Conara lies just off the Midlands Highway and brings together historic travel routes, places of cultural and historical interest, and the landscape of the Vaucluse Estate. One distinction is important when planning your visit: tours of the grounds of Vaucluse Estate Tasmania at 643 Glen Esk Road, Conara, Tasmania 7211, are by appointment. Confirm an appointment with the operator in advance, as requirements may change.
Coach and Railway History in Conara
Conara was originally known as The Corners. Smithvale is an important place from the coaching era: James and Catherine Smith built the historic building around 1839–1840 as an inn, providing overnight accommodation for travellers on the coach routes. Smithvale also served as a staging post between Launceston and Hobart. There are said to have once been stables behind the building, where horses were changed. Smithvale therefore reflects both the provision of accommodation and its role in travel at the time.
The railway is also part of the town’s transport history. Historically, Conara had a railway station where passengers could change from the Main Line between Hobart and Launceston to the East Coast via the Fingal Line. The coaching station and the railway station represent different ways of travelling: Smithvale was a staging post between the two cities, while the railway station provided a connection to the East Coast via the Fingal Line. This history explains why Conara is associated with several historic travel routes, without combining them into a single route.
Vaucluse: Farm History, Architecture and Landscape
As a pioneer farm from the early 19th century in what was then Van Diemen’s Land, Vaucluse has cultural and historical significance. The property was continuously used for almost two centuries as a major grazing operation. This agricultural focus adds another perspective on Conara’s past to the history of coach travel.
The main residence also contributes to the significance of the property: it represents both the Old Colonial Georgian style and the Victorian Italianate style. These two architectural classifications draw attention to the house, while the landscape offers another aspect of the property. The relationship between Vaucluse and its surroundings includes lush plantings, expansive views and rolling hills. The building and landscape can thus be seen as distinct but interconnected elements of its cultural and historical significance.
Places and Views on the Midlands Highway
Another notable building near Conara is known as “The Disappearing House”. When driving along the Midlands Highway, it is visible at first, then disappears behind a hill. This effect also makes the highway a reference point for how this distinctive feature is experienced: the building is remembered not only for its name, but also for the way it comes in and out of view.
Christ Church at 136 Conara Road is a church and cemetery complex in Conara. Along with Smithvale and Vaucluse, it adds further historic buildings and grounds to the picture of the town. Each place tells a different story: Smithvale reflects earlier travel, Vaucluse the history of a pioneer farm and its landscape, and Christ Church another part of the town’s historic character as a church and cemetery complex.
If you would like to explore Conara, you can consider these points of interest separately rather than combining them into a fixed route. An appointment is required for Vaucluse; the historical information about Smithvale and the railway station refers to their former functions. You can shape your visit around the subjects that interest you most: architecture and landscape, coach travel or the history of the railway connection.
Discover more destinations: Rosny Park, Eaglehawk Neck, Sheffield, Alonnah, Somerset, Lake St Clair, Primrose Sands, Cradle Mountain.
For the broader travel overview: Tasmania.
