in 1968 in Melbourne, Australia.He is the President of the International Federation of Perioperative Nurses , being the second Australian to hold this position. Former President of the Australian College of Operating Room Nurses Although born in Melbourne, James...
, President of IFPN - The International Federation of PerioperativePerioperativeThe perioperative period, less commonly spelled the peroperative period, is the time period describing the duration of a patient's surgical procedure; this commonly includes ward admission, anesthesia, surgery, and recovery. Perioperative generally refers to the three phases of surgery:...
Nurses, 2006-2009 - the first Australian to hold this position. Although born in Melbourne, Harrison spent most of his formative years living with his parents on the outskirts of the town and was a student of the Ulverstone High School. Former President of the Australian College of Operating Room Nurses (A.C.O.R.N.) - Luke OckerbyLuke OckerbyLuke 'Thomas' Ockerby is an Australian cyclist from Ulverstone Tasmania born on the 17th of May 1992 . Ockerby has so far won four Australian Junior Championships and many regional and interstate wheel races including the 2008 Devonport mens Wheel Race , 2009 Mersey Wheel Race and the prestigious...
Cyclist