Discover Campbell Town

Campbell Town lies on the Heritage Highway between Launceston and Hobart, on the banks of the Elizabeth River. The town has a distinct role along the route through Tasmania, as well as a rich history reflected in its bridges, buildings, collections and artworks. Those planning more than just a stopover will find several different points of interest: architectural history, personal stories along the main street, and memorials to people and events.

Bridges and historic buildings

The Red Bridge is Australia’s oldest surviving brick arch bridge. Completed in 1838, it was built from more than 1.5 million handmade bricks made by convicts. Its arch, materials and construction date give the structure a tangible historical dimension. For travellers who enjoy exploring history at a particular site, the bridge is a landmark in Campbell Town.

Other buildings reveal different facets of the town’s history. The Church is a heritage-listed sandstone building dating from 1857. Coach groups and other groups are welcome by prior arrangement. The Grange, meanwhile, was designed in the late 1840s by convict architect James Blackburn. Foxhunters Return is a nineteenth-century inn built in 1834. Their dates and building types make for an interesting comparison, without reducing these places to one and the same story.

Stories along the main street

The Campbell Town Museum is housed in the town hall and presents the local history of the Midlands. Its collection includes photographs and uniforms, as well as musical instruments and band music from the Campbell Town Brass Band, founded in 1844. Alongside the major buildings, everyday life and music are also in the spotlight. Travelling with children? These tangible objects can be a great starting point for discovering different aspects of the town’s history together.

The Convict Brick Trail runs along the main street, with bricks set into the footpath marking the route. Information along the trail tells the stories of individual convicts. This offers a different perspective from the Red Bridge: the focus here is not just on a building’s design and completion, but on individual people. The Transit of Venus Sundial commemorates the observation of the transit of Venus from Campbell Town on 8 June 2004. The Harold Gatty Memorial honours Harold Gatty for his record-breaking 1931 flight with Wiley Post. Campbell Town’s chainsaw sculptures, in turn, depict various features of the town. Together, these artworks and memorials offer several themes around which to plan a visit.

Historic spaces and a different kind of visit

The Book Cellar is housed in convict cellars beneath an inn dating from the 1830s. It combines a traditional bookshop with a coffee bar; in the historic cellars, you can browse new and second-hand books. This makes for a unique blend of historic surroundings, a bookshop and a coffee break. If you plan to visit The Book Cellar, it’s best to check in advance whether it will be open on your travel date.

When choosing where to stay, the key question is how you want Campbell Town to fit into your trip. Would you like to set aside time for the buildings, museum and Convict Brick Trail, or mainly get to know the town as a stop on the Heritage Highway? You can look for a hotel in Campbell Town to suit your travel plans. The verified sights provide specific themes to help you plan, without limiting your visit to a single historical period.

Discover more destinations: Primrose Sands, Howth, Hillwood, Cranbrook, Sheffield, George Town, Deviot, Lulworth.

For the broader travel overview: Tasmania.