Brief History of Orford
 
The town of Orford is situated under the Thumbs Mountains and on the shore of Spring Bay.  It is divided by the Prosser River.  
It was first settled in 1845 as a station for convicts who were building the road.  The station comprised of one building on the western shore of the Prosser River.   This photo shows what is left of the Convict Station today.
In 1831 on the south side of the Prosser River Edward Walpole was given a grant of land which he named Strawberry Hill.  Walpole St was named after him.  A wooden bridge was built over the Prosser River in 1866.
Orford's main claim to fame was a sandstone quarry at Shelly Heights.  The sandstone was used in many famous Melbourne buildings.  Ships came to the cliff face jetty to load and the rock was rolled down the slope on small trolleys to the boats. 

At that time the town of Orford had a few scattered cottages, a school, a post office and two stores.

In 1876 most of the people of Orford moved away when the quarry closed and by 1910 there were only about twelve houses in the Orford township.  Most of them were on the south side of the river. 

After World War 1 Orford gained a reputation as a holiday resort and a few boarding houses were opened.
Orford 1960-1970 Menu

Orford Then and Now

Orford Primary School Home Page
This site has been produced by Orford Primary School.  Its content has been authorised by the Principal. This page was last modified on:  19 April 2012 . Any questions or problems regarding this site may be forwarded to orford.primary@education.tas.gov.au .You are directed to a disclaimer, copyright and privacy notices governing the information provided.Orford Primary School is part of the Department of Education, Tasmania.