Tasmanian Family History Society Hobart

Tasmanian Place Names and Changes

Originally compiled by Jackie Browne in 1999. Updated by Mike Hurburgh and Robert Tanner in October 2002 and further updated by Robert Tanner in August 2003.

We are always searching for accuracy! Changes and additions are very welcome. Pease quote the source when notifying.

Don't know where a particular place is? Then try Geoscience Australia or Whereis . And there is the LIST - the Land Information System Tasmania which provides various Tasmanian maps right down to street level.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

FORMER NAME	CHANGED TO	NOTES (Numbers in brackets refer to source)	SOURCE
A
Adam's River Field	Adamsfield		12
Alford	Pipers River		1
Allan Siding	Boat Harbour Siding		1
Altmore [Altmoor (12)]	Ranga	Changed back to Altamoor 1909 (12)	1, 12
Austerley	Osterley		1
Austins Farm	Austins Ferry		1
B
Back River	Magra	Changed 1912 (12)	8, 12
Bad Bay	Beaufort (South Burnie)		1
Badger Plains	Ulverstone	Changed pre 1900 (12)	12
Baker's Rivulet/Creek	Lucaston	1909 (12)	12
Bathurst Plains	Clarendon		1
Beachside	Lower Sandy Bay	pre 1900 (12)	12
Beltana	Lindisfarne	1903 (12)	1, 12
Big River	Ouse River		1
Bismarck	Collinsvale	1915-1916 (12)	10, 12
Black Brush	Mangalore		8
Black Hills	Black River		1
Black River	Mawbanna		1
Black Sugar Loaf	Birralee	1915 (12)	1, 12
Blackwood Hills	Rowella	1912 (12)	12
Blythe Station	Heybridge Station		1
Bradshaw's Creek	Pioneer	1955, but both names appeared in 1909 Walsh's Almanac (12)	1, 12
Brandy Creek	Beaconsfield	pre 1900 (12)	1, 12
Break o' Day Road	St Marys Road		1
Breone	South Preston		1
Brothers Home Mine	Derby	pre 1900 (12)	1
Browns River	Kingston/Kingston Beach	All three are 'suburbs' in Kingborough, although the whole area around the present Kingston Beach was once known as "Browns River". The town of Kingston was proclaimed in January 1851. (8, 10)	1, 5, 8
Brumby Rivulet	Beaufort (Westmorland)		1
Burgess	Port Sorell		1, 4 (p. 7)
C
Cabbage Tree Hill	Beaconsfield	pre 1900 (12)	1, 12
Cam	Somerset		1
Carnarvon	Port Arthur		1
Cascades	Koonya	pre 1900 (12)	12
Cherry Tree Opening	Pawleena	pre 1900 (12). When I lived in Sorell (1950s) many people still used the old name. It was also known as Cherry Tree Hollow.(10)	1, 12
Cheshunt	Meander	Both names appeared in 1909 Walsh's Almanac (12)	12
Circular Head	Stanley	But "Circular Head" is still the name of the municipality.(10)	1
Clarence Plains	Rokeby		1
Claythorn	Rosevears		1
Cloud Bay	Beaufort (South Bay)		1
Cloverdale	Upper Esk	c1949 (12)	1, 12
Clyde River	Bothwell	Bothwell is on the Clyde River.(10)	1
Coal River	Richmond ?	The Coal River runs through Richmond. "The Coal River" was more the area north of Richmond, including Campania and possibly Colebrook.(7)	1, 7
Cocked Hat	Breadalbane		1
Constitution Hill	Dysart	The feature is still "Constitution Hill", but the town is now "Dysart".(10)	1
Cookville	Adventure Bay		1
Copper Alley Bay	Lymington	pre 1900 (12)	12
Cormiston	Riverside		1
Cotton	Ulverstone	pre 1900 (12)	1, 12
Cox's Paradise	Scottsdale	pre 1900 (12)	12
Cross Marsh	Melton Mowbray	pre 1900 (12)	9, 12
D
Daniel's Bay	Lunawanna	c1909 (12)	12
Dee Bridge	Dee		1
Derwent	Bushy Park	post 1909 (12)	12
Detention (River)	Rocky Cape	The "Rocky Cape" sheet of the 1:25,000 map series (1981) shows it as "Rocky Cape", but the name "Detention River" was still recognised by Australia Post for some time after that.(6,10) post 1909 (12)	1, 6, 12
Du Cane	Tomahawk	post 1900 (12)	12
E
East Marrawah	Redpa		1
Eden	Sprent		1
Elizabeth (Town)	New Norfolk	pre 1900 (12). But note there is an "Elizabeth Town" in North West Tasmania.(10)	1, 12
Ellenton	Camena		1
Ellenton	Cuprona		1
Ellenton	Montumana		1
Ellenville	Ellendale		1
Ellesmere	Scottsdale	1893-1894 (12)	12
Emu Bay 1855+	Burnie		1
F
Fat Doe River	Bothwell	pre 1900 (12)	1, 12
Fat Doe River	Clyde River		1
Forester's Hill	Notley Hills	c1950 (12)	12
Formby	Devonport (West)	1890 (12)	1, 4 (p. 7), 12
Forsters Bridge	Dee		1
Fossil Bank	Parramatta		1
G
Geeves Town	Geeveston		1
Glenexe	Lower Marshes		1
Gordon Plains	Evandale	pre 1900 (12)	1, 12
Green Point	Bridgewater	Both names appeared in 1900 Walsh's Almanac (12)	1, 12
Green (Water) Ponds	Kempton	pre 1900 (12). The name "Green Ponds" remained as the municipality until 1994, when it became part of "Southern Midlands". (8)	1, 8, 12
Green Water Holes	Kempton	see above	1, 12
Gregson	Otago	post 1909 (12)	12
H
Hamilton on Clyde	Hamilton		1
Hamilton on Forth	Forth		1
Hamilton Road	Hayes		2
Havelock	EagleHawk Neck		1
Heidelberg	Harford	1900 (12)	12
Henrietta Plains	Powranna		1
Hobart Town	Hobart		8
Hobarton	Hobart		8
Hollow Tree	Cambridge	pre 1900 (12)	12
Honeysuckle	Evandale	c1820 (12)	12
Honeywood	Geeveston	pre 1900 (12)	1, 12
Horton	Circular Head	Circular Head is a feature (cape) and a municipality.(10)	1
Horton pre 1855	Burnie		1
Hull	Judbury	post 1909 (12)	1, 12
Hurst Town	Lyndhurst	1853 (12)	1, 12
Hythe	Southport	1969 (12)	1, 12
I
Ilfracombe	Beauty Point	pre 1900 (12).	12
Ilfraville	Beauty Point	pre 1900 (12). However, current maps show "Ilfraville" a little to the north of Beauty Point (10).	12
Irishtown	Nicholls Rivulet	pre 1900 (12)	12
J
Jerusalem	Colebrook	pre 1900 (12). Known as "Jerusalem in Colebrookdale" throughout the 1840's.(7)	1, 7, 12
Judd's Creek	Judbury	1924 (12)	12
K
Kangaroo Bay	Bellerive	1892 (12)	12
Kangaroo Point	Bellerive		1
Kangaroo Valley	Lenah Valley	post 1909 (12)	1, 12
Kawallah	Newstead	pre 1900 (12). I remember, when I was young, the Newstead Post Office was renamed "Kawallah" to avoid confusion with Newstead in Victoria. (10)	12
Kentish	Sheffield District	"Kentish" is a municipality with Sheffield as its administrative centre.(10)	1
King Georges Plains	Glenorchy		1
King's Town	Kingston	1882	12
Koomella	West Scottsdale		12
Krushka's Bridge	Moorina	pre 1900 (12)	12
L
Lake River	Pisa		1
Latour	Longford	pre 1900 (12)	1, 12
Leanardsburgh	No longer exists	The Leonardsburg Prospect is located on the Andersons Creek in north Tasmania. It was near Beaconsfield.	1, 15
Leven	Ulverstone		1
Lightwood Bottom	Geeveston	pre 1900 (12)	1, 12
Linda	Gormanston	Both names appeared in 1909 Walsh's Almanac (12). Both places still exist - even though almost ghost towns. Maybe the current Gormanston was once a part of Linda, or maybe Waters got it wrong. (10)	12
Lisle Ponds	Nabowla	There is still a place called "Lisle" near Nabowla.(10)	1
Little Oyster Cove Rivulet	Kettering		1
Long Bay	Middleton		1
Longmeadows	Franklin Village	pre 1900 (12)	12
Lovett	Cygnet	1915 (12)	1, 12
Lyetta	Clarence Point	c1960 (12)	1, 12
Lymington	Nile	Both names appeared in 1900 Walsh's Almanac (12). Not to be confused with another place called "Lymington" near Cygnet.(10)	1, 8, 12
Lyndhurst	Tomahawk		1
Lyttleton	Carrick		1
M
Macquarie	Pillinger	1900 (12)	12
Macquarie Plains	Gretna	Although there is a place "Macquarie Plains" on the road to National Park a bit after the turn-off from the Lyell Highway, the Post Office at Gretna was "Macquarie Plains" before being changed to "Gretna". (2, 10)	2
Macquarie's Township	Hamilton	pre 1900 (12)	12
Marawaylee	Riverside West		12
Mill's Reef	Allonah	1955 (12)	1, 12
Montagu	Togari	post 1955 (12)	12
Montos Marsh	Ellendale		1
Morven	Evandale		1
Mount Bischoff Mine	Waratah	The town grew up around the mine. (8)	1, 8
Muddy Plains	Pateena		1
Muddy Plains	Sandford		1
N
Native Corners	Beaumont	"Native Corners" is also an area near Campania. (8)	1
Native Tier	Osterley	Name changed in 1900 (2). Both names appeared in 1900 Walsh's Almanac (12).	1, 2, 12
Newnham	Alanvale	Both are current suburbs of Launceston, although what is now Alanvale was previously part of Newnham.(10)	10
Nine Mile Springs	Lefroy		1
Nive Road	Tarraleah		2
Norfolk Plains	Longford	1860 (12). The name "Norfolk Plains" is still used for a large area around Longford.(6)	1, 6, 12
Norfolk Plains East	Pateena	1887 (14)	1, 6, 12
O			14
O'Briens Bridge	Glenorchy		1
Oberlin	Black Hills	pre 1900 (12)	12
One Tree Point	Brabazon		1
Outer Cove	Georgetown		1
Outer Harbour	Low Head		1
P
Pallawah	Daisy Dell		1
Paterson Plains	St Leonards	pre 1900 (12)	1, 12
Pea Jacket Point	Wybalenna		12
Penghana	Queenstown	Both names appeared in 1900 Walsh's Almanac (12).	12
Peppermint Bay	Woodbridge		1
Pittwater	Sorell	"Pittwater" is a feature. All the area around it, including Sorell, was once known as "Pittwater".(10)	1, 7
Point Rapid	Rowella	1912 (12)	12
Poole's Marshes	Ower Marshes		12
Pootark	Stormlea	1929 (12).	12
Port Dalrymple	Georgetown	Port Dalrymple is the name given to the mouth of the Tamar River.(8)	8
Port Esperance	Dover	Dover is situated on Port Esperance.(10)	1
Port Frederick	Devonport		1
Port Maldon	Somerset		1
Portland	Du Cane	pre 1900 (12)	12
Poynduk	Port Davey	pre 1900 (12)	12
Preston	Naracoopa	post 1909 (12)	12
Prosser Plains	Buckland		1
Q
Queenborough	Sandy Bay		8
R
Ralphs Bay	Lauderdale	Ralphs Bay still exists as a feature.(10)	1
Reibys Ford	Hadspen		1
Rialannah	Mount Nelson	pre 1900 (12)	12
Richmond Hill	Kayena		12
Risdon Rise	Lutana		1
River Plenty	Plenty		2
Romaine	Suburb of Burnie	Still "Romaine", but once a separate town/village.(10)	1, 5
Rumneys Hut(s)	Baden	1905 (12)	1, 12
Russell	Westerway		2
S
Saggy Flats	Strickland		1
San Diego	Darlington	pre 1900 (12)	12
Settlement Point	Emita	post 1909 (12)	12
Shepton Montacute	Dysart	1875 (12)	1, 12
South Bridgewater	Granton	1914 (12)	12
Snake Banks	Powranna		1
Snake Plains	Glendevie	post 1909 (12)	12
Spring Bay	Triabunna	The name "Spring Bay" persisted as the municipality until 1994, when it amalgamated with Glamorgan.(8)	1, 8
St Michaels	Rosevears		1
St.Pauls Plains	Avoca		1
Stirling	Near Ridgley - no longer a town		1
Stony Hut Plains	Gretna		1
Sunny Hills	Nabageena	post 1909 (12)	1, 12
Sweet Water Hills	Richmond	Prior to 1823 (7)	7
T
Table Cape	Wynyard	The name "Table Cape" persisted as the municipality for some time. It is still the name of a feature near Wynyard.(6, 10)	1, 6
Table Mountain	Mount Wellington		3 (p. 14)
Tatana	Exeter	pre 1900 (12). Renamed Exeter in 1968 (16). Was the name of the Exeter Post Office from 1912 to 1968 (15).	12, 15, 16
Temby	Triabunna	pre 1900 (12)	12
The Bluff	Tunnack		13 (p. 87)
The Camp	Scottsdale	pre 1900 (12)	12
The Corners	Conara		1
The Springs	Breadalbane		1
The Woolpack	Gretna		1
Thomas Plains	Weldborough	Both names appeared in 1900 Walsh's Almanac (12).	12
Thompsons Marsh	Gray		1
Three Hut Point	Gordon		9
Tongatabu	Weetah	1914	12
Torquay	East Devonport	1890 (12)	1, 4 (p. 7), 12
Tucker's Corner	Scottsdale	pre 1900 (12)	12
Tucker's Hill	Milbena		12
U
Upper Flowerdale	Moorleah	post 1900 (12)	12
Upper Huon	Glen Huon	post 1900 (12)	12
Upper Piper	Lilydale	1887 (14)	14
Upper Plenty	Fulton		1
V
Victoria	Huon District		1
Victoria (Valley)	Ranelagh	post 1900 (12)	1, 12
W
Waterhouse Road	Halfway		1
Waterloo Point/Waterloo	Swansea	There is also a small town named "Waterloo" just to the South of Geevestown. (11)	1, 5, 11
West Leith	Turners Beach	post 1909 (12)	12
West Bay	Rowella	1912 (12)	12
Whiteford Hills	Moltema		1
Wybalerma	Glen Huon		12
X
Y
Yarmouth	Scamander	Both names appeared in 1900 Walsh's Almanac (12).	12
Z

NOTE: Many of the names under "Place Name Previously" are still in use as a feature. For example, when a settlement was made on the Clyde River, the settlement became known as "The Clyde River", and was later changed to "Bothwell". There are quite a few similar places.

SOURCES (These are not necessarily primary sources):
1. Jackie Browne's original list.
2. Bester, D. (Ed.) (2001) The Derwent Valley from Federation to Millennium. Derwent Valley Council, New Norfolk.
3. Hawley Stancombe, G. (1974) Highway in Van Diemen's Land. G. Hawley Stancombe. (via Meryl Yost)
4. Not stated. (1988) Sassafras - A History of its Settlement and People. Geneva Press, Latrobe. (via Meryl Yost)
5. D.E.L.M. (1998) Tasmanian Towns Street Atlas, Edition 5. Department of Environment & Land Management, Hobart.
6. Karlena Lockett.
7. Alex Green.
8. Mike Hurburgh.
9. Vivien Rice.
10. Robert Tanner.
11. Anthony Fletcher.
12. Waters, S. (1981) Tasmanian Place Names. In Tasmanian Ancestry, 24:1. TFHS, Launceston. (Reprinted from 2:1)
Waters gave the municipality for each place, but many have changed name or been amalgamated, so I have not included them. Primary sources are given in the original article.
(Information from this source is used with permission of the editor, Tasmanian Ancestry.)
13. Weeding, J.S. (1973) A History of the Southern Midlands of Tasmania, Regal Publications, Launceston. (via Richard Gould)
14. The Launceston Examiner 1 November 1887 p2 (via TROVE)
15. Burch, Nigel (2018) An Iron Will
16. Dennison, C.J. (1994) Where in Tasmania?

Site last updated July 2024