A Road in Van Diemen's Land – The Convict-Built Bell's Line of Road from the Derwent River to St Peter's Pass 1820–1824 | John Thompson | 2004 [USED – SC – Out of Print]

John Thompson's detailed history of Bell's Line of Road — the convict-built road surveyed and constructed through the Tasmanian Midlands between 1820 and 1824, connecting the Derwent River at New Norfolk northward through the Central Midlands to St Peter's Pass near the present-day township of Oatlands.

Bell's Line was the first road to open the southern and central Midlands of Van Diemen's Land to European settlement, built almost entirely by convict labour gangs under the direction of colonial surveyor John Bell. The route it established through the Midlands became the foundation for what is now the Midland Highway — Heritage Highway — still the main artery connecting Hobart to Launceston today. The Book Cellar operates from Campbell Town, one of the townships that grew up along the Midland Highway corridor that Bell's road helped open. Foxhunters Return, the building we work from, was built as a coaching inn in the 1830s to service traffic on this same route — a road that traces its origins to Bell's pioneering survey a decade earlier.

At 212 pages with colour photographs and maps throughout and a full index, this is a thorough piece of transport and colonial history, drawing on survey records, convict assignment records and other primary sources to document both the engineering and the human story of the road's construction.

Out of print and not commonly found.

CONDITION

• Used, generally good condition.
• Light creases to the top corner of the first few pages.
• Contact us on 03 6381 1545 for additional photos before purchasing.

BOOK DETAILS

• Softcover.
• 212 pages, indexed.
• Colour photographs and maps throughout.
• Approximately 28cm wide x 18.5cm tall.
• Published 2004. Out of print.

DELIVERY & IN-STORE PICKUP

**Combined Shipping:** Sourcing multiple titles for your Tasmanian history or transport library? The Book Cellar offers combined flat-rate parcel delivery across Australia. Secure your books using our online checkout, or phone the bookshop directly on 03 6381 1545 to coordinate multi-volume shipping.

**Free Instore Pickup:** Located in Tasmania or travelling the Midland Highway? Select "Instore Pickup" at checkout to pay no postage and collect your items directly from the counter at The Book Cellar, underneath Foxhunters Return in Campbell Town.