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Once a bustling coaching stop on the highway between Hobart and Launceston, Kempton remains a charming window into Tasmania’s colonial past. Settled in the 1820s and originally known as Green Ponds, this historic town still retains much of its 19th-century streetscape, complete with a grand old inn, a picturesque church, and heritage-listed buildings lining the quiet main street.
At the southern end of town, you’ll spot Dysart House, a striking Georgian mansion built in the 1840s. Once a coaching inn, it’s now privately owned but still stands as one of Tasmania’s finest examples of early colonial architecture.
The town takes its name from Anthony Fenn Kemp, a rather colourful figure in Tasmania’s early history. His estate, Mount Vernon, sits just south of town—its entrance is still visible from the road. If you’re curious about his fascinating (and somewhat notorious) life, the book In Tasmania by British novelist Nicholas Shakespeare offers a great deep dive.
Although the highway now bypasses Kempton, it’s well worth a detour to wander its historic streets and soak up the old-world charm. Just 49 km north of Hobart, it’s a perfect little stop on a road trip through the Midlands region.
Kempton is 49 kilometres north of Hobart.
We acknowledge the Tasmanian Aboriginal people and their enduring custodianship of lutruwita / Tasmania. We honour 40,000 years of uninterrupted care, protection and belonging to these islands, before the invasion and colonisation of European settlement. As a destination that welcomes visitors to these lands, we acknowledge our responsibility to represent to our visitors, Tasmania’s deep and complex history, fully, respectfully and truthfully.
We acknowledge the Aboriginal people who continue to care for this country today. We pay our respects to their elders, past and present. We honour their stories, songs, art, and culture, and their aspirations for the future of their people and these lands. We respectfully ask that tourism be a part of that future.
Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre
16-20 Davey St, Hobart TAS 7000
(03) 6238 4222
bookings@hobarttravelcentre.com.au
hobarttravelcentre.com.au
