Branxholm

Branxholm is a scenic rural town on the banks of the Ringarooma River in north east Tasmania located 93 km north east of Launceston on the Tasman Highway.

Branxholm is a scenic rural town on the banks of the Ringarooma River in north east Tasmania located 93 km north east of Launceston on the Tasman Highway.It is notable for its saw mill, hop fields and tourism. It has a sprawling street pattern which makes the small town spread across the valley floor.

The area was first settled by James Reid Scott who named it after a small village in his native Scotland. By 1870 there were only three buildings in the valley but three years later, with the discovery of tin, a shanty town had grown up. By 1877 the population was around 300. By 1883 the town had been proclaimed. Branxholm Post Office opened on 1 August 1876.Tin mining gradually declined to be replaced by timber cutting and in 1970 the first hop fields were planted.

Since the official opening of the Blue Derby Mountain bike trails in neighbouring Derby in 2015 tourism as an industry is becoming more important to the economy of Branxholm. In the few years since the opening of the trails new businesses catering to tourists have opened, including cafes and tourist accommodation.