York Plains

About York Plains

York Plains is a small rural locality and hamlet in the Southern Midlands Council area of Tasmania, situated approximately 10 kilometres north-east of Oatlands and around 84 kilometres north of Hobart. Covering nearly 100 square kilometres of open pastoral land, the locality is set in Tasmania's historic Midlands region, which was one of the earliest settled farming districts in the colony. With a 2021 Census population of 69 residents, York Plains retains the quiet atmosphere and heritage character of a 19th-century agricultural community.

York Plains has a rich pastoral history reaching back to the earliest decades of colonial settlement, when large landholders including the Lord family established Merino stud farms and Devon cattle operations that won prizes at agricultural shows across the colony. The locality was once served by a post office and a rail siding, though it was effectively bypassed after convict road gangs rerouted the main Hobart–Launceston highway in 1836. Today the area is characterised by mixed farming and grazing on productive midlands soils. The historic town of Oatlands, with its remarkable collection of Georgian sandstone buildings and Callington Mill, provides the nearest services and is a popular heritage tourism destination, while the Midland Highway connects York Plains residents to both Hobart and Launceston.

York Plains falls under postcode 7120 and is governed by the local council Council (LGA). For state elections, residents vote in the Lyons (Prosser) electorate.

Nearby Suburbs

• Andover, TAS 7120
• Antill Ponds, TAS 7120
• Baden, TAS 7120
• Lemont, TAS 7120
• Levendale, TAS 7120
• Mount Seymour, TAS 7120