Bracknell, Tasmania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 202 km (126 mi) N of Hobart
- 33 km (21 mi) SW of Launceston
- 15 km (9 mi) W of Cressy
- 22 km (14 mi) SE of Westbury
| Bracknell Tasmania | |||||||||||||||
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 Mountain Views community church | |||||||||||||||
  Bracknell | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°39′S 146°56′E / 41.650°S 146.933°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 459 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 7302 | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Meander Valley, Northern Midlands | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Launceston, Central | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Lyons | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Lyons | ||||||||||||||
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Bracknell is a rural locality and town in the local government areas of Meander Valley and Northern Midlands in the Launceston and Central regions of Tasmania. The locality is about 22 kilometres (14 mi) south-east of the town of Westbury. The 2016 census has a population of 459 for the state suburb of Bracknell.[1]
It was established to serve the needs of the forestry industry but is now a centre for the local farming community.[5]
The township of Bracknell was surveyed prior to 1859, at which time an auction of town blocks was held,[6] but only became established in the early 1870s. By 1874 there was a church, two school buildings, a hotel and several other buildings.[7] The town's land had formerly been owned by the Church of England.[8] All the streets in Bracknell have been given female names, a curiosity that dates from when the town was laid out.[9] The current hotel has been in operation since 1880, originally as the Enfield Hotel.[10] The post office opened on 1 August 1872.[11]
The first Methodist services in the town were held in a barn around November to December 1863. As the congregation grew a church was needed and so the foundation stone for a Primitive Methodist chapel was laid on 14 October 1864. This first church was later removed so the current building could be constructed on its site. A parsonage was added in 1902, the year of the Methodist union that formed the Methodist Church of Australasia. The present church's foundation stone was laid 4 April 1922 and it was opened the same year at a cost of 1250 pounds.[12] The church became part of the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977 and remains in use.[5] The foundation stone of an Anglican church, St James, was laid December 1931 and the church consecrated April 1932. When opened the church was part of the Church of England parish of Cressy.[13] St James' was later closed and the Diocese of Tasmania sold it in 2011.[14] Bracknell was gazetted as a locality in 1968.[15]
Geography
The Liffey River forms part of the southern boundary, flows through from south-west to north-east, and then forms part of the eastern boundary.[16]
Road infrastructure
Route C511 (Oaks Road) enters from the north and runs south to the town, where it ends. Route C513 (Liffey Road / Bracknell Lane / Louisa Street / Maria Street / Bracknell Road) enters from the north-east, runs west through the town, and then west and south to the south-west corner, where it exits. Route C505 (Cluan Road) starts at an intersection with C513 and runs north-west until it exits. Route C514 (a continuation of Liffey Road) starts at an intersection with C513 and runs south-west until it exits.[15][17]