In 1824, a group of British merchants, politicians, and businessmen in established the Van Diemen’s Company to profit from the colony’s wool industry.

The company was given land at Circular Head for an estate, which was established with convict labour in 1826. It tried to create a profitable wool enterprise, but local conditions proved difficult: the climate was cold and rainfall was heavy. As a result, many sheep died and wool production struggled. Despite these setbacks, the Van Diemen’s Land Company continued to operate the estate.

In 1831, the company’s chief agent, Edward Curr, decided that the estate’s original accommodation (a weatherboard cottage) was inadequate for his family. He commissioned plans for a Regency-style homestead that would serve as both the company’s administrative headquarters and a family residence.

The homestead, named ‘Highfield’, was built by convicts between 1832 and 1835. Once completed, it included the main house, gardens, service buildings, farm infrastructure, and accommodation for convict workers, who carried out farming, timber cutting, and general labour.

Highfield received alterations and additions throughout the 1830s and ‘40s, and the site developed into a substantial gentleman’s estate.

By 1842, however, the original ambition of Van Diemen’s Land Company still had not been realised. Edward Curr was dismissed as chief agent, and the company gradually shifted away from its founding model. Parts of the estate were leased or sold, and Highfield itself eventually passed into private ownership. In the 20th century, it came to be recognised by historians as an important surviving site of the Van Diemen’s Land Company’s early operations.

In 1982, the Tasmanian Government acquired Highfield, and major conservation and restoration work was done. Conservation of the homestead remains an ongoing process.

Today, Highfield is regarded as one of Tasmania’s most significant historic sites.

References & bibliography

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.

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