- Forth, Tasmania
Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Forth
state = tas
caption =
lga = Central Coast Council
postcode = 7310
est =
pop = 349
elevation=
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
stategov = Braddon
fedgov = Braddon
dist1 = 264
dir1 = NW
location1=Hobart
dist2 = 110
dir2 = NW
location2= Launceston
dist3 = 11
dir3 = W
location3= DevonportForth is a small village located in northwest
Tasmania on theForth River , convert|11|km|mi|0|lk=on west of Devonport and convert|110|km|mi|0|lk=on northwest of Launceston via theBass Highway . At the 2001 census, Forth had a population of 368.Census 2006 AUS
id=UCL605600
name=Forth (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)
accessdate=2008-04-29
quick=on] Previously known as Hamilton-on-Forth, the village predates the larger settlement of Devonport. [ [http://www.smh.com.au/news/Tasmania/Forth/2005/02/17/1108500205764.html Forth] , "The Sydney Morning Herald ",February 8 ,2004 .]History
James Fenton, a young man of Irish descent came to the Forth estuary in 1839 in search of arable land. Assisted by his hired male companion, he erected the first European edifice in the district, and in 1840 returned to take up permanent settlement. He was soon to be followed by
Andrew Risby , wife and young family and a handful of other settlers seeking a new life.F. C. Green, [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A040172b.htm Fenton, James (1820 - 1901)] , "Australian Dictionary of Biography ", Volume 4, Melbourne University Press, 1972, pp 162-163.]Fenton expended large sums of money attempting to drain the esturine swamplands which he hoped would produce ideal cropping fields. This venture failed and he resorted to moving further inland to the rich, although heavily timbered soils of the sloping ground to the west. Fenton is attributed to introducing the practice of ring-barking the large eucalyptus trees to allow light to penetrate the forest floor where the first domestic crops were grown. The district produced fine crops of potatoes in those early years.
References
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