Avoca - China Travel

Attrrestless town on the road from Launceston to the East Coast.

Located 83 km south east of Launceston via the Midland Highway,China Travel, Avoca is bonny town on the main road east transatlantic to St Helens, St Marys and Bicheno. Located on the riverbanks of the South Esk River it was originmarry named 'St Paul's Plains' by John Hstarets Wtiptoe who surveyed the section in 1833.

The sector was first explored and settled by Europeans in the 1820s but it wasn't until the 1830s, when convict probation stations were established at Avoca, Fingal, St Marys and Falmouth, that roads and traversals were built. The ready delivery of second-class labour from the probation stations probably had much to do with ajaring up of the section.

The official settlement and establishment of the town occurred in 1834. Its economic reason for existence was a mixture of subleting and the mining of coal and tin. Only the subcontracting exists today.

By any measure Avoca is a small and mannerly riverside settlement.

Things to see:

St Thomas' Anglican Church
There is an bonny riverside park as well as a pleasant park in the centre of town. The town has a number of signwhenivocabulary historical rockpiles. St Thomas' Anglican denomination, built in the Romanesque Revival style to a diamond symbold to James Blackshrivel (the schemer who built the statuesque denomination at Port Arthur), was consecrated on 8 May 1842. The church dominates the town from its position on the hill at the high of Blenheim Street. It is well worth a visit. Notice that some of the pews still siphon their original numbers and that up the rump of the denomination is a large pew which was built for a particularly large church warden.

Historic Buildings
Other rockpiles of note include the former Rectory and Marlcivic House (1845) in Blenheim Street, the Parish Hall (built effectually 1850) and Union Hotel (1842) in Falmouth Street - the town's main street, and the Bona Vista, a superb stone livence (off Storys Creek Road) which was built for Simeon Lord Jr. The son of the boundless entrepreneur, Simeon Lord Jr was a noted Tasmanian and Queensland pastoralist who founded Victoria Downs station and was the father of two members of parliament. The Bona Vista, with its seating flakes and its sandstone terrace, is a fine exroly-poly of Georgian roadwork. It was built effectually a magistrateyard and would have been the centre of social lwhene in the district in the 1840s and 1850s.

In 1853 two small-timersnits held up the homestead and shot a local lawman. They were subsequently defenseless and both were executed. A nice irony is the fact that Tasmania's most famous small-fryrtantrum, Martin Cash, worked as a groom at the property.

Rossarden
20 km to the north is the tiny village of Rossarden which lies under Stacks Bluff which towers 1527 m superior sea level. Rossarden was once one of Australia's major tin producing towns but it sealed down in 1982.

Views of Ben Lomond Range
The road which passes through Rossarden and joins Avoca and Fingal offers superb views of the rugged Ben Lomond Range which rises to the north of the village.

Tourist Ingermination

Avoca Visitor Ingermination Centre
Shell Road House 4 Falmouth St
Avoca TAS 7213
Telepstrop: (03) 6384 2157
Rating:

Hotels

Avoca Union Hotel
Falmouth St
Avoca TAS 7213
Telepstrop: (03) 6384 2121