Current Name
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Former Name
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Remark
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Beaconsfield
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Brandy Creek
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In 1879, a committee of mining managers was formed for the purpose of choosing the name for the township. Two names were proposed: Beaconsfield after the British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield, and El Dorado. Seven hands went up in favour of Beaconsfield against five. Settlement of Brandy Creek first occurred in the 1850s.
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Beauty Point
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Ilfracombe
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The Ilfracombe Post Office, opened in 1903, was renamed to Beauty Point a year later
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Bellerive
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Kangaroo Point
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Translated from French as beautiful river banks, the name, Bellerive, came about in the 1830s
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Betsey Island
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Willaumetz Island
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Previously known as Lady Franklin Island, Franklin Island, Betsy Island and Willaumetz Island. It was first discovered in 1792 and named Willaumetz Island. Hayes called it Betsy Island, and this was adopted by Flinders, who thought the name too well known for any change to be made. Cross in 1838 wished to revive the name of Willaumetz, so transferred the name to the little islet to the south of Betsey, but spelled the name Willaumes. The following year the same cartographer made the name into Williams.
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Birralee
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Black Sugar Loaf
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Officially changed in 1915
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Boat Harbour
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Jacob's Boat Harbour
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Shortened in the late 1890s, Jacob’s Boat Harbour was named after one of the members of the VDL party which settled near Circular Head. Later he became one of the pilots of the Tamar River.
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Breadalane
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Cocked Hat
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Situated near Launceston, Breadalbane was named by Governor Macquarie after the Earl of Breadalbane. Previously the district was known variously as Cocked Hat, The Springs and Brumby’s Plain.
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Buckland
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Prosser's Plain
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Known originally as Prosser's Plains, the name of Buckland was given to the district by Sir John Franklin in honour of Dean Buckland, a famous geologist. The area was settled around 1820 and the Prosser's Plains Post Office was established in 1838. It was renamed Buckland Post Office in the 1880s.
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Burnie
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Emu Bay
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In 1828, John Helder Wedge, a surveyor appointed by the Government to report on the VDL land concessions advised the Government to reserve land at Emu Bay for township on the ground that Emu Bay, Circular Head and Cape Grim were the only possible shelters for shipping on the northwest coasts. The report was not adopted and the VDL Company occupied the area. Around 1883, Emu Bay became known as Burnie after William Burnie, one of the first directors of the VDL Company.
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Bushy Park
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Humphreyville
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Humphreyville was so named after A W H Humphrey who arrived in Tasmania in 1812. The Humphreyville settlement was situated at the junction of the River Styx and the Derwent. A post office opened there in 1925 and named Derwent until 1968, whereafter it was changed to Bushy Park.
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Cambridge
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Hollow Tree
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Hollow Tree and Cambridge have used been interchangeably since early settlement, however, the former was more colloquially used by the 1820s. By the 1830s, Hollow Tree was considered a part of the Cambridge parish.
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Camena
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Upper Blythe
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In 1910, a post office was established on South Road, five kilometres west of Ulverstone. The Deputy Postmaster General advised the local council that a native word, Camena, had been chosen as a suitable name for the post office. In 1912 the post office was closed due to the local population having a habit of calling at the Ulverstone Post Office for their mail, thus depriving their own post office of the revenue. In 1925, the Penguin Council was advised by the Postmaster General that a request for a post office had been acceded to and that it was to be known as Camena and situated at Upper Blythe. The origin of the word Camena is unknown.
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Colebrook
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Jerusalem
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The earliest recorded entry for Jerusalem was in 1821. There are two variations as to how Jerusalem acquired its name, the first by a district constable, Jorgen Jorgensen, who was searching for stock thieves and named various places the locality after the seven hills in Israel i.e. Jericho and Bagdad. In the vicinity there was also the Jordan Lagoon. The second version was the result of an expedition by Private Hugh Germain, who in 1806 started giving places exotic names. Colebrook, Colebrook Dale and Jerusalem were used interchangeably from the 1830s until 1894 when the place was officially named Colebrook.
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Collinsvale
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Bismarck
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Formerly Sorell Creek, it was renamed Bismarck in 1881 in recognition of the many German settlers who arrived in the latter part of the 1800s. At the onset of the First World War, local residents petitioned to have the name changed. The name, Collinsvale, was suggested by J W Beattie, a well known landscape photographer.
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Cygnet
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Lovett
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The earliest mention of the town of Lovett at Port Cygnet was during a land sale in 1877. The name was officially changed to Cygnet in 1916. Cygnet derived its name from Port de Cygne (Swanport) owing to the large number of swans found in the area. It was named by the French Admiral, Bruny D’Entrecasteaux who discovered the port in 1792.
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Devonport
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Torquay and Formby
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Torquay and Formby, situated on opposites banks of the Mersey River was amalgamated into Devonport in 1890
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Ellendale
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Monto's Marsh
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Before the proclamation of the town reserve the valley of the Jones River was generally known as Monto’s Marsh. It was later suggested that the town should be renamed in honour of Nicholas J Brown, who was then Minister for Lands. At his request, his wife’s christian name was chosen instead, and the small settlement of Monto’s Marsh became Ellendale in 1880. Although she did not reside there, Ellen Brown nee Nicholas maintained an interest in her namesake until her passing in 1938 aged 93.
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Elliott
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Cam Road
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The earliest known reference to the parish of Elliott was in 1894. Cam River was first surveyed by the VDL Company in 1827 and was named after an English river in the same way as the Mersey was named.
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Evandale
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Paterson Plains
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Originally so-called after Lieutenant Colonel Paterson, who established the first settlement at Port Dalrymple. Evandale was first mentioned in the late 1830s.
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Forth
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Hamilton-on-Forth
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No official records of when the name was changed
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Geeveston
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Geeves Town
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Name change in 1886
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Glen Huon
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Upper Huon
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Upper Huon Post Office opened in August 1907. It was renamed Wybalerma in 1910 and Glen Huon in 1911. Initially, there was much protest by its residents when Wybalerma was introduced, which according to the Deputy Postmaster General was a "sweet sounding name and beautiful and appropriate." It was a Tasmanian native name meaning settlement.
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Gretna
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Macquarie Plains
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Name change in 1907
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Harford
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Heidelberg
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In 1900 the Postmaster General gave notice for the post office known as Harford to be changed to Heidelberg. This prompted strong objection by local residents who in turn demanded for the order be rescinded. Previously the residents petitioned to have its former name, Green’s Creek, changed to Harford. The origin of Green’s Creek is unknown, however, according to one legend as narrated by a local, Joseph Bramich, the name Green’s Creek came about when a bushranger named Green established a hideout in the area.
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Hobart
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Hobart Town
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Officially changed in 1880
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Kempton
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Green Ponds
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In 1840, Green Ponds was renamed Kemp Town, in honour of soldier and merchant, Anthony Fenn Kemp, who settled in the district in 1817. In the mid 1890s, Kemp Town was reduced to Kempton.
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Kentish
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August Plains
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The first name given to the district was August Plains, when Surveyor Kentish surveyed the area in August 1842. Later it was called Kentish Plains, then Kentishbury, and finally shortened to Kentish.
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Koonya
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Cascades
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Formerly a convict station, the name, Cascades, was officially changed to Koonya in 1903. Various sources have stated that Koonya was derived from an aboriginal word meaning black swan. However, a newspaper article from 1931 suggested that Koonya was so named after an aboriginal woman.
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Lefroy
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Nine Mile Springs
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In 1881 it was intended for the newly declared township to be renamed Itchel. Itchel was an unpopular choice, however, a visit from John Henry Lefroy who was the acting Governor at the time saved the day.
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Leenah Valley
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Kangaroo Valley
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Name changed to Lenah Valley in 1922. There was much dispute between residents and the local mayor and Postmaster General with the latter preferring to go with Lenahvale or Lenavale as it was then considered appropriate for the name to be a single word. However, residents petitioned for Lenah Valley on account of its association in being called “the valley” for well over 60 years. Lenah is aboriginal for kangaroo.
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Lilydale
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Upper Piper
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A new settlement at Upper Piper came into existence in the early 1860s comprising mainly Scots and Germans. The settlement was also referred to as German Town. In 1887, the township residents petitioned for a name change to Lilydale. Previously with the construction of a railway line between Launceston and Scottsdale, passing through Upper Piper, Lower Piper, Piper River, Little Piper River and Piper Brook, a more appropriate name was suggested. By then, the name, Lilydale, was already popular with its inhabitants as a suitable alternative. Lilydale was first suggested in 1885.
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Lindisfarne
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Beltana
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Lindisfarne was first settled by John Price in 1839. Lindisfarne then became a sealed enclosure until Price’s departure for Norfolk Island as Commandant in 1846. The lease then reverted to successive tenants until 1893, whereafter it was purchased by the Beltana Pastoral Land Company, who re-surveyed the land and parceled it out in allotments for a suburban settlement. Hence the name, Beltana. The name was officially reverted back to Lindisfarne in 1903.
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Longford
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Latour
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Name change in 1833
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Lunawanna
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Daniel's Bay
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Origin of Daniel’s Bay is unknown, however, Little Taylor Bay northwards of Lunawanna is believed to have its origins to Ray Taylor’s Bay in honour of Captain Taylor of the Bombay Marines (Commodore Sir John Hayes—His Voyage and Life by Ida Lee). Daniel’s Bay acquired its first post office in 1899 and the post office was renamed Lunawanna in 1908. Lunawanna is part of the aboriginal name for Bruny Island, Lunawanna-alonnah. However, according to one newspaper article of the day, Lunawanna “is said to be really a word of two syllables, and has reference to native cats and native women, both of which are supposed to have been numerous on that island.”
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Mathinna
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Black Boy
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Name changed to Mathinna in 1872. According to a newspaper article of 1869, Mathinna was the name of a young native girl who was adopted by the Lieutenant Governor Sir John Franklin and Lady Jane Franklin. It is said, her name translated to pretty gully or beautiful valley.
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Mawbanna
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Howth
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In 1922, the Deputy Postmaster General advised that a post office, which was to be established at a railway station at Howth, was to be known as Mawbanna. Then in 1928, it was determined that the railway station should also changed its name to accordingly. Previously the station was called Brickmakers, which resulted in much confusion with mail delivery.
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Melton Mowbray
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Cross Marsh
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In 1851, Samuel Blackwell purchased a significant area of land at Cross Marsh situated about six kilometres from Kempton. In 1857 or 1858, he built the Melton Mowbray Hotel, which he named after his native village in England.
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Mengha
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Medwin
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Previously named after a pioneering family, Medwin, who opened up the district in South Forest during the 1840s. The name was changed to Mengha in 1905.
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Middleton
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Long Bay
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It is said Middleton has its origin to the maiden name of John Watson’s wife. John Watson was a well known shipbuilder who settled in the area in the 1850s. Often letters went astray to Port Arthur and Macquarie Harbour, both of which had Long Bays. The residents petitioned the postmaster to alter the name of the post town to Middleton, which came about in 1892.
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Moonah
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South Glenorchy
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South Glenorchy was renamed Moonah in 1894 much to the objection of its inhabitants. The popular vote was for Keswick after an old English town on the Derwent. Moonah is the aboriginal name for eucalyptus.
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Moorina
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Krushka's Bridge
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Named after three Krushka brothers who were heavily involved in tin mining. They settled in the area in the early 1870s and opened the Derby mine. Moorina was also the name of the Krushka settlement and was first mentioned around 1876. This transpired shortly after a series of articles published in various Tasmanian newspapers relating the story of Truganini who was one of the last surviving Tasmanian aboriginals. Truganini had experienced the violent death of her mother, stabbed by a party of sealers, the death of her fiancé, who drowned while attempting to save her from abduction, and the abduction and subsequent death of her sister, Moorina. Moorina was established as a postal town by 1877.
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Moorleah
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Upper Flowerdale
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The Postal Department saw fit to change the name to Moorleah in 1914. It was in response to confusion by so many place names preceded by upper and lower.
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Nabowla
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Lisle Road
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Name change in 1913 at the suggestion of the Secretary of Railways. The suggestion came about with the establishment of a railway station as well as the ongoing confusion with Lisle Road in Gormanstan, which often resulted in mail going astray. Nabowla is a native word for river or water.
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New Norfolk
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Elizabeth Town
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Named by Governor Macquarie after his wife, Elizabeth. Comprising mostly of settlers from the Norfolk Island, the town name never really caught on, and the name, New Norfolk, prevailed from around 1826 onwards.
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Newstead
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Kawallah
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Kawallah was the name given to a post office at Newstead. Kawallah was renamed Newstead effective from 1 February 1961. The homestead, Newstead, was so named by colonist Ronald Campbell Gunn who arrived in the district in the 1850s.
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Pawleena
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Cherry Tree Opening
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Cherry Tree Opening or Cherry Tree Hollow was widely used by local residents well into the 1950s even though the name changed to Pawleena in the early 1920s
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Port Sorell
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Burgess
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The town was originally a fishing and sealing port named Burgess, however, the name was officially changed to Port Sorell after Governor Sorell in 1822
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Powranna
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Snake Banks
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Name change in 1914
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Pyengana
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George's River
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The Post Office at the George’s River settlement was renamed Pyengana in 1888. The name, a native word signifying new ground, was first proposed in 1886.
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Queenstown
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Penghanna
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Officially changed to Queenstown in 1895, the town was formerly known as Penghana and later as Pokana
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Redpa
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East Marrawah
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The name of the East Marrawah district was changed to Redpa in 1926
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Ringarooma
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Krushka Town
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Founded in 1882 when a rural property was subdivided into lots by landowner Christopher Krushka, it was renamed Ringarooma in November 1888
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Rokeby
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Clarence Plains
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Clarence Plains Post Office opened in 1850 and was renamed Rokeby in 1882. Rokeby, now a suburb of Hobart, started out as Rokeby House, a farmstead in the Clarence Plains.
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Runnymede
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Brushy Plains
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A northern suburb of Hobart, Runnymede received its name during the late 1840s
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St Mary's
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Cullenswood
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The name of the Cullenswood Post Office was changed to St Mary’s in 1869. Cullenswood was the name given by Robert Vincent Legge after the family seat in Tipperary County, Ireland. The Legge family arrived in Tasmania in 1827.
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Sandford
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Muddy Plains
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Muddy Plains was renamed in 1887 in honour of Dr Daniel Fox Sandford, who arrived in Tasmania in 1883 to take up appointment as Anglican Bishop of Tasmania. He was the Bishop of Tasmania until 1889. It is said that, on one of several visits to Muddy Plains, the Bishop had commented on the inappropriateness of the name and jocularly suggested, “Why not call it after me.” And Sandford it became known afterwards.
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Scottsdale
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Ellesmere
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Ellesmere was named by James Scott after the family name of the Earl of Egerton of Scotland. Previously it was called Cox’s Paradise before it was finally changed to Scottsdale in 1893.
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Smithton
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Duck River
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The earliest recorded mention of Smithton was in 1858. It is believed the settlement was named after Peter Smith, an Irishman who had been a constable and later became the licensee of the Plough Inn at Stanley. From Stanley, Peter Smith came to Smithton, buying some 500 acres of land from the Poke and Ollington families, and in various ways was so successful that he was able to return to Ireland. Duck River was so named by Alexander Goldie, agriculturalist to the VDL Company, and surveyor Joseph Fossey on the occasion of their journey from Georgetown to Cape Grim in August 1826.
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Somerset
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Cam
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By the turn of the 20th century, the name, Somerset, was generally known by residents as applied to a little township eight kilometres west of Burnie. In former years this town was invariably known as the Cam, which is really the name of a river on whose banks the town of Somerset stands. It was a long time in the making before the name of Somerset caught on after having its crown land parceled out in 1845 in the “township of Somerset.” Today Somerset forms part of the Burnie-Somerset urban area.
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Sorell
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Pittwater
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Sorell was so called after Lieutenant Governor William Sorell in 1821. Previously the whole district was called Pittwater, but the name was displaced by that of the township which became the name of the district at large. Sorell took a great interest in his namesake and there was a local legend that he had thought of removing the capital of the island to Sorell.
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Southport
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Hythe
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Originally called by the French explorer in 1792 Baie des Moules (Mussel Bay) before being renamed Southport. In the 1840s Hythe came into existence as a township within the district of Southport. Some years later, with the establishment of a post office, confusion reigned as to whether the post office was in Hythe or Southport. In 1969 it was renamed Southport.
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Sprent
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Castra Road
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The township on Castra Road was officially named Sprent in 1887. It is believed a post office was established four years later.
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Ulverstone
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Badger Plains
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The earliest reference to Ulverstone was in 1854 in a private sale of 500 acres of land on the River Leven, three miles from Ulverstone. Before that, when there were no inhabitants, it was simply known as Badger Plains. The municipality of Leven was officially changed to Ulverstone in 1944.
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Wynyard
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Table Cape
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The Table Cape Post Office opened around 1856 and was renamed Wynyard in 1882
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