The jetty at Franklin just south of Egg Island

Franklin
Small town on the Huon River
Located 47 km southwest of Hobart on the Huon Highway, Franklin is a small town which meanders along the highway. It lies between the Huon River and the hills of the Huon Valley which rise behind the town covered in apple trees.

The Franklin district was first settled by Europeans around 1820 when an early 'bolter' and escaped convict named Martin built a reed and slab hut with stone fireplace near Prices Creek and successfully cultivated a small plot of potatoes.

A few year later John Price (after whom Prices Creek is named) built a rough hut near where Martin had settled. Price's stay in the area was short-lived. He was recalled to Hobart.

Franklin only became an important settlement after Lady Jane Franklin bought and distributed land to poor but honest settlers in 1839. Such was Lady Franklin's energy and commitment to the project that she interviewed every applicant before handing over the 100 acre allotments.

By any measure Lady Jane Franklin was a remarkable woman in an age when the wives of Governors (her husband was Sir John Franklin, Governor of Van Diemen's Land - 1836-43) were not expected to play an active role in the running of the colony.

The Australian Dictionary of Biography notes that she was 'A woman of idealism and great mental activity, she was determined to assist in the creation of an 'infant nation' (her friend Dr Arnold's phrase) rather than to play the traditionally passive role of governor's lady in a convict colony. In this aim she succeeded. Through her efforts Tasmania became the intellectual centre of the Australian colonies during Franklin's term of office.'

The settlement was not an immediate success but Lady Franklin was determined it would succeed. In the early years the settlers were caught in a dilemma - they were so poor they could not buy food. They had to grow their own and supplement it with fish from the river and eels which they caught on the mudflats. At the same time they had to cut, split and saw timber to earn money for necessities they could not produce themselves. These survival activities left little time to develop their holdings. An added difficulty was the swampy foreshore which was covered with dense tea tree scrub.

The main township, first called 'The Settlement' and then renamed Franklin in honour of Lady Franklin, grew up around Fleurty's Rivulet and up as far as Prices Creek. Hemmed in by river, the mudflats and the steep hillsides it became the biggest township on the Huon River with a large number stores, some fruit processing factories, and a grain mill which was established by John Clark just north of the township.

Lord and Lady Franklin used to stay at Clark's Mill at Woodside on their visits to the Huon. To commemorate these visits a cypress tree was planted many years later next to the jetty where the Franklins used to tie up in their boat, the Huon Pine, which had been built of huon pine at Port Davey.

In the 1840s and 1850s, after the Franklins had left Van Diemen's Land, many of the early settlers moved away from Franklin and settled along the river. The Geeves family moved to Lightwood Bottom in 1850 and founded Geeveston, the Judd brothers founded Juddbury and the Sherwins moved just south of Juddbury to Forest Home.

Things to see:  

Ye Olde Franklin Tavern (est. 1853)

Ye Olde Franklin Tavern
Today the only real interest in the Franklin is Ye Olde Franklin Tavern, a pleasant historic pub beside the road which proudly announces that it was established in 1853 and the jetty beside the river which was once used as a major point for shipping timber and fruit from the area. In the river at Franklin is the long narrow strip of land known as Egg Island.

	Hotels
	Lady Franklin Hotel Main Rd Franklin TAS 7113 Telephone: (03) 6266 3202
	Ye Olde Franklin Tavern Main Rd Franklin TAS 7113 Telephone: (03) 6266 3205
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Franklin Lodge Bed & Breakfast Main Rd Franklin TAS 7113 Telephone: (03) 6266 3506 Rating: ****
	Cottages & Cabins
	Kay Creek Cottage 17 Kay St Franklin TAS 7113 Telephone: (03) 6626 3524
	Camellia Cottage 119 Crowthers Rd Castle Forbes Bay Franklin TAS 7116 Telephone: (03) 6297 1528 or 018 128 606 Facsimile: (03) 6297 1528 Email: MAPLEHILL@VISION.NET.AU Rating: ****
	Restaurants
	Franklin Grill Main Rd Franklin TAS 7113 Telephone: (03) 6266 3645
	Franklin Tea Gardens Main Rd Franklin TAS 7113 Telephone: (03) 6266 3533
	Franklin Woodfired Pizza Main Rd Franklin TAS 7113 Telephone: (03) 6266 3522