Bothwell

Bothwell, Tasmania is a small town with a population at the 2011 census of 391. Situated in central Tasmania on the River Clyde, it is notable for hunting and being a lake district. It is part of the municipality of Central Highlands Council. Nearby locations include Ouse, Hamilton and Kempton.HistoryFor some years after 1848, Bothwell was the place of exile of the Irish nationalist leaders John Mitchel and John Martin; their lodging Nant Cottage still stands.Bothwell was until recently thought to be home to the oldest golf course in Australia, Ratho, which was thought to have been built in the mid-1850s. Recent research has shown that golf was not played in Ratho until 1860s. Golf in Australia started at Grose Farm in Sydney and the establishment of N.S Wales Golf Club by A.B. Spark.Bothwell Post Office opened on 1 June 1832.This was also the site of a radio telescope, built in the 1960s, in nearby Dennistoun, by one of the pioneers of radio astronomy, Grote Reber.Further reading Weeding, J.S. (1989) A history of Bothwell, Tasmania Hobart: Drinkwater Publishing.