Longford

Longford is a town in the northern midlands of Tasmania, Australia.

Longford is a town in the northern midlands of Tasmania, Australia. It lies 145 m above sea level at the convergence of the Macquarie River and the South Esk River, 21 km south of Launceston and a 15-minute drive from the airport. It is just south of the Illawarra Road, a road connecting the Bass and Midland Highways. It has a population of 3,863 (2016 census) and is part of the Northern Midlands Council area. The region is predominantly agricultural, noted for wool, dairy produce and stock breeding.

The Longford region was the traditional land of The Panninher (par-nin-her) clan of the North Midlands Nation. This clan was known as the Penny Royal Creek Tribe by colonials, named after the old European name for the Liffey River (aboriginal: Tellerpangger). The Panninher occupied land from Drys Bluff to the Tamar, Evandale and south to the Conara region. The Norfolk Plains region was the site of hunting and the boundary of the aboriginal road from the Liffey River valley to the Lake River Valley and thence to the Central Highlands.

In 1806 the first Europeans, Jacob Mountgarrett and Ensign Hugh Piper, passed through the area, and in the following year Lieutenant Thomas Laycock camped near the current site of the town during his overland journey from Launceston to Hobart.

Settlers started to arrive in 1807 as farmers were moved from Norfolk Island to Van Diemen's Land (the original name used by Europeans for Tasmania). Governor Macquarie granted land rights to the settlers, who originally called the area Norfolk Plains. The town, originally called Latour, grew up around the hotel (later known as the Longford Hotel) which was built in 1827 by Newman Williatt. In 1833 the town was renamed Longford, probably at the suggestion of the land commissioner Roderic O'Connor.Settlers used free convict labour to build some fine houses and estates.Prominent among the early settlers, the Archer family built a number of grand houses and estates in the area. Thomas Archer emigrated from England to Australia in 1811, and retired from government service in 1821 to develop his 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) estate. By 1825 he held 6,000 acres (24 km2) in the area and his success persuaded first his brother Joseph, then his brothers Willam and Edward and their father, to join him.

Together they farmed and developed the land, and built a number of homesteads which are among the finest in northern Tasmania: Woolmers Estate, Brickendon Estate (both on the Australian National Heritage List), Panshanger, Northbury, Fairfield, Cheshunt, Woodside, Palmerston and Saundridge. Six generations of Archers have lived in Woolmers, from 1817 to 1994; it is now owned by the Woolmers Foundation Inc and is open to the public.Norfolk Plains Post Office opened on 1 June 1832 and was renamed Longford in 1856.Adjacent to a 21st-century recreation ground is the remains of a dam. This dam, known as the Longford Mill Dam, was built in the 1840s by John Badcock to power a flour Mill at nearby Newry.

Longford district has many buildings included on the Tasmanian Heritage Register. Many significant historic buildings were constructed between 1830 and 1850, including:

Christ Church (1839), sandstone, with square tower, lancet windows and buttresses, in the Old Colonial Gothick Picturesque style. The church clock and bell were both gifts from King George IV. The cemetery includes many prominent local families including the Archer, Brumby and Reiby families. The land on which it stands is named Illawarra because of Lucy Margaretta Davey, the daughter of Lt Governor Mad Tom Davey.

Queen's Arms Hotel (1835), a double-storey brick and stuccoed building in the Old Colonial Georgian style

Blenheim Hotel (1846), a two-storey Georgian brick and stuccoed building and a major townscape element in Longford

Tattersalls Hotel (now Longford Library) (c. 1846), a two-storey red brick corner building with neo-classic moulded surrounds to doorways

The Racecourse Hotel (1838) (former), a two-storey brick Georgian coaching inn, originally built to become the railway station for Longford; has also been a private hospital. It is now a B&B.

Longford Railway Bridge, a bridge of 120 metres (390 ft) opened in 1871 and which crosses the South Esk River.