What’s special about Campbell Town?

• The centre of Tasmania’s sheep-farming region.
• Sits on the banks of the Elizabeth River.

Campbell Town is the ideal highway stop with delicious coffee and meals available. You can visit the antique and specialty shops as well as the Heritage Highway Museum. Take a self-guided historic walk through Campbell Town and be sure to look at the Convict Brick Trail that runs along High Street. It is dedicated to the convicts transported from 1788 onwards. Each brick details a convict’s name, their crimes and subsequent punishment.

Wander past the impressive collection of colonial buildings. The Grange, designed by convict architect James Blackburn in the late 1840s, was the home of the local wealthy doctor. The Foxhunters Return is a lovely example of a 19th century inn. Other significant structures are St Luke’s Church (1939) and the convict-built Red Bridge (1836).

Just opposite St Lukes church you'll see a monument to Harold Gatty, a native son of Campbell Town. In 1931, he and American Wiley Post were the first people to fly around the world. In 1929, Gatty had flown as navigator with Roscoe Turner in a record 19-hour non-stop flight from Los Angeles to New York. He went on to serve, as an Australian citizen, in the US Army Air Corps.

Enjoy a picnic on the banks of the Elizabeth River, named by Governor Lachlan Macquarie after his wife’s family, during a visit in 1821. From Campbell Town you can head east past Lake Leake to Freycinet and the east coast.

More things to do:

Picnic in the park
Trout fishing at Lake Leake
Currawong Lakes

The story of Campbell Town:

In the early 1800s, Campbell Town came into existence as a garrison town designed to link the two main centres, Launceston and Hobart. It was named after Elizabeth Campbell, the wife of Governor Macquarie. By the 1930s, Campbell Town had become the centre of the fine wool industry and today continues to hold what is believed to be the oldest agricultural show in Australia. Campbell Town was announced as a municipality in 1866.

Travel directions:

Campbell Town is just over half an hours’ drive (70 kilometres/43 miles) from Launceston.