St. Matthias', Windermere

 

St Matthias' is a historic Anglican Church serving the small communities of Windermere and surrounds. All welcome.

Our Sunday Gatherings take place at 9:30am on the 2nd and 4th Sundays in every month.

You can like our Facebook Page here.

To contact us, please phone on 03 6331 4460.
 

History

Dr Mathias Gaunt arrived in Tasmania (then known as Van Dieman’s Land) with his wife and five sons in May 1831.

He received a grant of 2560 acres on the east bank of the Tamar River, which was later extended by a further grant of 1280 acres.

He named his property ‘Windermere’, and had a vineyard, saw mills and flour mills.

Before leaving England, Dr Gaunt promised his wife that if there was no church where they settled, he would build her one. With a local subscription of £60 and a grant of £40 from the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (SPCK) he financed the building of St Matthias’ church, the first service being held in November 1843.

The first Bishop of Tasmania, Bishop Francis Nixon, consecrated the church and cemetery on 18 April 1845. The Rev’d A. Davenport was appointed Chaplain that same year and services were held regularly. The Chaplain initially lived in a nearby cottage, but after some years the centre of the parish moved to the west bank of the Tamar and services at St Matthias’ became less regular.

Unfortunately, the condition of the building deteriorated leading to various efforts at repair. For example, the leaking shingle roof was replaced with corrugated iron in 1920, and further substantial repairs were carried out in 1937.

As Windermere is a small community, many people travelled some distance to get to church there. Part of the local history is that church goers would cross the river by boat to attend services. Parish structures have changed over the years and St Matthias’ has been part of several different ones, including St George’s Invermay and St Barnabas’ North Launceston.

Since 2008, St Matthias’ has been part of the parish of Holy Trinity Launceston - a slightly unusual arrangement in that it is geographically separate.

Despite small numbers, the parish of Holy Trinity is committed to the future of this church and a faithful group continues to gather for worship and explore how to meet the needs of the local community. 

The parish of Holy Trinity Launceston also includes St Andrew's, Evandale and St James', Franklin Village.