Australian Maritime College Newnham campus facts for kids

The Newnham campus of the Australian Maritime College is a special university campus in Newnham, Australia. It's listed as a heritage site because of its long history. This place used to be a large farm estate called Newnham Estate. It was added to the Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004, meaning it's important to Australia's history.

A Look Back in Time

The land where the Newnham Estate stands was first owned by Europeans in 1822. Martin Mowbray Stephenson received a large piece of land, about 500 acres, right by the Tamar River. By 1825, he had already built a house, sheds, and a barn overlooking a part of the river called Stephenson's Bend.

The Newnham Estate really started to develop when Lieutenant Matthew Curling Friend of the Royal Navy took over. He arrived in Hobart in 1830 and later in 1832.

Friend built his home, which he named 'Newnham', in the early 1830s. Old maps from 1833 show buildings on his property. By 1835, an advertisement for leasing the estate described a big house with many smaller buildings around a courtyard. There were also two cottages, which were later taken down in 1979.

Friend's house was built in a style called Colonial Georgian. It likely had four main rooms on each floor and a verandah (a covered porch) facing the river. He only owned the property for a few years before selling it.

The Cameron Family's Era

John Cameron bought Newnham Hall from Matthew Curling Friend in 1836. He lived there for about twenty years. He paid a large sum of money for the property, which included 70 acres of land.

The sale in 1837 also included a special "right of way" from the main road to the Tamar River and a jetty (a small pier). More land deals happened between Friend and Cameron until the late 1840s. By the early 1850s, John Cameron began selling his land to William Gardner.

The Gardner Family and Grand Additions

William Atkinson Gardner bought the main 70-acre property in 1853. He was an important person in Launceston, serving on the Tasmanian Legislative Council. Sadly, he passed away in 1855 at just 40 years old.

After Gardner's death, an advertisement described Newnham as a beautiful residence with 18 rooms. It had many outbuildings like kitchens, cellars, stables, and even chicken and pigeon houses. There were also large gardens, an orchard, and plenty of parkland for farming. A wide verandah wrapped around two sides of the house.

It's thought that John Cameron, who owned the property before Gardner, added a large, fancy extension to the house. This included a grand front section and detailed decorations. By 1855, Newnham Estate was one of the grandest estates in northern Tasmania.

The house had beautiful Classical Revival style decorations inside, especially in the main rooms. A museum curator in 1939 described these interiors as "an historical treasure for Tasmania" because of their ornate designs and colourful patterns.

The Grubb Family and Later Changes

After William Gardner's death, John Cameron briefly regained control. But in 1857, William Dawson Grubb became the new owner. The Grubb family owned Newnham Estate for a very long time, becoming its most famous owners.

William Dawson Grubb was a lawyer and businessman who bought the estate in 1857. His youngest son, William Crooks Grubb, inherited the property. After William Crooks Grubb died in 1918, his son-in-law, Samuel Tulloch Scott, bought it. Scott didn't live there, so Newnham Hall was rented out until the State Government bought it in 1940.

In 1922, a stud farm for Jersey cows and Suffolk sheep was started at Newnham. Some parts of the original property were sold off as the city of Launceston grew closer. The stud farm stopped operating in the early 1930s.

People were worried about the future of the property. In 1939, Eric Scott from the Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery suggested the government buy it to protect its history. He stressed how important it was to save Newnham Hall and its amazing decorations.

However, between 1940 and the late 1970s, many of the original decorations inside Newnham Hall were removed or covered up.

From Hostel to College

In 1946, Newnham Hall became the Newnham Hall Hostel. It provided a home for girls from rural areas who were attending Launceston High School. In 1948, the experimental Newnham Community School was started there. At this time, the property was about 178 acres, with the Hall and a few smaller buildings.

By 1945, the Hall had been changed a lot to work as a hostel. New sections were added to the back, and part of the old verandah was removed.

In the early 1960s, Newnham Hall was surrounded by new buildings. The Tasmanian College of Advanced Education took over the northern part of the property. In 1962, the Newnham Hostel became part of the G. V. Brooks High School. More school buildings, like science labs and a gym, were built nearby in the 1960s and 1970s.

In 1977, there was a plan to use the Newnham Hall property for a new campus of the Australian Maritime College (AMC). This was part of a government plan to move scientific and ocean research to Tasmania. In 1978, the Newnham property, now 13.25 hectares, was given to the Federal Government for the AMC.

Since 1979, the old stables and house have been updated for the college's use. More college buildings were built around the Hall, and the old high school labs were changed. The buildings continued to be modified in the 1980s and 1990s.

Today, the Australian Maritime College has two campuses. The main campus, Newnham, is where the college administration and the Faculty of Maritime Transport and Engineering are located. Its second campus, for the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Environment, is at Beauty Point, about 50km north of Launceston.

What You Can See Today

In the past, the Newnham Hall property was like a big, planned landscape. People shaped the land with hedges, fields, driveways, and gardens. They also built special buildings. Some of these old features still exist today. You can still see the open areas in front of Newnham Hall that lead to the Tamar River, and the main entrance driveway.

Important views include looking at Newnham Hall from the Tamar River or from the opposite shore. You can also see the Hall, the Riverside Cottage, and old trees from the East Tamar Highway. From Newnham Hall, you can see the Tamar River. The main entrance gates and driveway are also important to see.

Historic Areas

Entrance Driveway

The main driveway probably dates back to the 1850s. It curves from the entrance gates, between modern college buildings, down to the front of Newnham Hall. The drive is lined with hedges, shrubs, and trees. The wrought iron entrance gates are very old, possibly from the 1840s.

Home Paddock

This open field was once part of the original land grant. Old paintings show it as a cultivated field with a few trees. It was later used for farming and possibly for sheep grazing by the Newnham Community School.

Riverside Garden

An old painting from around 1840 shows a lawn in front of the house with young hedges and scattered trees. The garden's edges are similar to today's. Over time, the garden became more intensely planted. Today, mostly the larger trees remain, but there might be old pathways and garden beds hidden underground.

Orchard

You can still see parts of the old orchard with apple and pear trees. There are also other old fruit and exotic trees. A house built in 1990 is in this area, but it's hidden well.

Former Vegetable Garden

This area was likely a kitchen garden from early on, getting good sunlight and shelter from the Hall. It was known for growing vegetables when it was the Community School. Today, there's no visible garden, but a Hawthorn hedge from that time is still there.

Riverside Cottage Avenue

This old road used to lead down to the river and possibly to a jetty. The trees along this road are very old, probably from the 1840s or 1850s. Some of the old Hawthorn hedges are still in good condition.

Sports Field and Paddock

These open areas were once part of the rural landscape of Newnham Hall. They help us imagine what the property looked like when it was a large farm. Today, one area is a sports field, and the other is an open paddock. You can still see old hedges and trees that marked the original field boundaries.

Newnham Hall and Outbuildings

Newnham Hall itself has changed a lot over time.

• First Period (around 1835): The original two-story Georgian house was built by Captain Friend. It had a verandah facing the river and separate kitchen buildings at the back.
• Second Period (1840s-1850s): A grand two-story wing was added to the riverfront, with fancy interior decorations. The Stableyard was also built around this time.
• Third Period (1946): The Hall became the Newnham Hostel for Girls. Many changes were made, including taking down the old kitchen and adding wooden extensions.
• Fourth Period (1979 onwards): The Australian Maritime College took over. Extensive work was done to restore and adapt the buildings for college use.

Newnham Hall is a two-story brick house with a sloped roof and a fancy front section. It has a verandah on two sides. The building is generally in good shape, with modern features like air conditioning.

The Stableyard

The Stableyard was built around the 1840s-1850s. In 1855, it was described as having a 12-stall stable, coach houses, and servant's rooms. The main stable building has the date 1847 carved into a stone. The stable buildings are made of brick and form a U-shape around a courtyard.

Around 1980, the Stableyard was updated for the AMC, with new openings and windows. Covered walkways were added later to connect it to other college buildings.

You can also see the Ponrabbel engine here. It's one of two steam engines from a dredge (a boat that clears rivers) that worked on the Tamar River for about 40 years.

Riverside (Gardener's) Cottage

This cottage probably dates from the 1840s or 1850s. It was likely built to look pretty and fit in with the grand estate. It appears on old maps and photos. The cottage has a picket fence and gardens. It used to have great views of the river. The cottage is in good condition, with modern services.

Farm Shed Archaeological Site

This area once had a woolshed (for shearing sheep) and a milking shed. The milking shed was built in 1922 for a new company that specialized in Jersey cows. Today, only the milking shed remains, but it's been changed and is now used as the Groundsman's Shed. The area where the woolshed was is now a carpark. This site might still hold clues about old farming methods and buildings.

What's No Longer Here

The Newnham Hall Park

Like many old estates, Newnham Hall had a park where animals could graze under trees. This park helped make the estate look like a beautiful English countryside. The Riverside Cottage might have been a lodge for people arriving by boat on the Tamar River. This park probably existed from the 1840s-1850s. Today, there are no parts of the park left, but some of the old driveway trees still line the main entrance.

The Early Cottage or Lodge

This cottage was likely one of the first buildings on the estate, possibly where Captain Friend lived before the main Hall was finished. It was taken down around 1979 to make way for new buildings.

The Newnham Hall Jetty

An old map from 1833 shows a jetty (a small pier) at Newnham Hall. It was important because the river was the main way Captain Friend traveled between Newnham and other towns.

Why It's a Heritage Site

The Newnham Estate, now the Australian Maritime College, is important because it shows how European settlement in Tasmania changed over time.

• It shows how a large farm estate grew from the 1830s, became very successful in the 1840s and 50s, and then modernized in the 1920s.
• The site has been used continuously for over 100 years. It was a farm, then a government hostel, then a school, and now the Australian Maritime College.
• Newnham Hall, the Stableyards, the Riverside Cottage, and the old gardens and driveways are all important historical parts of this cultural landscape.
• The AMC is significant because it shows how an old farm estate was reused for government and educational purposes. The property got smaller over time as the city of Launceston grew, showing how urban areas expanded.
• The AMC, Newnham Campus, is the main campus of a national college that trains people for Australia's maritime industries. Its creation was part of a government plan to move ocean research to Tasmania.
• Newnham Hall, the Stableyard, and the Riverside Cottage are great examples of a mid-Victorian farm estate in northern Tasmania. The Hall's original Georgian style is rare, and its fancy interior decorations were very special.
• The Stableyard is a good example of a compact set of farm buildings right next to the main house. It's special because of its symmetrical design.
• The Riverside Cottage is a good example of a "pattern book" building from the 1850s, designed to look pretty and add to the romantic feel of the estate.
• The way the estate was changed for educational uses from 1945 onwards is important. It also shows how people learned to preserve historical buildings in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
• The old gardens, orchard, vegetable garden, and farm buildings can tell us a lot about farming practices and daily life in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The site of the old jetty also has archaeological potential.
• The location of Newnham Hall and the Riverside Cottage, with their views of the Tamar River, are very beautiful and important. The design of the Hall was meant to be seen from the river.
• The complex of farm buildings and residences shows how big the farming activities were and the dreams of the owners.
• The Launceston community has always valued Newnham Hall. People have shown interest in its preservation since the 1930s and during its major conservation programs in the 1970s and 80s.
• As an educational institution, the estate is linked to the Newnham Hostel, the Newnham Community School, Brooks High School, the Tasmanian College of Advanced Education, and the Australian Maritime College.
• The Newnham Estate is connected to several important historical figures, including Lieutenant Matthew Curling Friend, who started the first major buildings; John Cameron, who likely built the grand riverfront addition; and William Grubb, an important Tasmanian businessman and politician.
• The estate was also important for promoting Jersey cattle and Suffolk sheep in Tasmania through the Newnham Stud Company in 1922.

See Also

• Joan Finlay (1987) 'The History of Newnham Hall'
• Howroyd and Forward Architects (1977) 'Conservation Study of the Newnham Hall Estate'.
• Peter Freeman Pty Ltd in association with Mary Knaggs 'Australian Maritime College Campus, Launceston: Conservation Management Plan, 2002.'
• Australian Maritime College 2002 ' Newnham Campus Masterplan' incorporating a Conservation Management Plan.
• Michael J. Saclier, 'William Dawson Grubb' and 'Frederick William Grubb' in
• Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 4, p.305
• Phillip K.Cowie, 'Friend, Matthew Curling (1792-1871)' in Australian
• Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1