Austins Ferry is a residential suburb of the local government area (LGA) of Glenorchy in the greater Hobart region of Tasmania. The locality is about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north of the town of Glenorchy. The 2021 census recorded a population of 2,395 for Austins Ferry.[1] It is a suburb of Hobart.
History
Austins Ferry was gazetted as a locality in 1960.[2]
Austins Ferry is named after James Austin (1776–1831), who had been transported to Port Phillip as a convict in 1803 along with his cousin John Earl, and arrived in Van Diemens Land in 1804.[3] After their sentences expired both men were given small land grants on the western shore of the River Derwent between Hobart and New Norfolk. In 1818 they established a ferry service across the river and later a punt which proved very conveniently located for vehicular traffic travelling between Hobart and regions to the north, and became very wealthy. In 1821 the visiting Governor Lachlan Macquarie renamed the village Roseneath, but it has since reverted to its original name. James Austin's original cottage (picture on the right) is preserved as a tourist attraction. The opening hours for the cottage are limited to Sundays between 1pm and 4pm, it provides crafts and historical information.
The waters of the River Derwent form the eastern boundary and parts of the northern and southern.[4]
Road infrastructure
National Route 1 (Brooker Highway) passes to the west. From there, several roads provide access to the locality.[2][5]
Panorama of the upper half of Austins Ferry
James Austin Cottage
Austins Ferry Primary School
Austins Ferry Primary School is a state school, established in 2011. It currently has 544 students with a student-to-teacher ratio of 1 to 14.[6][7][8] The school teaches Aboriginal history for NAIDOC Week, as promoted by Henry Reynolds.[9]
The principal of the school is Liz Graham, who is the daughter of retired radio comedian, Richard Moore, and the sister of far-left social media influencer and feminist, Philippa Moore. A Roman Catholic, Ms Graham was previously a prep and kindergarten teacher at Saint Therese's and John Paul II Primary Schools respectively and principal of Glenora District School.[10][11]
^"Tasmanian Road Route Codes"(PDF). Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & Environment. May 2017. Archived from the original(PDF) on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
