The area was
originally known as Tahune-Linah, named by Tasmanian Aboriginals
The first Europeans
to set eyes on the Huon River were the crew commanded by Admiral
Bruni d'Entrecasteaux. The river was named by him in honour
of his second in command, Captain Huon de Kermadec.
The
establishment of the British settlement at Hobart Town in
1804 led to the exploration of the area by the botanist Robert
Brown but he dismissed it as unsuitable for settlement because
of poor soil. This did not stop the timber getters and whalers
from camping in the area while searching for stands of timber
and schools of whales.
The first European
settlers were William and Thomas Walton in 1840.
Huonville was
not originally intended as the site of a town. Nearby Ranelagh
was laid out as the town of Victoria in colonial days. Huonville
grew around the bridge crossing the Huon River and hotels
at the bridge.
Throughout the
summer and autumn, fence-to-fence orchards produce crops of
luscious plums, cherries, apricots, peaches, apples and pears.
Get your heart
racing on a jet boat ride up the Huon River or explore it
at a more leisurely pace in a paddleboat. A cruise on the
Southern Contessa will take you 30 kilometres along the river,
into the habitats of pelicans, sandpipers and many other water
birds.
Amy Sherwin ,
the 'Tasmanian Nightingale', was an Australian soprano singer
born at Forest Home, Huonville in 1855 and was taught singing
by her mother.
Fishing is popular
in the valley's many open watercourses, and there are plenty
of fishing experts to help you catch a big one. Farther south
are Tasmania's magnificent southern forests, where you can
stroll through the canopy of a mature forest high above the
confluence of the Picton and Huon rivers on the Tahune Forest
AirWalk.
The nearby town
of Ranelagh, which is now regarded as a suburb of Huonville,
is at the centre of an important hop-growing area and its
landmarks include an historic oast house once used for the
processing of the stuff which gives beer its distinctive flavour.
Ranelagh's only
'tourist attraction' is the Tasmanian Antique Motor Museum'
which has over 40 old vehicles including a 1934 Terraplane
and a 1923 Fiat 501 originally owned by Lady Jones of IXL.
Its maximum average
daily temperature is approximately 12 degrees Celsius in June
and 21 degrees Celsius in January.
Huonville is
a 40-minute drive, 38 kilometres, south of Hobart along the
A6 highway.