Sandfly, Tasmania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids SandflyTasmania |
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Sandfly Hall, built 1903
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 Sandfly
Location in Tasmania
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| Postcode(s) | 7105 |
| LGA(s) | Kingborough Council |
| State electorate(s) | |
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Sandfly is a small suburb in Tasmania, Australia. It's part of the Kingborough Council area. Sandfly is a historic place located near other suburbs like Longley, Margate, and Kaoota. In 2011, about 156 people lived there. It's also part of the Franklin Electorate, which is a voting area.
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What's in a Name? The Story of Sandfly
The name "Sandfly" has a bit of a mystery! This suburb is named after the Sandfly Rivulet. A rivulet is a small stream. This stream was found in 1837. Later, in 1969, it was renamed Kellaways Creek. No one really knows how the stream got its original name.
Many other places nearby also used the name Sandfly. The area from the Rivulet to Pelverata and Kaoota was called the Sandfly Basin. Even the Pelverata Falls were once known as Sandfly Falls! What we now call Sandfly Road used to be Cross Road. And the road now known as Pelverata Road was originally Sandfly Road. It can be a bit confusing!
The Sandfly Basin Area
The term "Sandfly Basin" isn't used as much today. But it used to describe a larger area. This area included places like Longley, Kaoota, and Allens Rivulet. It was roughly the area around the old Sandfly Rivulet.
As late as 1905, it was even a legal area called the Road District of Sandfly Basin. It was also used as a school district in 1882. For a short time, there was even a church area called the Parish of the Sandfly Basin.
A Look Back: Sandfly's History
People first started settling in Sandfly in the 1850s. The main way people made money was by growing small fruits. They also grew apples and pears, just like in the nearby Huon Valley.
Schools and Churches in Sandfly
The first Sandfly School was built in 1883. Sadly, it burned down in bushfires in 1897. A new school was built in 1898. This school was used until 1966. The very next year, it also burned down during the terrible Black Tuesday bushfires.
The Sandfly Methodist Church started being built in 1897. But the same bushfires in 1897 caused delays. Construction began again in 1899. The church officially opened on August 13, 1899. This church also burned down on Black Tuesday in 1967. Its last service was on February 5, 1967.
The Longley Anglican Church and Longley Catholic Church also burned down in those same fires. In 1969, a new church was built. It was a combined Methodist-Anglican Church, called St Lukes of Sandfly. It was built where the school had burned down. This church closed in 2008.
Sandfly Hall: A Quick Build
The Sandfly Hall was built in 1903. The first stone was laid by Captain Evans, a politician, on March 7. Amazingly, the entire hall was built in just three weeks! A small extra room, called an anteroom, was added in 1934. It was opened by Ben Pearsall, another politician.
Mining for Coal
Coal was found in Sandfly in 1903 by R. L. Slide. Mining then began. A company called the North West Bay Company bought this mining operation. This company later joined with the Sandfly Colliery Company. The Sandfly Colliery Company mainly owned mines in Kaoota. These mines were connected to Margate by a special railway called a tramway.
The Sandfly Coal Mining Company started working on bigger mines in 1902. The North West Bay Company and the Sandfly Coal Mining Company joined together in 1904. They rented 100 acres of land to start their operations. In November 1906, the tramway was finished. This helped them mine more coal. But the company went out of business in late 1907.
Another company, the Tasmanian Wallsend Colliery Company, bought the Sandfly Colliery Company in 1908. They started mining again. But after mining 16,000 tons, the coal ran out in 1910. The government bought the Sandfly Tramway in 1916. They then rented it to the Kingborough Council in 1917.
In 1917, a group of people reopened the mines. This happened because a strike stopped coal from coming from the mainland. But mining stopped again in 1919. Bushfires damaged the tramways in 1917 and 1920. One of the bridges was destroyed in the 1920 fire. The Council kept running the service, but it stopped at the missing bridge. The rest of the tramway past the burned bridge was sold. It was used to help build the Ida Bay Railway. The Fogarty family started small-scale mining again in 1937. This continued until 1971, when the mines closed for good.
Sandfly Recreation Ground
The Sandfly Recreation Ground was first created in 1921. A club called the Sandfly Sports and Trotting Club built a temporary racecourse there. A committee was formed in 1923 to improve the grounds. The Sandfly Recreation Ground Pavilion was built in 1925. Money for it was raised by a baby competition organized by the local schoolteacher! This building is now the Longley Cricket Club Rooms. After World War II, the Sandfly War Memorial was added to the grounds. This included expanding the pavilion and adding memorial gates.
Important Places in Sandfly
The local place where people go to vote is in Sandfly Hall. This is on Sandfly Road. The Sandfly Post Office opened on April 1, 1888. It closed in 1981.
The Longley Cricket Club, also known as the Longley Bunyips, plays its home games at Sandfly Oval. This oval is also on Sandfly Road. The old Anglican Church of St. Luke's is in Sandfly. It is still looked after by the Anglican Parish of St Clement's in Kingston. The first Church of St Luke's was built in 1893. It burned down in 1931. A second church was built to replace it. But this one was destroyed in the 1967 bushfires. The church that stands today was built in 1969. It was built using money and help from the local Methodist, Anglican, and Roman Catholic church groups.
At the corner of the Longley-Sandfly-Huon Highway intersection, you can still see the historic Sandfly Store. The original building isn't used anymore. A new store made of cinder blocks has been built right next door. Sandfly's main road is Sandfly Road. It starts at the Sandfly-Longley Junction. It runs through Sandfly and into Margate. It's the main way to travel between Longley, Sandfly, Allens Rivulet, and Margate.
