Ulverstone, Tasmania
| Ulverstone Tasmania |
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 A view of the main street of Ulverstone, Tasmania |
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 Ulverstone
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| Population: | 2006 Census: 9,760
Present Day: approx. 10,500[1] |
| Postcode: | 7315 |
| Location: |
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| LGA: | Central Coast Council |
| State District: | Braddon |
| Federal Division: | Braddon |
Ulverstone is a major town on the northwest coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is situated on the mouth of the Leven River, on Bass Strait. It is on the Bass Highway, 21 kilometres (13 mi) west of Devonport and 12 kilometres (7 mi) east of Penguin.
At the 2006 census, Ulverstone had a population of 9,760.[1] making it the state's largest town as Kingston, which is often cited as the largest town, is a suburb of Hobart. The town is a part of the municipality of the Central Coast Council which also includes Penguin, Turners Beach, Leith, Gawler and surrounds, and Forth.
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[edit] History
The present-day town area was first settled by Europeans in 1848, when Andrew Risby, his wife Louisa and their five young children arrived to settle and develop farmland from, essentially, a thickly forested wilderness.
Andrew & Louisa arrived in Adelaide, South Australia in 1839 as a newly married couple from their ancestral town of Horsley, Gloucestershire in England. The first of their 5 children were born in Adelaide. Soon after the birth of their 2nd child they moved to Tasmania. In 1841 they arrived at the Forth River where a young 19 year-old James Fenton had pioneered just prior to their arrival. After clearing land and subsistence farming for a few years, they were evicted from their "patch" after a land dispute with a wealthy speculator and moved westward. The district was, at that time, known as 'the Leven' and recognised as a good source of quality timber. When their 5th child, Andrew Risby jnr. was just 2 years old the Risby family moved and settled on a patch of land known as The Rises, at the south-eastern perimeter of the present day Ulverstone town boundary where they farmed for many years. Descendants of this pioneering family still reside in the district.
During the 1850s, the district received a few new settlers but was also frequented by transient timber getters. The timber found ready markets in Melbourne, which desperately required good quality split timber during the Victorian gold rush. Up until June 1854, land releases in the district were often purchased under 'pre-emptive rights legislation' by distant purchasers whose intention was to keep the land for later sale at an increased price. With the repeal of that legislation, the conditions for settlers to take up residence improved.
Reliable rainfall and generally good quality soils favoured the development of agricultural pursuits. The early pioneers of the district struggled against great odds to secure their sustenance and ultimately develop an income from sale of their produce.
Ulverstone grew quite quickly during the 1890s.
The name Ulverstone is first known to have been used in 1854 when Hugh Ross McKay opened the Ulverstone store.
Ulverstone was declared a town on 22 February 1861 by Governor H.E. Fox-Young.
The town has become a centralised location between the northwest coast's two cities, Burnie and Devonport. It is named after Ulverston in England and which also sits at the estuary of a river called Leven.[2] n.b. Ulverston, U.K. was spelled Ulverstone until late in the 19th Century
From 1915 until 1955, a branch railway ran from Ulverstone to Nietta, mostly carrying timber for the Burnie Pulp Mill.[3]
There is rich farming land in this part of Tasmania, which makes it attractive and prosperous, and this stretch of the coast attracts increasing numbers of retirees.
[edit] Redevelopment
Ulverstone is currently undergoing redevelopment to introduce a larger stream of tourism for an economically sustainable future. The Central Coast Council, together with the local Chamber of Commerce, have various projects under way to facilitate the plans.
In 2010, Ulverstone opened their new Basketball Stadium. Known as Schweppes Arena it holds around 1,100 people. It cost $5.5 million dollars to build and was completed just behind schedule. It overlooks the Leven River and is situated just behind the former stadium.
As of 2011, the Leven Bridge had been replaced by a new bridge constructed by local engineering firm VEC Civil Engineering. The new design was costed at approximately $6.5 million dollars, with the Central Coast Council funding the project. It is predicted to be completed before the end of 2011. A future project includes a Wharf Precinct redevelopment which is currently under construction.
[edit] Education
Ulverstone currently has four primary schools located in various parts of the town: East Ulverstone Primary, Central Ulverstone Primary, West Ulverstone Primary (All Government Funded) and Sacred Heart Catholic School; all of which encompass grades Kinder through to Six. There is one public high school located centrally in the town, Ulverstone High School. Leighlands Christian School also ranges from grades Kinder through to Year Twelve. There is currently no Tasmanian Academy, Polytechnic, or Skills Institute, or TAFE facilities in Ulverstone. Post-graduates commute to either the Don Campus of the Tasmanian Academy in Devonport, Hellier College in Burnie or seek a private college.
[edit] Notable people
- Joseph Lyons, Prime Minister of Australia from 1932 to 1939, spent some of his early years living in Ulverstone - he arrived with his family from Stanley at age 5 and attended school, but his family relocated back to Stanley when Joseph was 12.
- Clifford Plumpton, $500,000 winner on the Australian edition of "Who wants to be a Millionaire?", grew up in Ulverstone and attended the local high school.
- Richard Fromberg, tennis player
- Ben Hilfenhaus, Australian national and state cricketer
- David Neitz, Australian rules footballer
- James A. Harrison, President of IFPN - The International Federation of Perioperative Nurses, 2006-2009 - the first Australian to hold this position. Although born in Melbourne, Harrison spent most of his formative years living with his parents on the outskirts of the town and was a student of the Ulverstone High School. Former President of the Australian College of Operating Room Nurses (A.C.O.R.N.)
- Luke Ockerby Cyclist
[edit] References
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Ulverstone (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=UCL618600&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
- ^ White, Osmar (1974) Australia for Everyone: A Modern Guide, Melbourne: Wren Publishing, ISBN 0858851032
- ^ A Short History of the Nietta Line Stokes, H.J.W. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, November, 1972 pp217-223
