Pontville, Tasmania

Pontville is a small rural community 28 kilometres (17 mi) north of Hobart, in the south-east of Tasmania, Australia. At the 2006 census, Pontville had a population of 2,166.[1]

Pontville
Tasmania
Pontville
Coordinates42°41′4″S 147°15′59″E
Population2,166 (2006 census)[1]
Postcode(s)7030
Location
LGA(s)Brighton Council
State electorate(s)Lyons
Federal Division(s)Lyons

History

Pontville was sited by Governor Lachlan Macquarie, in 1821, and was an early garrison town, where convicts built the bridge over the Jordan River. During World Wars I and II the area had a major army camp.

There is an old sandstone bridge in Pontville that lies on the Jordan River. The bridge is part of the Midland Highway.

A railway line connected the town with Hobart from 1891 until 1947. Additional excursion trains operated from Hobart, bringing riflemen to the nearby range.[2]

Brighton Post Office opened on 1 June 1832, was renamed Pontville in 1895, and closed in 1973.[3]

Immigration detention centre

The Federal Government announced in April 2011 that it would spend $15 million on converting the army rifle range to an asylum-seeker detention centre, housing 400 people, mainly single adult men. Although the 'Pontville Immigration Detention Centre' was also used to house under-age males.[4] In February 2012 it was announced by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship that the centre would be closed,[5] which it did in September 2013.[6]

gollark: They don't use mind control *beams* though, they use mind control *bees*, which aren't blocked by metal.
gollark: Yes you do. They just use mind control to make you *think* you don't.
gollark: They're only visible if you wear Google Glass, which is why the government banned that.
gollark: To fake gravity, obviously, and disappear people they don't like.
gollark: That's not gravity. It's the government's tractor beams faking gravity by pulling you down.

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Pontville (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  2. A Short History of the Apsley Branch Line Stokes, H.J.W. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, July, 1971 pp. 152-160
  3. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  4. Cooper, Mex (5 April 2011). "Tasmanian solution for asylum seekers". The Age. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  5. http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/pontville-experience-showcases-our-better-natures-20120220-1tirp.html
  6. Ireland, Judith (14 January 2014). "Scott Morrison announces closure of four immigration detention centres". Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. Retrieved 30 July 2015.



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