Kingston, Tasmania

Infobox Australian Place
name = Kingston


caption =
coordinates = coord|42|58|37|S|147|18|30|E|display=inline,title
state = tas
type = suburb
lga = Kingborough
city = Hobart
fedgov = Franklin
postcode = 7050, 7051
near-nw =
near-n = Firthside
near-ne = Bonnet Hill
near-w =
near-e = Kingston Beach
near-sw = Huntingfield
near-s = Maranoa Heights
near-se = Blackmans Bay

Kingston is a suburb and region on the outskirts of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Nestled 15km south of the city between and around several hills, Kingston is the council seat of its wider municipality, the Kingborough Council, and today serves as the gateway between Hobart and the D'Entrecasteaux Channel region, which meets the Derwent River nearby. It one of the fastest growing regions in Tasmania. [cite web|url=http://www.rpdc.tas.gov.au/soer/indicator/55/index.php|title=Population Distribution|publisher=Resource Planning and Development Commission|date=2005-05-02|accessdate=2006-12-03]

Although the Kingston-Blackmans Bay region is statistically classed as a separate urban area to Hobart, [cite web|url=http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/735A104E4E83C6E2CA256CF40001D92A/$File/20160_2001.pdf|title=Selected Characteristics for Urban Centres, Australia|date=2001|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics] Kingston is part of the Greater Hobart area. [cite web|url=http://www.rpdc.tas.gov.au/soer/image/54/index.php|title=Tasmanian statistical boundaries|date=2005-05-02|publisher=Resource Planning and Development Commission|accessdate=2006-12-03] This is in part possibly due to the continuous urbanisation along the river front, its significant size, and the high number of Kingston residents working in the CBD of Hobart.

In 1804, the botanist Robert Brown visited the area. Browns River, that runs from Mount Wellington to Kingston Beach is named after him. The area was settled in 1808 by Thomas Lucas and his family, who were evacuated from Norfolk Island, and quickly the land became actively used by many pioneers who spread out to form the beginnings of Kingston’s localities today.cite web|url=http://www.kingborough.tas.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=134|title=Kingborough Council - Early Development|publisher=Kingborough Council|date=2006-08-22|accessdate=2006-12-03] In its early years, the area was also named after Brown, but when the population grew and a commercial district was established, Kingston was proclaimed a township in 1851.

The Kingston region comprises many suburban estates, including Blackmans Bay and Kingston Beach. While the town is almost commercially sustainable on its own, most of the population work in the city but enjoy living in a quieter environment only a short drive away.Fact|date=February 2007

Kingston has close ties with the Dutch community, where after 1950 many post-war immigrants moved to an area they called ‘Little Groningen’ (today Firthside); Kingborough is sister city of Grootegast, in the Netherlands. [cite web|url=http://www.asca.asn.au/documents/register_of_affiliations.doc|title=Australian Sister Cities Association, Registrar of Interests|publisher=Australian Sister Cities Association]

Kingston is home to six schools, a large sporting complex and a golf course, the headquarters of the Australian Antarctic Division, and two major shopping centres, Kingston Town Shopping Centre and Channel Court Shopping Centre. The newest shopping centre complex opened in 2008 its new name is , Kingston Plaza, which was built over the existing Coles supermarket site, comprising a new one and 15 other shops.

References

ee also

*Kingston High School
*Calvin Christian School

External links

* [http://www.kingstonhigh.tased.edu.au Kingston High School]
* [http://www.kingborough.tas.gov.au Kingborough Municipal Council]
* [http://www.aad.gov.au Australian Antarctic Division]