Ross

Ross is a village of around 350 people on the Macquarie River in the Tasmanian Midlands, roughly midway between Hobart and Launceston on the Heritage Highway. The town was established in 1812 as a garrison and convict station guarding the road between the colony's two main settlements, and it grew through the 19th century as a service town for the surrounding wool industry.

The centrepiece of the village is the Ross Bridge, built between 1832 and 1836 by convict stonemason Daniel Herbert. The bridge has 186 carved decorative panels along its arches, depicting Celtic symbols, animals, native plants and the faces of notable colonists. It is widely regarded as the most ornately decorated bridge in Australia and is one of the oldest surviving bridges in the country. Herbert reportedly received a pardon in recognition of the quality of his work.

The town's famous crossroads, at the intersection of Church Street and Bridge Street, has four corner buildings that locals have long identified by character: the Man-O-Ross Hotel (Temptation), the Catholic Church (Salvation), the Town Hall (Recreation) and the Old Gaol (Damnation). The naming convention is a piece of local folklore rather than official designation, but it has become one of the most repeated stories in Tasmanian tourism.

The Tasmanian Wool Centre, in the centre of the village, tells the story of the wool industry that made the Midlands wealthy in the 19th century. The surrounding pastoral landscape of rolling green hills, dry stone walls and Georgian homesteads has a distinctly English feel that is unique in Australian scenery. Fine merino wool is still the primary product of the district.

Ross has a small but appealing food offering. The Ross Village Bakery, which occupies an 1860s building and has a wood-fired oven, is famous across Tasmania and is widely cited as the inspiration for the bakery in the Studio Ghibli animated film Kiki's Delivery Service, although this connection is debated. The bakery's scallop pies and vanilla slices draw a steady stream of visitors. Ross is a natural lunch stop on the Hobart to Launceston drive, or a peaceful overnight base for exploring the Midlands heritage trail that includes Oatlands, Campbell Town and Evandale.