A rural centre serving orchardists and regional timber producers in the
Huon Valley, Geeveston was named for an English migrant who answered a call by Lady Franklin, wife of the first Tasmanian Governor Sir John Franklin, for a volunteer to establish a church in the district. William Geeves landed in the colony in 1842 and settled immediately in the town to which he gave his name.
Today the town is home to the Forest and Heritage Centre which features displays on forest management and products. At Castle Forbes Bay to the north, the Huon Showcase offers a wider view of local timber products.
And, fittingly for a town so dependent on the outlying timber forests, which fuel local sawmills and the APM's large pulp mill at Hospital Bay, Geeveston's 'living' showpiece is the trunk of a giant swamp gum alongside the Huon Highway.
The eucalypt was felled in the Arve Valley in 1971 and its vital stastics are listed on an attached sign - length: 15.8m; girth: 6.7m; weight: 57 tonnes; volume: 56.7cubic m.
Hartz Mountains National Park and Tahune Forest Reserve both feature bush trails which attract walkers to the area.
Find out more about the
Huon Valley and D'Entrecasteau Channel region of Tasmania.
Australia - plan it, book it
