Cressy, Tasmania Explained

Type:town
Cressy
State:tas
Coordinates:-41.6833°N 152°W
Pushpin Label Position:right
Lga:Northern Midlands Council
Postcode:7302
Pop:1,111
Stategov:Lyons
Fedgov:Lyons
Dist1:186
Dir1:N
Location1:Hobart
Dist2:35
Dir2:S
Location2:Launceston
Dist3:11
Dir3:S
Location3:Longford

Cressy is a small town 35km (22miles) south-west of Launceston, Tasmania. It came into existence in the 1850s to service the surrounding wheat farms. At the 2006 census, Cressy had a population of 670. It is known as Tasmania's "Trout capital" for the good fishing in the area.It is also home to an extensive agriculture research facility for the Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research.

Cressy Post Office opened on 17 September 1856.[1]

Nearby towns include:Bishopsbourne,Bracknell,Liffey, Blackwood Creek,Poatina and Longford.

History

Cressy was established as the main centre for the Cressy Company.[2] The Cressy Company's first director Captain Bartholemew Boyle Thomas chose to name company after the Battle of Crecy in the 14th Century, at which one of his ancestors fought. The Cressy Company also known as the "Cressy Establishment", was a large agricultural company which owned a significant portion of the Norfolk Plains. The first building in Cressy was The Cressy Hotel built in 1845 by William Brumby. Cressy became an official township in 1848. Much of the land in the area was owned by the O'Connor family, founded by Irish migrant Roderic O'Connor.

An Anglican theological college, St Wilfrid's, was located in Cressy from 1904 to 1929.[3]

Brumby's Creek, the Weirs, the Macquarie Lake and the Liffey rivers serve as a popular trout fishing spot. The annual Tasmanian Trout Expo is hosted in Cressy.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Premier Postal History . Post Office List . Premier Postal Auctions . 16 June 2012.
  2. Web site: Gateway to trout fishing paradise - Northern Midlands Council.
  3. Book: Australian Dictionary of Biography: James Denton Toosey. Toosey, James Denton (1801–1883). National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. 27 March 2021.
  4. Web site: Heritage Highway : Cressy . 2013-02-01 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130115041712/http://www.heritagehighway.com.au/history_towns/13125087 . 2013-01-15 .