Woolmers Estate – Australian Convict Site

Woolmers Estate is Australia’s finest example of a pioneer farm from the early 1800s and one of Tasmania’s World Heritage Convict Sites. Woolmers was continuously occupied by the Archer family from around 1817 to 1994 and is acknowledged as one of the most outstanding examples of 19th century rural settlements in Australia.

The estate offers an insight into the social structure of a colonial pastoral estate. The collection of original buildings on Woolmers includes family accommodation, workers’ cottages, a former chapel, blacksmith’s shop, stables, bakehouse, pump house and gardener’s cottage.

In addition to the architectural heritage, the site contains a wide range of collections acquired by the family over 180 years, providing a rare insight into six generations of one family. The combination of the historical collections, the buildings and the site itself represents a significant cultural resource. In late spring through to autumn, there is an opportunity to walk through history with thousands of roses, representing the historical development of the rose in the southern hemisphere, ranging from the earliest European and Chinese roses through to varieties of the twenty first century.

Woolmers Estate offers guided tours through the main homestead and self-guided tours of the out-buildings.