Things to Do in Richmond, Tasmania

Richmond was the last stop of our Tasmania trip. We’d spent most of the day at Port Arthur, and with a flight out of Hobart the next morning, we called in on the drive back. It was January, and we had about an hour and a half.

That turned out to be the main lesson. Richmond is small, really one main street, a convict-built bridge and a church on the rise above it. But it’s such a beautiful little town that we left wishing we’d given it more time.

Here’s what we saw, where to get the best photos, and what we’d do with a longer visit.

Richmond Bridge

Richmond Bridge is the reason most people stop. Convicts built it from sandstone hauled from nearby Butchers Hill, and the foundations were laid in December 1823. Today it’s Australia’s oldest bridge still in use. It was originally named Bigge’s Bridge, and it’s the only bridge on both the Tasmanian and National Heritage lists.

The bridge also comes with a ghost story. Local legend says it’s haunted by George Grover, a convict who was made a flagellator and is said to have whipped the convicts hauling stone for the bridge. People claim to have seen him on the bridge, sometimes with the ghost of his dog beside him.

Richmond Bridge and the Coal River, with the AD 1823 stone above the arches

St John’s spire from Richmond Bridge, behind the bridge’s 1823 plaque

Lisa’s Tip

For the best photos of the bridge, walk down to the park below it. Then stand on the bridge and look up the hill: it’s the spot for a great photo of St John’s Church.

St John’s Catholic Church

St John’s sits on a rise a short walk up from the bridge. It was built between 1835 and 1837 and is described as Australia’s oldest continually used Catholic church.

When we visited, lavender was blooming in the garden, and the view of the church from the front, with the garden, makes a great photo. The one disappointment was the paving used for the car park out the front, which takes away from the look of the building.

The church was closed when we were there, so we didn’t get to see inside. If you’re stopping for the bridge, though, it’s well worth the short walk up.

St John’s Catholic Church above the lavender in the garden

St John’s from the front, and the spire above the lavender

Good to Know

If you’d like to see inside St John’s, check Mass and opening times with the parish before you go. It was closed when we visited.

A wander down the main street

Richmond has more than 50 Georgian buildings, and many along the main street now house shops, galleries and cafes. With so little time, we didn’t go into any of them. We just wandered the length of the street window shopping, which is an easy way to take in the town even on a short stop.

If we went back

We didn’t have time for these, so this part is from research rather than our own visit. They’re what we’d add next time.

Richmond Gaol

Richmond Gaol is described as the oldest intact jail in Australia. Check opening hours and entry prices before you go.

Old Hobart Town

A model village recreating Hobart as it looked in the 1820s.

Coal River Valley wineries

The Coal River runs past a string of vineyards and cellar doors downstream from Richmond. We skipped them because we’d already spent time in the Tamar Valley wineries in northern Tasmania, and we wanted the extra hours at Port Arthur.

Good to Know

Richmond is a 25-minute drive (27 km) north-east of Hobart, so it works as a half-day from the city or as a stop on the way to or from Port Arthur. If you’re coming back from Port Arthur like we were, start early enough to give Richmond a good part of the day. Discover Tasmania’s Richmond guide has the current details for the gaol, Old Hobart Town and the cellar doors.

Richmond doesn’t need a lot of planning, but it does need more than the hour and a half we gave it. Next time, we’ll make it most of a day on the drive back from Port Arthur.

Until next time… keep wandering.

Love this guide? Save it for later

Pin it to your Pinterest board so it’s there when you plan your trip.