St Johns Schoolhouse & Chapel

In July 1845, The Herald of Tasmania reported the generous donation of land by Mr. Pybus near Barnes’s Bay, intended for the construction of a religious building. The report noted:

• ... Mr. Pybus has offered the free gift of a convenient site near Barnes’s Bay for the erection of a similar building; at which places the Catechist recently licensed by the Bishop will be enabled alternately to officiate ...*

The chapel was subsequently established near Lodge Hill, overlooking Simmons Bay, and functioned as a place of worship from 1846 until 1897. In 1898, it was repurposed as a school, serving the local community until its closure in 1908. Following the school’s closure, the school was moved to the Cricket Hall at Barnes Bay, where it continued to serve an educational purpose.

In 1920, the original church structure was lost to bushfires, leaving only a commemorative plaque as a testament to its existence and significance in the region’s ecclesiastical and educational history.

The following information has been supplied by Kathy Duncombe of Bruny Island.

Built c1850 it stood on the hillside to the left of what is now the corner of the Bruny Island main road and Missionary Rd. It served as a Chapel/School until c1920 when a fire raged through the area and destroyed it. The land was donated by Richard & Hannah Pybus who received a land grant in 1829.

Fenton Delaney married Margaret Mc Dermott here in 1852, but to date not many other records have come to light. In 1997 the Bruny Island Historical Society placed a cairn (below) to mark the spot. This created a few problems with farm machinery, so a little church was made by Michael Duncombe (below) and placed on a post high enough to detect by farmers when utilising farm machinery.

Our thanks to Kathy Duncombe and the Bruny Island Historical Society Inc.