History
The Southern Midlands Council was created on the 2nd April 1993 through the merging of the Municipalities of Oatlands, Green Ponds and the Northern wards of the Municipalities of Brighton and Richmond. The area of the Municipality is 2561 square kilometres.
The municipality has a population of approximately 6000 persons scattered throughout the district, with approximately 3800 rateable properties. It traditionally has a rural based economy growing some of the world's best superfine wool. Tourism is now rising in importance.
Towns and localities include Mangalore, Bagdad, Broadmarsh, Elderslie, Dysart, Kempton, Melton Mowbray, Mt Seymour, Oatlands, Tunbridge, Tunnack, Parattah, Woodsdale, Levendale, Runnymede, Colebrook, Campania and Rekuna. The Midland Highway (Heritage Highway) and the north-south rail route bisect the municipality.
Many examples of 19th century architecture can be found in the area’s villages and rural districts, including convict-built grand Georgian rural homesteads and small workers’ cottages. The region was the first broadly settled area outside Hobart. Many of the earliest homesteads in the area exhibit fort-like features, which initially were a design response to the so-called “Black War” between Aboriginals and early settlers in the 1820s, and to the continuing high prevalence of bushrangers in subsequent eras.
Many architectural gems can be found by exploring the municipality's back roads. Heritage landscapes abound, with many views largely as they were 150 years ago.
