Huonville, Tasmania
Encyclopedia
Huonville is a town on the Huon River
, in the south-east of Tasmania
, Australia
. The town lies within the Huon Valley Council area. It lies 38 km south of Hobart
on the Huon Highway
. At the 2006 census
, Huonville had a population of 1,806.
The first Europeans to set eyes on the Huon River were the crew commanded by Admiral Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
. The river was named by him in honour of his second in command, Captain Huon de Kermadec
. The name is preserved today in many features: the town, the river, the district and so on. The first European settlers were William and Thomas Walton in 1840.
Huonville was not originally intended as the site of a town. Nearby Ranelagh was laid out as the town of Victoria in colonial days. Huonville grew around the bridge crossing the Huon River and hotels at the bridge.
Today the Huon Valley is best known as one of Tasmania's primary apple
growing areas. Once enormous in its extent, the significance of the industry has declined steadily since the 1950s and today cherries and fish farming are the rising commercial stars of the district.
The Huon River and the nearby d'Entrecasteaux Channel
are popular fishing and boating areas. The Channel is sheltered from the wrath of the Southern Ocean
by the bulk of Bruny Island to the east.
Tourism is an important part of Huonville and the surrounding Huon Valley. The area is renowned for its scenic beauty and history as one of Australia's biggest apple producers.
Poised on the edge of the south-west wilderness, forestry has been an important economic driver to the area since colonisation and in recent decades controversial. A wood-based industrial park nearby was the subject of extensive community discussion but is now built and operating successfully. There have been several recent controversies over development in the region, particularly over logging at Recherche Bay
and the development of a tourist resort inside the National Park at Cockle Creek
.
Huonville is the seat of the municipality of the Huon Valley, the most southerly Council area in Australia and has expanded since the 1980s as the commercial centre of the Huon Valley.
Huon River
The Huon River is the fourth largest river in Tasmania, Australia. It is 170 km in length, and runs through the fertile Huon Valley. From Scotts Peak Dam at Lake Pedder where it begins, it flows south-east to the Tahune Airwalk, where the Picton River joins, before heading through the rural...
, in the south-east of Tasmania
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...
. The town lies within the Huon Valley Council area. It lies 38 km south of 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...
on the Huon Highway
Huon Highway
The Huon Highway is an highway in southern Tasmania, Australia. The highway forms part of the and connects Hobart with the southern parts of Tasmania. The original Huon Highway was a twisty two-lane road skirting around Mount Wellington, but that section of the Highway was bypassed in stages...
. 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,...
, Huonville had a population of 1,806.
The first Europeans to set eyes on the Huon River were the crew commanded by Admiral Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
Antoine Raymond Joseph de Bruni d'Entrecasteaux was a French navigator who explored the Australian coast in 1792 while seeking traces of the lost expedition of La Pérouse....
. The river was named by him in honour of his second in command, Captain Huon de Kermadec
Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec
Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec was an 18th century French navigator. In September 1791 he was chosen to command the Espérance on the Bruni d'Entrecasteaux expedition to find the lost expedition of Jean-François de La Pérouse. The expedition explored Australia and the South Pacific...
. The name is preserved today in many features: the town, the river, the district and so on. The first European settlers were William and Thomas Walton in 1840.
Huonville was not originally intended as the site of a town. Nearby Ranelagh was laid out as the town of Victoria in colonial days. Huonville grew around the bridge crossing the Huon River and hotels at the bridge.
Today the Huon Valley is best known as one of Tasmania's primary apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
growing areas. Once enormous in its extent, the significance of the industry has declined steadily since the 1950s and today cherries and fish farming are the rising commercial stars of the district.
The Huon River and the nearby d'Entrecasteaux Channel
D'Entrecasteaux Channel
The D'Entrecasteaux Channel is a region of water between Bruny Island and the south-east of the mainland of Tasmania. It extends between the estuaries of the Derwent, and the Huon Rivers...
are popular fishing and boating areas. The Channel is sheltered from the wrath of the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
by the bulk of Bruny Island to the east.
Tourism is an important part of Huonville and the surrounding Huon Valley. The area is renowned for its scenic beauty and history as one of Australia's biggest apple producers.
Poised on the edge of the south-west wilderness, forestry has been an important economic driver to the area since colonisation and in recent decades controversial. A wood-based industrial park nearby was the subject of extensive community discussion but is now built and operating successfully. There have been several recent controversies over development in the region, particularly over logging at Recherche Bay
Recherche Bay
Recherche Bay is located on the extreme south-eastern corner of Tasmania, Australia and was a landing place of the d’Entrecasteaux expedition to find missing explorer La Pérouse...
and the development of a tourist resort inside the National Park at Cockle Creek
Cockle Creek, Tasmania
Cockle Creek is a tiny settlement in Tasmania, the farthest point south one can drive in Australia, 148 km from Hobart via the Huon Highway...
.
Huonville is the seat of the municipality of the Huon Valley, the most southerly Council area in Australia and has expanded since the 1980s as the commercial centre of the Huon Valley.
Noted people born or raised here
- Amy SherwinAmy SherwinAmy Sherwin , the 'Tasmanian Nightingale', was an Australian soprano singer.Frances Amy Lillian Sherwin was born at Forest Home, Huonville, Tasmania, in 1855 and was taught singing by her mother....
- The soprano singer dubbed "The Tasmanian Nightingale"