TASRail & telegraph
Moonah
Named by the Post Office and the railways to end a mix-up with Glenorchy.
1885Post office opens at South Glenorchy
WHAT STARTED IT
Moonah grew up along the main road and railway north of Hobart, between New Town and Glenorchy, on slopes then covered in orchards. A post and telegraph office opened at ‘South Glenorchy’ in 1885 and gave the scattered settlement a centre.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
In 1894 the Postmaster-General and the Minister of Railways renamed South Glenorchy ‘Moonah’ to end confusion with Glenorchy, although many residents had voted for ‘Keswick’. By 1900 the district had more land under orchards than any other part of Tasmania, before houses and factories spread over them in the 20th century.
TURNING POINTS
1885A post and telegraph office is established at South Glenorchy.
1894South Glenorchy is renamed Moonah by the Postmaster-General and the Minister of Railways.
1900Orchards around Moonah cover more land than in any other part of Tasmania.
1980sHundreds of Hmong refugees settle in Moonah and neighbouring suburbs.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A residential and industrial suburb in the City of Glenorchy, north of central Hobart. Affordable housing and factory work have drawn migrant families since the late 20th century, including hundreds of Hmong refugees in the 1980s.