Launceston Historical Society: Richard Mack

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Sun 17 Aug 2025

Fancy a delve into Tasmania's rather colourful past? The Launceston Historical Society has Richard Mack lined up to spill the beans on James Austin, a bloke whose life story sounds like it came straight out of a historical fiction novel, albeit a true one. We're talking about a man who somehow managed to be a landless labourer, a convict who apparently had options, perhaps even an explorer, then morphed into a proper landowner, an innkeeper, and even a licensed ferry operator. Talk about a career trajectory.

James Austin, originally a Calcutta convict who briefly popped up at Port Phillip Bay in 1803 with his cousin John Earle, eventually joined the very first Hobart Town crew. Once they'd sorted out their freedom papers, these two landed themselves a bit of real estate out at Glenorchy and Old Beach. And get this, the little cottage James built back in 1813 is still standing. Richard Mack, who happens to be a descendant of James' niece, Anna Austin, will be sharing all these fascinating tidbits. You can catch this cracking yarn on Sunday, 17 August 2025, at 2:00 PM, in the Meeting Room at the Queen Victoria Museum at Inveresk, that's 2 Invermay Road, Launceston, for those playing at home. Launceston Historical Society members can wander in for free, while everyone else just needs to part with a casual five bucks.

More information at www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/Whats-on/Events/Launceston-Historical-Society-Richard-Mack




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