Huonville

Huonville is a town on the Huon River, in the south-east of Tasmania, Australia.

Huonville is a town on the Huon River, in the south-east of Tasmania, Australia. It is the seat of the Huon Valley Council area and lies 38 km south of Hobart on the Huon Highway. At the 2016 census, Huonville had a population of 2,714 and at the 2011 census had a population of 1,741.

The first Europeans to set eyes on the Huon River were the crew commanded by Admiral Bruni d'Entrecasteaux.The river was named by him in honour of his second in command, Captain Huon de Kermadec. The name is preserved today in many features: the town, the river, the district and so on.The first European settlers were William and Thomas Walton in 1840.

Huonville was not originally intended as the site of a town. Nearby Ranelagh was laid out as the town of Victoria in colonial days. Huonville grew around the bridge crossing the Huon River and hotels at the bridge. It was officially declared a town in 1891.

The township has faced significant threats due to climate change in recent years. Record floods in 2016 inundated a large section of the town, including twenty businesses The town has also come at risk due to major fires, and was an evacuation center during the 2019 bushfires.