Caveside is a rural locality in the local government area of

Meander Valley Meander Valley Council is a Local government in Australia, local government body in northern Tasmania. It covers the western outskirts of Launceston, Tasmania, Launceston, and further westward along the Meander River, Tasmania, Meander River. ...

in the Launceston region of

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 ...

. The locality is about south-west of the town of Westbury. It lies between the Great Western Tiers to the south and Mole Creek to the north. The 2016 census has a population of 133 for the state suburb of Caveside. Caveside is a small community within an agricultural area, rather than a town. The town lies in an area of

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

; erosion of this has led to the surrounding land being riddled with caves. To the west are two undeveloped cave complexes, Wet Caves and Honeycomb Caves,Greenhill, p.76 which are an attraction to

caver Caving, also known as spelunking (United States and Canada) and potholing (United Kingdom and Ireland), is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is the scientific ...

s. The ground is pitted with

sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are also known as shakeholes, and to openings where surface water ...

s, a danger to the cattle that graze the fields. The district is probably named after the caves, though until 1897 it was known as Brookside.Reunion Committee, p.15 Prior to settlement what is now developed agricultural land was dense forest. The timber and dairy industries are prominent parts of Caveside's

rural history In historiography, rural history is a field of study focusing on the history of societies in rural areas. At its inception, the field was based on the economic history of agriculture. Since the 1980s it has become increasingly influenced by socia ...

and it was known in the early 20th century for the quality of its cattle and sheep studs.

History

Henry Reed became a significant figure in the early history of Caveside, after he took up a large land allotment in 1835. Reed conducted some early

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...

services in his home on the property known as Wesley Dale. He donated the land for the Wesleyan church with the intention that, when it was built, it was to initially be used as a school. The first official Wesleyan services began c.1875 in a private home that was sited in a paddock, near the bridge over Lobster creek. Caveside Wesleyan church, and an associated cottage, was built and completed in 1876. In 1903 the church became the Caveside

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

church. It was replaced with a brick church in 1978,Reunion committee, pp.50-51 that is no longer open or used for church services.There is no church noted as operating in Caveside as of 2015, except for the Church of Christ. Caveside had a post office from 1887 operating from a private home. It opened on 1 November and finally closed in 1980. A private school opened, in the Wesleyan church, in Caveside on 4 June 1877 with 27 students. A single-room school building, and associated teacher's residence, was constructed over 1892–93. The school remained in this building until 1937 when the school was closed. The school building was moved to Mole Creek in 1938 and used for 'domestic arts' at the Mole Creek district area school. Additional buildings were constructed on the Methodist church's land. These buildings included a cottage and two buildings used as a shop and a post office. The shop and post office buildings were rented out from c.1900 to c.1940. A hall, noted for its fine timber lining, was built in 1921.Reunion committee, pp.48-50 A public swimming pool, built with local volunteer labour, opened in 1957. It was extended in 1980 with the addition of a tennis court and in 2001 when gas barbeques were added.Opening and expansion dates for the Caveside Swimming Pool are recorded on a commemorative sign erected in 2007 by the Caveside Recreation Committee The pool is a outdoor pool and is managed by the Caveside Recreation Committee. The shop has long closed but the Caveside memorial hall remains open and is operated by the

Meander Valley Council Meander Valley Council is a Local government in Australia, local government body in northern Tasmania. It covers the western outskirts of Launceston, Tasmania, Launceston, and further westward along the Meander River, Tasmania, Meander River. ...

. The

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * Christianity, the Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ * Christian Church, an ecclesiological term used by denominations to describe the true body of Christia ...

formed an organisation in the area in 1909. Prior to this services had been held in Caveside. They built a hand-split timber church building and opened it in 1911. The original building was moved in 1956 and a replacement built. The building is now known as "The Church in the Paddock". Caveside was gazetted as a locality in 1965.

Geography

Lobster Rivulet, a tributary of the Mersey River, flows through the locality from south to north.

Road infrastructure

The C169 route (Caveside Road) enters from the north-west and runs through to the north, where it exits. Route C168 (Western Creek Road) starts at an intersection with C169 and runs south-east until it exits.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * {{authority control Localities of Meander Valley Council Towns in Tasmania