Chudleigh, Tasmania

Chudleigh Tasmania
Chudleigh
Coordinates	41°33′35″S 146°28′47″E / 41.55972°S 146.47972°E / -41.55972; 146.47972
Population	203 (2016 census)[1]
Established	1866
Postcode(s)	7304
Location	64 km (40 mi) E of Launceston 7 km (4 mi) W of Mole Creek 37 km (23 mi) W of Westbury
LGA(s)	Meander Valley Council
Region	Launceston
State electorate(s)	Lyons
Federal division(s)	Lyons
Mean max temp[2] Mean min temp[2] Annual rainfall[3] 16.1 °C 61 °F 4.4 °C 40 °F 1,125.1 mm 44.3 in
Localities around Chudleigh: Lower Beulah Weegena Needles Mole Creek Chudleigh Needles Mole Creek Caveside Dairy Plains

Chudleigh is a rural locality in the local government area of Meander Valley in the Launceston region of Tasmania. The locality is about 37 kilometres (23 mi) west of the town of Westbury. The 2016 census has a population of 203 for the state suburb of Chudleigh.^[1]

It is a small rural village 64 kilometres (40 mi) west of Launceston in northern Tasmania, Australia. The town is in the Chudleigh Valley, between the Gog range and the Great Western Tiers. The area is primarily used for farming, though timber and lime production have been significant industries. The fertile flats of the valley are of alluvial origin, from the Permian era. The Chudleigh show, run by the Agricultural and Horticultural society, is an agricultural show held each February. Since 1889 the show has been held 125 times, and it is one of the state's oldest such events.

The area had been the lands of the Pallittorre Aboriginal Tasmanians for thousands of years. European settlement and disease drove them from the lands and decimated their population. Chudleigh was first settled by Europeans in the 1830s for agriculture and lime production. The town was laid out, probably prior to 1835, to have up to 5000 residents though the population never became large. An early resident, John Badcock Gardiner, named Chudleigh, probably after Chudleigh in Devon, England. During the 19th century a town hall, four churches, a school, an inn, post office, police station and telegraph office were built. Over time the churches, school, inn and post office have closed. A rail line from Deloraine to Mole Creek served the town from 1890 till its closure in 1985.

The town has a privately run wildlife park, a shop selling and making honey products, and a few other stores. As part of a beautification drive in 2001, the main street was planted with roses, and the town is now promoted as a "village of roses".