Walking Around Richmond

Richmond is a wonderful little Georgian village, of just under 800 people, situated 25 km north, north-east of Hobart, via the first original settlement of Risdon Cove.

It is worth spending quite a few hours here as it has 50 historic buildings dating from about 1820. It is one of the best preserved villages you can experience in Tasmania. Although many of the buildings are no longer used for what they were originally built for, they have been tastefully transformed into cafes, galleries, art and craft shops and accommodation without spoiling the ambience of the village.

It you were on a strict time budget it would be possible to do a day trip to Pt Arthur and include a stop here either on the way up or back.

Getting to Richmond

Getting to Richmond by car is easy from Hobart. Take the Brooker Ave road which roughly follows roughly the Derwent River towards Glenorchy. When almost at Glenorchy, take the major turnoff, right along Goodwood Rd, which will take you onto the Bowen Bridge. Just on the northern side of the bridge is Risdon Cove, which was the original settlement in Hobart, dating from 1803. At the time of writing there was not much to see at the site, but that will change as an information centre and picnic facilities are built. These new facilities will include information, not only of the first European settement but will also acknowledge the first people, the Tasmanian Aborigines, who suffered terribly from contact with European civilisation, including the first Aboriginal massacre in Tasmania.

If travelling by public transport, there are many tour companies who do combined trips with Pt Arthur and Richmond (contact the Tasmanian Tourist Information) If you want to do it independently and cheaper catch a bus from the city using Hobart Coaches.

Walking Tour of Richmond

Distance: approximately 1.5 km

Park your car at the carpark adjacent to the Richmond Bridge. At any one point on the walk you are never more than 500 m away from your car. It means you can also take in the ambience through your senses, rather than stopping and getting in and out of a car every 100 metres or so.

Head north up the St Johns Circuit Rd and as you ascend the hill you will come to St John’s Church, the first Catholic Church built in Australia. Built in 1837, it has commanding views over the river and the town and has lovely stained glass windows.

St John's Church

Retrace your steps and explore Richmond Bridge. The bridge crosses the Coal River, so named as small deposits of coal were found in and the river valley. It was opened up as a farming area late in 1803 (after Risdon Cove) and in actual fact grew much of the grain in the early days of the colony. As the area opened up it became a major route to the convict settlement of Pt Arthur. The bridge was built between 1823 and 1825 to hasten good transport to the Tasman and Fleurieu Peninsulas. It is a beautiful sandstone bridge and offers great photo opportunities with reflections from the water.

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Richmond Bridge

Just after crossing the bridge, the road veers around to the left towards the village and becomes Bridge St. At this point look for some very old cottages on the right hand side of the road which are now used for accommodation. These cottages date from 1825 and are known as the Bridge Cottages.

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Bridge Cottages

Continuing on you will pass the courthouse (1825) and the post office (1826) on the left, near the junction of Forth St. and the Bridge Inn. An original one storey building was built and finished in 1817, with the actual licensing running continuously from 1834 to 1975.

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Turn left into Edward St and about 200 m down this street you will come to St Lukes Anglican Church (1834-36). Turn right into Torrens St, and right again into Henry St, and this will bring you back to Bridge Rd, just near a beautiful building known as Ashmore House. In this vicinity there are a number of little cottages selling antiques and arts and crafts . As well, on the right hand side, just down a small lane you can visit a model village of Hobart Town (there is a small entry fee).

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Ashmore House

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Old cottages converted to arts and craft shops

On the way back to your car and the bridge, on the left you will pass, Hollyhock Cottage in Percy St and the Richmond Food and Wine Centre.

Keep an eye out for the buildings on the right you would have missed when viewing St Lukes, notably, the Old Granary and the Richmond Arms Hotel (1888). When the Sorrell causeway was opened in 1872, it was no longer necessary to go through Richmond and the military post and convict station of Richmond developed a different focus through farming.