Hamilton is a small rural town north west of
Hobart in
Tasmania on the
Lyell Highway. At the 2006
census, the town and surrounding area had a population of 300.
Governor Macquarie named the locality as 'Sorell Plains', and it became locally known as 'Macquarie' and 'Lower Clyde'.
Governor Arthur finalised a name for the locality in 1824.
Hamilton was once a bustling frontier town that contained many inns and several working breweries. It was once destined to be the capital of Tasmania despite its vast distance from any port.
It contains a few small shops, many of them dating back from convict times.
References
Further reading
- Stoddart, D. Michael (editor) (1993). Walk to the West. Hobart: The Royal Society of Tasmania. ISBN 0-9598679-9-6.
- Beavan, Ernest G. (1988) Take heed lest you forget: a history of St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Hamilton, Tasmania. Hamilton, Tas. St. Peter’s Church Vestry. ISBN 0731624386