Latrobe

About Latrobe

Latrobe is a town in north-western Tasmania, Australia, situated on the eastern bank of the Mersey River approximately 8 kilometres south-east of Devonport. First settled by Europeans in 1826 when Edward Curr of the Van Diemen's Land Company established the North Down property, the township was formally named in 1846 after Charles Joseph La Trobe, then acting Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land. Latrobe served as the main port of the north-west coast and grew to become Tasmania's third-largest town by the 1870s, though its prominence waned as shipping relocated downriver to Devonport. The town retains over 70 heritage-listed buildings along Gilbert Street and is home to the Australian Axeman's Hall of Fame at Bells Parade, site of the world's first woodchopping championship in 1891. The Latrobe Federal Band, formed in 1872, is recognised as Australia's oldest continuously playing band.