Population Characteristics
The population of the Northern Midlands is 4,582 (2004).
Campbell Town, with a population of approximately 800, is situated on the Midlands Highway, 67km from Launceston and 132km north of Hobart. Both the town and the Elizabeth River, which runs through it, were named after the wife of Governor Macquarie, Elizabeth (nee Campbell) in 1821.
 High Street, Campbell Town Campbell Town has a rich and interesting history. It was established as one of four garrison towns between Hobart and Launceston and has thirty-five buildings listed on the National Estate. The three arch Red Bridge at the southern end of the town was built by convicts between 1836 and 1838 while The Fox Hunters Return (1840), a two-storey rubble stone building, is considered to be one of the most substantial hotel buildings of the period. Close to the RHTS in King Street is St Michael’s Church (1857) with the initials of the Bishop of Tasmania, Bishop Wilson, engraved into the south east wall.
The Campbell Town Railway Station is reputedly the site of Australia’s first telephone conversation which was recorded by Alfred Biggs. The telephone is made of Huon Pine and is now on display at the Heritage Highway Museum. Campbell Town is also the birthplace of Harold Gatty, who was navigator during the American pilot Wylie Post’s round-the-world aeroplane flight in 1931. Gatty also designed the navigational system used by the US Airforce during the Second World War.
Campbell Town has a world-class reputation as a major sheep farming centre. Saxon Merino sheep were introduced into the area in about 1823 and by the 1830s, had established Campbell Town as the centre of the Van Diemen’s Land fine wool industry. The first sheep show was held in 1839 and the Campbell Town Show is the longest running agricultural show in the British Commonwealth.
Regional Health Indicators
Northern Midlands
High death rates from respiratory diseases, accidents, poisonings and violence
High admission ratios for hip replacements
For more information on Campbell Town visit the websites below:
Hint: Follow the Convict Trail in Campbell Town's Main Street, where more than 2000 bricks are embedded into the footpath, each inscribed with a convict's details including place and time of birth and death, and the crime for which they were sentenced.
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