Tas That Was – High Street, New Norfolk

This photograph captures New Norfolk’s High Street in 1930, with the Derwent Valley council chambers standing at the far end.

The street – originally named Sorell Street after William Sorell, the Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen’s Land from 1817 to 1824 – was built after the New Norfolk area was settled between 1807 and 1808. Many of the town’s commercial and public buildings, including those along High Street, were erected as it grew in the following years.

In 1850, the original police courthouse on the corner of High and Bathurst Streets was purchased by the Catholic Church and converted into New Norfolk’s Catholic chapel. St Peter’s Catholic Church replaced the chapel when it was completed in 1887.

High Street had become New Norfolk’s main commercial thoroughfare by the late nineteenth century, complete with shops, service buildings, and civic buildings.

On Friday, 9 December 1932, the Plaza Theatre opened on the corner of High and Charles Streets and became a major entertainment venue for New Norfolk residents. It was later repurposed for retail and is currently a chemist.

High Street continues to be New Norfolk’s main commercial thoroughfare today, and is also known for its well-preserved colonial and early commercial buildings.

Tas That Was is a column that includes:

• anecdotes of life in Tasmania in the past;
• historical photographs of locations in Tasmania; and/or
• documentaries about locations in Tasmania.

If you have an anecdote or photograph you’d like to share with us, please send it to submit@tasmaniantimes.com.

Callum J. Jones is passionate about telling stories. He studied English, History, and Journalism at the University of Tasmania and lived in Western Sydney from 2022 to 2024 while working as a journalist for Professional Planner, a leading online publication for financial planners. Callum has written for Tasmanian Times since 2018 and has also been published in a range of other outlets, including Quadrant and the BAD Western Sydney anthologies.