Kingston

Tasmania, Australia

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History

Kingston, town, southeastern Tasmania, Australia. It is located on the Browns River, which flows into the estuary of the River Derwent, and it forms part of the municipality of Kingborough in the Greater Hobart area.

The area was first settled in 1804 and was known as Brown’s River. A family named Lucas, from Norfolk Island, received a land grant in 1808 and settled there. The estate of one of the sons, John Lucas, eventually became the site of the township of Kingston (1851). Kingston developed into a farming centre known especially for its apple orchards, but the industry was virtually destroyed by bushfires in 1967, from which it did not recover.

Kingston is now primarily a residential suburb of the state capital, Hobart, as well as a vacation area. Pop. (2006) Kingborough local government area, 30,840; (2011) Kingborough local government area, 33,893.