12/09/2026
Beautiful, historic Ross is the southernmost town of the Northern Midlands municipality.
Ross is a small town of 410 residents and 232 dwellings (2021 Census).
Ross is a really attractive place to live, work and visit.
It abounds with natural scenic beauty situated as it is on the banks of the Macquarie River on plains surrounded by rolling hills and it has a rich aboriginal and colonial history.
The area is well suited to agriculture, particularly sheep grazing, which has historically been a significant aspect of the local economy.
The settlement was established Governor Macquarie visited Tasmania in 1811 and named the area Argyle Plains and the river Macquarie.
In 1812 a garrison of soldiers was stationed at the ford of the Macquarie River to protect the development of a future town that lay strategic position along the main route between Hobart and Launceston, serving as a rest stop for travelers and as a supply point for nearby agricultural land. Buildings were soon established and in 1821 the settlement was proclaimed the town of Ross by Governor Macquarie.
Ross lay on the vital overland trade route connecting Launceston and Hobart via the Midlands Highway—originally a convict-built path opened in the 1820s—which transported wool clip and livestock southward for export.
As Ross developed it became important not only as a garrison town but also as a coach horse change and livestock market.
In 1826 it became the venue for the first agricultural show in the midlands.
The Midland Agricultural Association was formed in 1838 and is still active.
The good flat country was ideal for farming and the river provided a reliable water supply. In those early years of the colony, the government established a large farm in the district of over 20,000 acres for agriculture and breeding of draft oxen. It was broken up in 1830 and sold off to private landholders.
During the 1830s, land grants were issued under Governor George Arthur to support the expansion of sheep farming and
general agriculture in Tasmania's Midlands region.
allocating large tracts of fertile land along the river banks to free settlers, emancipates and military officers, resulting in the clearance of native grasslands for pastoral use facilitating the establishment of sheep stations.
Long before colonisation this country had a name: Makala.
It is the Aboriginal place name for the land at and around Ross.
Makala is the country of at least three original tribes; the Tayarinutipana, the Rrulinamirimina, and the Mawimirina — who lived on and cared for this land for tens of thousands of years.
The Macquarie River/tinamarakunah rises in the Tiers to the east of Ross flowing north-west through the town before reaching its confluence with the South Esk River near Longford.
A self-guided or organized walking historical walking tour through Ross allows visitors to appreciate the numerous well-preserved largely convict built Georgian and Victorian sandstone (locally quarried) buildings, including churches notably the the gothic style Uniting Church 1885, gothic style 1885, Coaching Inns, cottages, the Ross Hotel c. 1835 (under refurbishment), public buildings (post office, courthouse, schoolhouse 1877, Town Hall 1891, Watch house).
The four buildings at the corners of the historic crossroads at Church and Bridge Streets are said to represent ‘Temptation’ (the Ross Hotel c. 1835), ‘Salvation’ (the Roman Catholic Church c. 1920), ‘Damnation’ (the old Town Gaol, now a private residence), and ‘Recreation’ (the Town Hall)
inviting reflection on the societal roles these institutions played.
Informational plaques often accompany these sites, detailing their stories and significance and more information about them can be found at the Tasmanian Wool Centre Museum.
In addition to the architecture of the town there are many fine colonial homes in the surrounding region : Chiswick, Mona Vale, Lewisham, Beaufront, Somercotes, Auburn, and Ellenthorpe.
The wonderful Tasmanian Wool Centre, situated at the top end of Church St, not only contains a fabulous museum that provides insight into the early days of the colony, wool growing and local history, it also features a shop selling local wool products and crafts and functions as an information centre.
The Wool Centre is the home of the Ross naming Bicentennial Quilt featuring 150 patches from 150 members community each telling a unique story of Ross.
The Macquarie River (Indigenous palawa kani: tinamarakunah) rises in the Tiers to the east of Ross flowing north-west through the village before reaching its confluence with the South Esk River near Longford.
Convict labor played a significant role in the construction of town infrastructure, including the notable Ross Bridge, which exhibits intricate carvings by convict stonemasons James Colebeck and Daniel Herbert were assigned as overseers granted unconditional pardons for their efforts.
The Ross Bridge was completed in 1836 and is the third oldest and one of the finest decorated sandstone bridges in Australia.
There are 186 Celtic inspired carvngs across the six arches of the bridge depicting many symbols, flora, fauna and faces of notable people of the time.
The sandstone was quarried locally and was ground and cut by convict chain gangs.
The Old Ross Burial Ground historically significant site contains gravestones adorned with various symbols and motifs, each with rich meanings that reflect 19th-century Christian Iconography and Victorian funerary practices.(interpretation at the Wool Centre).
Tacky Bridge at the northern entrance to Ross was completed in the latter half of 1836 features two stone arches rising up from the grassy banks of the Tacky Stream.
Also at the northern entrance is the living sculpture Hearth.Here you can stop and follow the sculpture’s paths leading up the hill to the two ancestral trees. Using your device, you can listen to a soundscape as you explore the site.
Ross has a long military history from its establishment as a garrison of soldiers in 1821, initially a military camp of tents housing soldiers guarding convicts (and several streets are named after battles of the Napoleonic wars) to playing a part in national defence during a time of global conflict.
A training camp for the Australian Light Horse Calvary was established at Mona Vale in 1908 by the Cameron family.
After WW1 an artillery range was established which became the centre for reserve troops defending Tasmania.
Just outside Ross, on Tooms Lake Road, is a largely hidden reminder of Tasmania’s role in World War II. The Ross Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot, commissioned in 1942-44, formed part of a national fuel system designed to support Australia’s air defence during the war. The only one in Tasmania, the depot supplied fuel through a coordinated system that relied on rail transport, road tankers and cooperation between the Royal Australian Air Force and the United States Army Air Corps.
The remains of the site are not open to the public but can be viewed from Tooms Lake roadside where there is space to park on the grass verge.
The Ross Female Factory site was built in 1833 and originally housed the convict chain gangs employed on the Ross Bridge.
Between 1847 and 1854, the site operated as a worksite and support facilities for female convicts and their babies.
The site included a chapel, dining rooms, a hospital, a nursery, solitary cells, dormitories, and an outer courtyard.
Although there are few visible remains above ground today, the site is recognised as the most archaeologically intact female convict site in Australia.
Ross has become known as a destination for culinary enthusiasts of vanilla slice and scallop pies.
There are two great bakeries in town.
The Old Ross Bakery 1932, with its association to the Japanese animate Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki’s Delivery Service belief among fans that the bakery's interior, particularly the counter area, served as an inspiration for the Bakery setting in the film.
The Old Ross Bakery 1832 has been continuously operating for over 180 years, making it one of the oldest bakeries in Tasmania.
The bakery has maintained its traditional methods of baking The Old Ross Bakery 1832, with the original wood fired oven 1860 fired up every morning very early. You are welcome to go behind the counter and see the oven if it is not too busy!
The oven and original wooden countertop (present location unknown) have been associated with the famous anime Japanese Director Hayao Miyazaki's 1989 film Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Many fans of Miyazaki's work visit Ross Bakery to take photos in front of the counter.
Australian Extreme Condiments in Church Street is Tasmania’s first dedicated chilli shop featuring international and national award winning products prepared from locally sourced ingredients.
Also in Ross you can find Bellian’s Kitchen is an evening food truck with a rotating menu.
The Ross Post Office also doubles as a handy little gift shop, with souvenirs, cards and small gifts.
Bric a brac
While driving around Ross you may cross the railway line a few times. Historically a mail cart plied between Hobart and Launceston from 1832.
Upon er****on of the overland telegraph line in 1857; and the main line railway was completed in 1876. This sounded the death knell of the coaches which had plied the Midlands since 1834.
The Main Line Railway between Hobart and Launceston was built by the Tasmanian Main Line Railway Company (TMLR) and was officially opened on the 1st of November 1876 and operated for 125 years.
The Mercury 1884 reported: “The traffic (through Ross) is wool, wattle bark, stock, skins, and stone outwards; stores and merchandise inwards.”
In the Midlands, North of Antill Ponds, the line roughly parallels the highway as they both follow the agriculturally rich valleys formed by the Macquarie and South Esk rivers.
The Main Line afforded ordinary people the ability to travel for holidays or pleasure. Trips were a real occasion to dress up – many wore formal hats and suits and dined in the buffet car or in the refreshment rooms in Parattah – apparently famous for ‘cool tea and warm beer’.
In 1953, the introduction of articulated rail cars reduced travelling time from Hobart to Launceston to four and a half hours. Following this, locomotive-hauled carriages were built at Launceston, offering very comfortable, leisurely travel between Wynyard, Launceston, and Hobart until the 1970s, when (with more cars on the road) railway patronage started to decline. Unfortunately, there was insufficient revenue being generated to warrant upgrading the passenger trains. As a result, the last passenger train from Wynyard to Hobart ran on 18 July 1978.
Ross is pursuing International Community Dark Sky Accreditation supported by Northern Midlands Council (reducing street lighting) aiming to become Tasmania’s first, and Australia’s third, accredited Southern Sky Dark Sky Community enhancing stargazing opportunities and protecting the nocturnal environment.
at 41 or 42 degrees south latitude
