Longford is 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Launceston and centre for the local farming district. Prior to European settlement the area was used by the Panninher band of the northern midlands.
The town went through a number of names before settling on Longford in 1833. It sits at the confluence of the Macquarie and the South Esk rivers.
You will see many convict-built houses – the farmers were provided with free convict labour and created grand reminders of their English heritage. Christ Church is the site of the First Settlers Cemetery and an arboretum was created that aspired to represent every tree mentioned in the Bible.
Longford still has that bucolic air of a 19th century country village. Three early free-settler estates, Woolmers (1816), Panshangar (1821) and Brickendon (1824) were developed by the dynastic Archer family, who arrived in 1813 from Hertfordshire, and their descendants still farm the area today.
Also, at Woolmers, which is regarded as the most authentic remaining example of an Australian pioneer farm, you can visit the National Rose Garden with more than 4,000 roses on display.
Nearby are antique galleries, a good bakery, and art and craft shops, including one that specialises in dolls’ houses and miniatures.
