Huonville

History

Before European settlement, the area now known as Huonville and the surrounding Huon Valley was home to the Mellukerdee people, one of the First Nations groups of southern Tasmania. Greatly residing along the banks of the Huon River, the Mellukerdee people's connection to the land and waterway formed an integral part of their daily life, relying on its rich resources for fishing, hunting, and cultural practices. European colonisation, beginning in the early 19th century, severely disrupted the Mellukerdee way of life, and many were displaced from their lands as British settlers established farming and logging operations in the valley. European exploration of the Huon River began in 1792, led by Admiral Bruni d'Entrecasteaux during his expedition to search for the missing French explorer Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse. The river was named by d'Entrecasteaux in honour of his second-in-command, Captain Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. Settlement in the region began in the 1840s, with William and Thomas Walton among the first settlers to establish farms in the fertile valley. Huonville, initially a smaller settlement, grew around the key bridge crossing the Huon River, which made it a strategic location for transport and trade. While the nearby township of Ranelagh was initially planned as the central settlement, Huonville developed into a bustling centre of the Huon Valley and was officially declared a town in 1891. By the late 19th century, apple growing became the dominant agricultural activity in the Huon Valley. The region’s fertile soils and temperate climate were ideal for growing apples, and Huonville played a central role in processing and distributing the fruit. Throughout the 20th century, the valley became known as the "Apple Bowl of Tasmania",…

Most-observed species

• Forest Raven

  Corvus tasmanicus Mathews, 1912 · Aves
  9,872
• Superb Fairywren

  Malurus cyaneus (Ellis, 1782) · Aves
  7,840
• Yellow-throated Honeyeater

  Nesoptilotis flavicollis (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  7,075
• Green Rosella

  Platycercus caledonicus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  6,699
• Gray Fantail

  Rhipidura albiscapa Gould, 1840 · Aves
  6,630
• Yellow Wattlebird

  Anthochaera paradoxa (Daudin, 1800) · Aves
  5,885
• Gray Shrikethrush

  Colluricincla harmonica (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  5,410
• Gray Currawong

  Strepera versicolor (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  5,403

Most recent

• M 4.7 — 2002-06-15
  46 km NNE of Bagdad, Australia