![Willow Court Asylum Barracks](https://assets.atdw-online.com.au/images/7b645142e45709a35f3f5c6eecf6d085.jpeg?rect=0%2C0%2C1600%2C1200&w=800&h=600&rot=360&q=eyJ0eXBlIjoibGlzdGluZyIsImxpc3RpbmdJZCI6IjVmMzIxMWExNzg4YzA4YjkyZDE4ZDhjNSIsImRpc3RyaWJ1dG9ySWQiOiI1NmIxZWI5MzQ0ZmVjYTNkZjJlMzIwY2MiLCJhcGlrZXlJZCI6IjU2YjFmNjNmMGNmMjEzYWQyMGRlZGZkZiIsInNlcnZpY2VJZCI6IjYyZmQ4NWQxN2RhMTk3MDgwZjExNGRiYSJ9)
There’s a museum quality to the main street of Hamilton, a small rural town lined with historic stone buildings.
Located beside the River Clyde, this quiet town was once a bustling frontier settlement with several working breweries, a string of hotels and a roaring illegal liquor trade. The Hamilton Inn, built in 1826 by a pardoned convict, lives on, though things are now far more civilised.
Hamilton is filled with historic stories in stone. Look for the bell atop the two-storey, sandstone Old Schoolhouse, which used to call children to school, while St Peter's Church, completed in 1837, has only one door, a design feature intended to prevent convicts in the congregation from attempting to escape.
Where
Hamilton is a 1hr drive (74km) north-west of Hobart.
Insider tip
- Look for the large hillside sign and figure of a sheep pieced together in rocks, announcing the date of the Hamilton Agricultural Show, held each March.