Bellerive Heritage Walk

Difficulty

• Walking: Easy
• Cycling: Easy

Length: 3km

Time: 1-1.5 hours

Parking: Bellerive Boardwalk

Dogs: On lead

Bellerive was settled in the 1820s. it is one of the most historic areas of Hobart and was originally called Kangaroo Point. The name was changed to Bellerive, meaning beautiful river bank, in the 1830s. Sites include:

1. Bellerive Boardwalk: Built on reclaimed land from Kangaroo Bay. From 1892 to 1926 the Bellerive-Sorell Railway had its terminus on a long jetty which extended into the bay.
2. Boer War Monument: Erected in memory of local resident Frank Morrisby who died in South Africa at the close of the war.
3. Old Post Office c1897: Built of local sandstone, it now houses the Genealogical Society Library and the Sound Preservation Society Museum. Nearby, the Waterman’s Arms at 5 Queen St was originally an inn.
4. Police Station and Watch House c1842: One of the oldest buildings in Bellerive, the original section contains a tiny cell. After a number of different uses it is now the Bellerive Community Arts Centre.
5. Natone – 4 Petchey St c1863: This National Trust classified house was built for Hobart judge Sir Valentine Fleming. In 1873 it was purchased by James O’May, one of the pioneers of the Bellerive-Hobart ferry service.
6. Bellerive Social Institute c1897: This building was the focus for cultural and social activities including musical evenings, plays and lectures and later weddings and dances.
7. Queen St: Originally named Bidassoa St, it was re-named in 1897 to honour the jubilee of Queen Victoria. It was the main thoroughfare from the ferry terminal to the beach when day-trippers and holiday-makers flocked to Bellerive from the 1860s until the 1920s. Historic buildings include 19, 25 and 29 Queen St.
8. St Mark Chapel of Ease c1852: The sandstone building was designed by former convict James Blackburn and built in 1852 by John Pitfield. Only a handful of pioneer graves remain.
9. Bellerive State School c1858: Designed to accommodate forty pupils, it was renovated and additions made in 1884. It ceased as a school in 1954.
10. Congregational Church c1860: The original sandstone wall of the church can be seen at the rear of the Masonic Temple.
11. Kangaroo Bluff Battery c1885: Built to defend Hobart the pentagon-shaped fort includes ditches, tunnels and underground chambers cut out of solid stone. It is now a reserve managed by Parks and Wildlife Service.
12. Bluff House c1885: A late-Victorian home build for Robert Hutchinson.
13. Fair View – 9 Victoria Esplanade c1892: The Victorian sandstone residence was built by the O’May family, pioneers of the Bellerive ferry service.
14. The Villa c1858: Built for Richard Morgan Jnr, the building became the Bellerive Hotel around 1867. A fire destroyed a major part of the building in 1939.
15. Clarence Hotel 1879: Bellerive’s only surviving hotel. A fine display of historical photographs is displayed in the lounge.
16. Burton’s General Store – 10 Cambridge Rd: This stone building is the oldest of the original village stores.
17. Police Station 13a Cambridge Rd: Built as a police station by local builder Peter Denholm in 1930.

More detailed information can be found in the brochure Bellerive Village: A Walk Through History prepared with assistance from the Bellerive Historical Society.