Carlton is a locality about 15 kms south east of Sorell. It is actually the name for an area which includes Carlton River, Carlton Beach, Carlton Chapel and Carlton Cemetery. It is on the northern side of the Carlton River.
Carlton River was actually named River Brue by sea explorer Baudin in 1802. It was named after one of his officers on the expedition.
According to Peter Macfie’s research,
The name ‘Carlton’ was given by a whaler who visited the Derwent River in 1806, fishing in Frederick Henry Bay for 3 months that year. After British settlement in 1803, “The Carlton,” as it was always referred to, was settled by 1820, with early settlers being McGinnis, Joseph, Quinton and Steele.
A town was supposed to be built on land owned by Steele but this did not eventuate. In the early days of settlement in the municipality, bush rangers were often found in the area as were convicts escaping from Port Arthur.
In bad weather, the river was often impassable and would stop travellers crossing and continuing their journey south towards Port Arthur. It was not until 1865 that a contract was accepted to improve the crossing.
But of course there were accidents crossing the river before an actual bridge was built. It was not until 1882 that a passable bridge was built and opened in 1883.
The mouth of the Carlton River was often a hive of industry including growing brown trout and oyster fisheries. In 1878, salmon were also caught near Carlton River.
In October 1874, a meeting was held to form a cricket ground on the property of James and Frederick Steele with magnificent views of the river.
The obituary for William Morriss in 1888, describes the Carlton River area very fully. William arrived with his parents when aged 6 and had lived at the Carlton for 75 years.
Other posts mentioning places in the Carlton:
- Bushfires in 1856 and 1914
- The Joseph brothers
- Carlton Congregational Chapel
- Cemeteries in the district
- Surf life saving – link will be added when the scheduled post has been published on 22 April
Readers: What are your memories of living in or visiting the Carlton area of Sorell municipality?