Ross Tasmania Heritage Walk

Ross, TAS, Australia
Est. 5.4km / 2 hrs 28 mins / Map

Ross, a small historic town roughly midway between Hobart and Launceston on the Midlands Highway, is the commercial centre for a district that produces high-quality merino wool. Ross has a very English country village feel, with its warm Ross sandstone reminiscent of the towns of the Cotswolds or North Oxfordshire, England. The main street is remarkable for its fine collection of colonial buildings on a wide street edged by elm trees; it simply has no peer in Australia. The first settlers couldn't have recreated their mother country more precisely.

Ross Tasmania Heritage Walk - Cya On The Road

One of the most attractive aspects of Ross is that it has not been overly corrupted by modern tourism - that the Midland Highway (the main route between Hobart and Launceston) bypasses Ross has helped preserve the original, sleepy character of the town.

The wide main street is remarkable for its fine collection of colonial buildings and elm trees which line it; it simply has no peer in Australia. The first settlers couldn't have recreated their mother country more precisely. The whole town of Ross is listed on the Register of the National Estate and many of the town's historic buildings, many built from sandstone, are listed in their own right. Many of its old buildings are home to art galleries and shops selling bric-a-brac, collectables, antiques, gifts, second-hand treasures and timber, wool and craft products. Allow yourself at least a few hours of browsing time if you are drawn to such places.

The town is centred on the crossroads of Church and Bridge Streets with a field gun from the Boer War and a war memorial as a central part of the intersection. The crossroads area is humorously referred to as the "Four Corners of Ross" with each corner having a label, reflected the four stages that it was once said convicts must go through in their redemption: 1. Temptation: the Man O' Ross Hotel; 2. Recreation: Town Hall; 3. Salvation: Roman Catholic Church; 4. Damnation: the town Jail (now a private residence).

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