Things to do in Ross, Tasmania: Plan your perfect visit

The best things to do in Ross, Tasmania, include admiring the heritage buildings on Church Street. Also worth visiting are the Ross Bridge, Tasmanian Wool Centre and Ross Female Factory.

Ross, Tasmania, is one of several gorgeous small towns in Australia’s smallest state. The two things that make it particularly worth a visit are its well-preserved colonial heritage and Midlands location on the drive from Hobart to Launceston.

Things to do in Ross: Church Street heritage buildings

The best known attraction in Ross, Tasmania is the Ross Bridge over the Macquarie River. This handsome sandstone bridge was built in 1836, and hints at the town’s history.

Ross Bridge in Ross, Tasmania — The convict-built Ross Bridge over the Macquarie River is the most famous attraction in Ross, Tasmania. Photo courtesy of Tourism Tasmania & Rob Burnett

If heritage buildings are your thing, then you’re in luck. One of the best things to do in Ross, Tasmania, is wandering through the cobbled streets admiring the colonial era buildings. Many of these are along Church Street. Highlights include the Ross Uniting Church, Drill Hall and Ross Memorial Library.

Things to do in Ross: Tasmanian Wool Centre

Top of the list of things to do in Ross, however, is probably visiting the Tasmanian Wool Centre. This is a celebration of the merino wool industry that is a big money-spinner in central Tasmania. The Tasmanian Wool Centre is part museum, part shop. You can buy all manner of products made from wool, but if you’re not in the market for gloves and jumpers, you can get an education instead.

Amid the recreated shearing shed and wool tapestries, there’s plenty of information of how the wool industry came to Tasmania. You can also compare different types of wool to understand why the merino wool is particularly prized.

Ross Female Factory

Also worth a look is the site of the Female Factory. This was where incarcerated women convicts would be put to work on various projects. Not much of the Ross Female Factory is still standing, but the overseer’s cottage at the front of the site is. This now acts as a museum about the lives of female convicts.

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