Battery Point (; ) is a suburb of the city of
Hobart
Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
,
Tasmania
Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
, Australia. It is immediately south of the
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
. It is in the
local government area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
of
City of Hobart
The City of Hobart is a local government area in Tasmania which covers the central metropolitan area of the state capital, Hobart. The city is governed by Hobart City Council and led by the Lord Mayor.
The local government area has a populat ...
.
Battery Point is named after the battery of guns which were established on the point in 1818 as part of the
Hobart coastal defences. The battery was situated on the site of today's Princes Park. The guns were used to fire salutes on ceremonial occasions but were never called upon to repel an invasion. The battery was decommissioned after an 1878 review of Hobart's defences found that its location would tend to draw an enemy's fire onto the surrounding residential neighbourhood. The site was subsequently handed over to the
Hobart City Council as a place of recreation and amusement. When the Council carried out works to beautify the park in 1934, they discovered tunnels which had served as a magazine for the original battery. In 1973, a green ban was placed by the
Builders Labourers Federation
The Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) was an Australian trade union that existed from 1911 until 1972, and from 1976 until 1986, when it was permanently deregistered in various Australian states by the federal Hawke Labor government and som ...
to prevent destruction of certain buildings by developers.
The area is generally known as one of the city's more prestigious suburbs, with many large and extravagant homes and apartment blocks. It adjoins the waterfront
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...
area as well as the nearby prestigious suburb of
Sandy Bay.
Probably the most significant is Arthur Circus with its cottages, mostly originally constructed for the officers of the garrison.
Battery Point is accessible via Hampden Road, which runs from Sandy Bay Road from the edge of the city.
Battery Point residents have been the centre of controversy in recent years, demanding noise restrictions and other measures aimed at safeguarding a sheltered lifestyle.
PM – Cafe gets roasting for coffee bean smell
/ref>
Population
In the 2016 Census, there were 1,997 people in Battery Point. 65.3% of people were born in Australia and 76.9% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 47.9% and Anglican 16.1%.
Notable people
*Queen Mary of Denmark
Mary (born Mary Elizabeth Donaldson; 5 February 1972) is Queen of Denmark as the wife of King Frederik X.
Mary met Frederik (then Crown Prince of Denmark) while attending the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. They married on 14 May 2004 at ...
(born 1972), Queen Consort of Denmark, who was born in Battery Point at the Queen Alexandra Hospital
* William Buckley (1776 or 1780–1856), convict and Indigenous culture recorder, lived his last years in the Arthur Circus neighbourhood and was interred at the burial ground of St George's Anglican Church, Battery Point.
* Francis Butler (1856–1885), cricketer
*Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...
(1909–1959), Hollywood film actor, who was born in Battery Point at the Queen Alexandra Hospital
*Andrew Inglis Clark
Andrew Inglis Clark (24 February 1848 – 14 November 1907) was an Australian founding father and co-author of the Australian Constitution; he was also an engineer, barrister, politician, electoral reformer and jurist. He initially qualified as ...
(1848–1907), Tasmanian Supreme Court judge, barrister, engineer, politician and author of the Australian constitution
References
{{Hobart suburbs
Suburbs of Hobart
Green bans
Localities of City of Hobart