26 Main Road, Kempton, Tasmania 7030

Interesting Historic house but no longer a B and B

Dysart House is a coaching inn from Tasmania's colonial past. It is now a heritage guesthouse providing bed and breakfast accommodation where visitors enjoy elegant country living. Thirty Five minutes north of Hobart along Tasmania's Heritage Highway, the grand old mansion has restaurants, vineyards, art galleries, theatres and water sports within reach. It is the perfect base from which to visit historic villages, to go for long bushwalks or to depart on a fishing trip to the lakes.

Built in 1841 with no concern for expense, the original inn offered fine accommodation for travellers and their steeds. The stables once provided shelter for 22 horses!

The ballroom was the venue for many a glamorous occasion, and today it is our guests lounge – a place to relax into a sumptuous silk sofa beside a fire with a glass of Tasmanian wine after a day exploring the south.

 

Dysart House, or Green Ponds Hotel as it was originally known, was built in 1841 by ex-convict William Henry Ellis. Born in England, William Ellis worked as a clerk in a grocery store where for many years he was a highly respected employee. When his employer died William was deeded a gold watch and invited to assist the widow in running the store. Who knows what temptation found him accused of embezzlement? Notwithstanding the good references given at his trial (covered in The Times), Ellis was convicted and transported to Australia for 14 years.

A model prisoner, Ellis was pardoned at the age of 35 after serving only four years of his sentence. He returned to the trade he knew and built a splendid shop in Green Ponds, now Kempton. The store was partially damaged by fire a few years ago but half still stands and is testimony to William’s good taste. He later built the Green Ponds Hotel as an inn for travellers. He ran this successfully until his death, after which the property was passed down through the family until the early-1900s. William Ellis is buried in the local cemetery in Kempton along with other pioneer settlers. The cemetery is now part of the Dysart Estate. The house was once operated as a school for ladies and later a rabbit fur company traded in the shearing shed