Oatlands is an important historical village in the centre of Tasmania, Australia, halfway between Hobart and Launceston on the Midland Highway. Oatlands is considered to have the largest number of colonial sandstone buildings in any town in Australia, and many of them were built by convict labour. Capital Hobart Government Const. ... Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. ... Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia, population approximately 103,000, located at the juncture of the North Esk, South Esk, and Tamar rivers. ... The Midland Highway (also known as the Midlands Highway) is the main highway in Tasmania, Australia. ... Red sandstone interior of Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona, worn smooth due to erosion by flash flooding over millions of years Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. ...

With a population of approximately 580 people, it is the largest town in the Southern Midlands Council area and is surrounded by rich agricultural land. The Southern Midlands Council is a Local Government Area of Tasmania. ...

Oatlands is one of Tasmania's oldest settlements and was named by Governor Macquarie after an English town in the county of Surrey in 1821. It was developed as a military base for the control and management of convicts because of its equal distance from Hobart and Launceston. Convicts were assigned to nearby farms and properties, and also worked on public buildings, roads and bridges. Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of New South Wales Major-General Lachlan Macquarie CB (31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824), British military officer and colonial administrator, served as Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821 and had a leading role in the social, economic and architectural development of... Not to be confused with Surry. ...

Much of the Black War (early settlers against local aborigines) took place in the surrounding districts, and Oatlands was also the home of the ex-convict Solomon Blay, Tasmania's most feared hangman.

There are a number of unique landmarks in Oatlands, including the Callington Mill and St Pauls' Church. The mill was built in 1837 and is slowly being restored to working order, and the Catholic church was designed by Augustus Welby Pugin, the father of Gothic Revival architecture. Callington Mill is a windmill built in 1837 in Oatlands, Tasmania. ... ...

For some years after 1848, Oatlands was the place of exile of the Irish nationalist leader Kevin Izod O'Doherty, where his stone cottage still stands. Year 1848 (MDCCCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Exile (band) may refer to: Exile - The American country music band Exile - The Japanese pop music band Category: ... An Irish nationalist is generally one who seeks (greater) independence of Ireland from Great Britain, including since 1921 the goal of a United Ireland. ... Kevin Izod ODoherty (September 7, 1823 - July 15, 1905) was an Irish Australian politician. ...

Oatlands was generally a relatively prosperous town in the 20th century but by the 1990s the Tasmanian economy slump, the highway bypass and a Tasmanian Midlands rural drought had a very negative effect on the town. Much of Tasmania's economic renewal, like the highway, has bypassed Oatlands which today is a lot quieter than it used to be. The residents are attempting to grow the town once more by making it a peaceful local centre with a tourist friendly image. For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Bypass routes are a type of bannered highway usually used when the main route of the highway goes through a town and an alternate route of the same highway goes around the highway. ...

External links

• Wild, Blue and Free TV Series Oatlands and surrounds: Online photo album, art gallery, facts, map and video clips (locally produced in Oatlands/Parattah)

Coordinates: 42°18′S, 147°22′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...