Oatlands Historic Village Walk
- September 18, 2026
A self-guided stroll through Australia's largest collection of Georgian sandstone buildings, including the working Callington Mill and the old Oatlands…
In the heart of Tasmania’s Midlands, Campbell Town’s Red Bridge is much more than a way of crossing the Elizabeth River – it’s one of Australia’s most remarkable surviving pieces of colonial infrastructure. Completed in 1838 using more than 1.5 million locally made bricks, the bridge was constructed with convict labour and continues to carry traffic almost two centuries later. From the bridge, an easy walk through Campbell Town connects with the fascinating Convict Brick Trail, where bricks embedded into the footpath record the names and stories of individual convicts transported to Tasmania. Together, the bridge, memorial bricks, historic buildings and riverside parklands create an easy heritage walk that packs a surprising amount of history into just a couple of kilometres. It’s an excellent place to break the journey between Hobart and Launceston and one of the best short heritage walks along Tasmania’s Heritage Highway.
Location: Campbell Town, Tasmanian Midlands
Distance: Approximately 2 km, depending on how much of the town centre you explore
Time: Approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy – approximately Grade 1
Track Type: Self-guided town and riverside walk
Track Surface: Predominantly sealed footpaths and paved town surfaces
Best Time: Any time of year; spring and autumn are particularly pleasant for exploring the Midlands
A good place to begin is at the historic Red Bridge at the southern end of Campbell Town’s main commercial area. Take some time to explore the riverside before heading along High Street through the historic town centre. Look down as you walk – many of the most interesting stories aren’t displayed on conventional signs but are literally embedded beneath your feet. The Convict Brick Trail consists of individual memorial bricks carrying information about people transported to Tasmania during the convict era. Continue through the town past historic buildings, shops and other points of interest before returning towards the Elizabeth River. The exact distance will depend on how far you explore, but approximately 2 kilometres provides an enjoyable introduction to Campbell Town.
The centrepiece of the walk is the magnificent Red Bridge across the Elizabeth River. Completed in 1838, the bridge is regarded as Australia’s oldest surviving brick arch bridge. Its three elegant arches are built from an extraordinary quantity of locally manufactured red bricks, traditionally estimated at more than 1.5 million. The bricks were made locally and the bridge was constructed using convict labour. What makes the structure particularly impressive is that it isn’t simply a preserved monument. The Red Bridge remains part of Tasmania’s road network, carrying modern traffic across the same arches constructed during the colonial period.
The Red Bridge is closely associated with James Blackburn, one of the most interesting figures in Tasmania’s colonial engineering history. Blackburn was transported to Van Diemen’s Land as a convict but possessed considerable architectural and engineering ability. His skills were put to use on colonial building and infrastructure projects, and he later became a significant architect after gaining his freedom. The Red Bridge is among the structures associated with his work in Tasmania. Knowing that a transported convict contributed his engineering expertise to a bridge still used generations later adds another dimension to the story of Campbell Town.
The scale of the bridge becomes more impressive when you consider how it was constructed. More than 1.5 million red clay bricks are traditionally associated with its construction. The bricks were made locally rather than transported over long distances, requiring clay to be prepared, shaped and fired before construction could proceed. Much of this demanding work was carried out using convict labour. Viewed today, the bridge is a reminder not only of nineteenth-century engineering but also of the enormous amount of physical labour involved in building Tasmania’s colonial road network.
Don’t limit your visit to simply walking across the top of the bridge. Some of the best views are from beside the Elizabeth River, where the three brick arches can be properly appreciated. The nearby pedestrian crossing and riverside areas provide useful vantage points for photographs without having to stand close to traffic. From river level, the symmetry of the arches and the deep red brickwork are particularly striking.
After visiting the Red Bridge, continue into Campbell Town to explore the Convict Brick Trail. Rather than presenting convict history solely through museum displays, the trail incorporates it directly into the town’s streetscape. Individual bricks set into the footpath commemorate transported convicts and record details from their lives. Walking along the trail transforms convict history from an abstract story involving thousands of people into a collection of individual experiences. Some entries record offences that led to transportation, while others provide details of sentences, occupations or personal histories. Take your time reading a selection rather than simply walking over them.
The Convict Brick Trail is particularly effective because of its simplicity. There is no need to enter a museum or follow a complicated route. As you walk through Campbell Town, the names of individual convicts appear beneath your feet. Some were transported for offences that today can appear surprisingly minor, while others received severe sentences under the British legal system of the period. Together, the bricks provide a powerful reminder that Tasmania’s convict history was made up of thousands of individual lives rather than a single historical narrative.
The Red Bridge isn’t Campbell Town’s only historic feature. The town developed as an important stopping point on the road between Hobart and Launceston, with inns, stores, public buildings and other services catering to travellers moving through the Midlands. Many historic buildings remain along and around High Street. Walking rather than driving through the town allows you to notice architectural details that are easy to miss from the Midland Highway.
Another interesting stop during a walk through Campbell Town is the historic building housing The Book Cellar. The property is associated with Campbell Town’s coaching-era history, and its old cellars provide an atmospheric setting quite different from a modern bookshop. For book lovers, it’s worth allowing extra time rather than treating the heritage walk as a strict 45-minute circuit. Opening hours can vary, so don’t make access essential to completing the walk.
As you explore Campbell Town, look for the memorial to Eliza Forlong, an important figure in the development of Tasmania’s fine-wool industry. Forlong and her family played an influential role in introducing carefully selected Merino sheep bloodlines to Van Diemen’s Land during the nineteenth century. Her story provides another perspective on the Midlands beyond convict history, highlighting the agricultural development that would become enormously important to the region.
The Elizabeth River provides a pleasant natural break from Campbell Town’s historic streetscape. Riverside areas near the Red Bridge are ideal for slowing down, photographing the bridge or simply taking a break during a longer drive. The river also helps explain why Campbell Town developed where it did. A reliable crossing was vital to the colonial road linking northern and southern Tasmania, making the construction of a permanent bridge an important infrastructure project.
The Elizabeth River is also known as trout water, adding another recreational dimension to the river. Anyone intending to fish should check current Tasmanian inland fishing regulations, licensing requirements and seasonal restrictions before doing so. For walkers, simply watching the river from the bank provides a pleasant addition to the heritage trail.
The Red Bridge and Convict Brick Trail is an easy urban walk.
Expect:
There are no significant climbs or bushwalking obstacles.
The walk is Easy – approximately Grade 1.
Most of the route follows established town footpaths and is suitable for people of a wide range of ages and fitness levels. The main consideration isn’t physical difficulty but traffic. Campbell Town sits on a major north-south road route, so walkers should use pedestrian crossings where available and supervise children carefully.
Get down beside the Elizabeth River for the best view of Red Bridge. From the main road it’s easy to appreciate the bridge’s age but difficult to see its impressive construction. From the riverside, the three brick arches become the dominant feature and provide a much better perspective for photographs. Then head into town and remember to look down – some of Campbell Town’s most fascinating history is written into the Convict Brick Trail beneath your feet.
Yes. This is an easy and interesting walk for families. The route is short and predominantly flat, while the Red Bridge, river, historic buildings and memorial bricks provide more variety than a conventional town walk. Older children may enjoy choosing individual bricks on the Convict Brick Trail and discovering the stories behind the people named on them. Close supervision is required around the Midland Highway and Elizabeth River.
Dogs can generally accompany walkers through Campbell Town’s public streets and suitable parkland areas, subject to Northern Midlands Council regulations and local signage. Keeping dogs on a lead is the best option around busy roads, pedestrians, riverside areas and wildlife. Individual buildings and businesses may have their own restrictions.
Campbell Town sits on Tasmania’s main north-south route between Hobart and Launceston. The historic Red Bridge crosses the Elizabeth River at the southern end of the town centre and is one of Campbell Town’s most recognisable landmarks. There are several places to park within the town, allowing the bridge, river and Convict Brick Trail to be explored on foot. Rather than simply stopping beside the highway, allow around an hour to walk through the historic centre.
Campbell Town has considerably more facilities than many of the smaller Heritage Highway settlements.
Facilities and services in and around the town centre include:
This makes Campbell Town an excellent place to stop for lunch while travelling between northern and southern Tasmania.
Campbell Town is ideally positioned for exploring several of Tasmania’s historic Midlands settlements.
The Tunbridge Heritage Stroll explores one of the smallest and quietest settlements along Tasmania’s Heritage Highway. The short walk takes in colonial buildings, rural streetscapes and the Blackman River, providing an interesting contrast to the busier centre of Campbell Town.
The Ross Historic Village Walk explores one of Tasmania’s most beautifully preserved colonial settlements. Historic sandstone buildings, tree-lined streets and the Macquarie River make Ross an excellent addition to a Midlands heritage itinerary.
The Ross Bridge is another remarkable piece of Tasmania’s colonial infrastructure. Completed in 1836, the sandstone bridge is particularly famous for the detailed carvings decorating its arches.
The Oatlands Historic Village Walk explores an outstanding collection of Georgian sandstone buildings and the historic Callington Mill precinct. It’s one of the best places in Tasmania to explore an intact colonial-era townscape on foot.
The Lake Dulverton Walking Track provides an easy nature-based alternative on the edge of Oatlands. The approximately 5 km foreshore walk passes wetland habitat supporting black swans, ducks and numerous other bird species.
The Red Bridge and Convict Brick Trail fit perfectly into a day exploring Tasmania’s Heritage Highway. Start at Oatlands, where you can explore the Georgian streetscape, Callington Mill and Lake Dulverton. Continue north through tiny Tunbridge before stopping at Ross to walk beside the Macquarie River and see its famous sandstone bridge. Finish at Campbell Town, where the Red Bridge and Convict Brick Trail provide another perspective on Tasmania’s colonial and convict history. Together, these settlements reveal how roads, bridges, coaching inns, agriculture and convict labour helped shape Tasmania’s Midlands.
The Red Bridge & Convict Brick Trail turns what could easily be a quick roadside stop into a fascinating walk through Tasmania’s colonial past. The Red Bridge is remarkable in its own right – a nineteenth-century brick structure built with convict labour that remains part of Tasmania’s transport network nearly two centuries later. The Convict Brick Trail then brings the human story into focus, replacing broad statistics about transportation with the names and experiences of individual people. Add the Elizabeth River, historic buildings and Campbell Town’s old coaching-town streetscape and there’s plenty to justify spending an hour exploring on foot. For travellers following Tasmania’s Heritage Highway, the Red Bridge and Convict Brick Trail is one of the easiest and most interesting heritage walks in the Midlands.
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