DISCOVERY
Nathaniel Lipscombe Kentish was appointed government surveyor in Van Diemans Land in 1841. In 1842 he, with a gang of approximately 20 parole men, was instructed to survey a road from Deloraine westward to the North West Coast through lands used by the VDL (Van Diemans Land Company).

On August 1st 1842, after looking for their strayed milking cow, one of the workmen reported finding her grazing on a beautiful plain, surrounded by bountiful forest, so dense that the area of Barrington was settled for 9 years before continued tree felling revealed Mt. Roland - previously unknown to the pioneers.

From the 1880s onwards, mining was undertaken in the district and was particularly successful in the Wilmot area where gold and silver-lead were discovered. The early prospectors, using trails already established by long aboriginal use, helped open up the hinterland not only of Kentish but all the way across the north west of Tasmania.

NOMENCLATURE
Surveyor Kentish first named the plains, August Plains, to commemorate the date they were discovered. The name was later changed to the Kentish Plains after the surveyor himself. Then later again to Kentishbury, and still later it was shortened to Kentish.

Our unusual place names were given by the pioneer settlers of mostly Scottish origin as they opened up the land. Since many of them had been forced off their lands by English Lords or religious persecution, it is no wonder that they viewed this place as a gift of providence. Their descendants still live in the area today.

Paradise got its name when a farmer who was land prospecting, came through dense undergrowth cover and emerged to be confronted with a magnificent view of Mt. Roland. He sat down at the base of a large gum tree exclaiming This is truly paradise. However, so dense was the undergrowth that the area was not able to be opened up until two bushfires had swept through it.      

Gentle Annie got its name it is said because bullockies always used the term for very long drawn out hills that meant an exhausting haul for their teams.

The Nook was so named because of its geographical shape. It is tucked in beside the Badgers Range on the east and shielded from the westerly weather on the west and so is like a cosy nook.

The Garden of Eden was named after Paradise was discovered.

Promised Land was yet another example of how our early settlers viewed our area.

No Where Else came into being because originally the road from Barrington ended in a farmers back yard and so there was literally no where else to go!

Moina is an aboriginal word which means Water Rat.

Ta Neem Er Ra meaning open grassy plain, is the aboriginal word for Mt. Roland. Probably so called because the top of the mountain is a plateau which would have been fire farmed by our original population.

Overview:

The Kentish Municipality lies to the south of the coastal plains occupied by Devonport and Latrobe. It is bound to the east by the Mersey river and to the west by the Wilmot River and covers the area from South Spreyton to Cradle Mountain. The three main towns are Sheffield, Railton, and Wilmot. Cradle Valley is also a population Centre, exclusively for servicing the hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Cradle Mountain World Heritage Area. 

The Kentish Plains were first used only as grazing lands for landowners to the east and north of the area. The first building was not erected until 1858.  From earliest days, prospectors opened up the hinterland and many minerals were discovered including some gold.  These deposits were not substantial and so mines were often worked for a short time only.  Workers in the tin, tungsten, bismuth and silver-lead mines helped open up the high country.

Bushmen quickly followed to harvest the wealth of timber the higher country afforded and sawmills sprang up everywhere to service this industry.  Gradually grazing lands were taken up and used for farming.  From early settlement mixed farming has been the mainstay for the decentralized rural population, at self sufficiency level only for many people. Dairying, and potatoes, with small numbers of pigs & sheep were what sustained our pioneers, heavily supplemented with snaring for furs.  Both native species and rabbit furs found their way onto world markets from all parts of the municipality. During the 1960’s many smaller holdings were amalgamated and vegetable crops began to replace many dairy herds. Beef and sheep numbers grew more prolific and in the 1980’s more specialization occurred.

1963 saw the Mersey-Forth Hydro Development begin in the Kentish hinterland.  This project was by far the biggest and most complex undertaken by the Hydro Electric Company of Tasmania.  It comprises seven large dams with power stations, as well as three major tunnels.  Four rivers, the Fisher, Mersey, Wilmot and Forth, were harnessed in this development which was completed in 1973 at a cost of 104 million dollars. A village built at Gowrie for the workers and named Gowrie Park was home for over 2000 people.  It boasted a school, post office, bank, supermarket and medical centre.  After completion of the project the town almost disappeared but several houses were bought and kept for private use. In the original town area there is now a restaurant, murals, cabin, backpacker accommodation and powered camping sites. The work site is still the maintenance depot for Hydro Tasmania.