Buried away in the Archives Office of Tasmania, the Sharland Map was compiled in 1826 by surveyor William Stanley Sharland and is one of the earliest and most detailed survey maps of the then fledgling settlement of Launceston.
The city’s major streets, including Brisbane Street, York Street, Elizabeth Street and Charles Street had been laid out and new homes and businesses were being constructed across the township, which at the time was only 20 years old.
Along with street names, buildings and property boundaries, the Sharland map also contains the names of more than 163 people who were occupying parcels of land in Launceston in 1826.
For Launceston historian and surveyor John Dent and fellow historian Jenny Gill, those names offered a glimpse into the past, and the pair set about finding out as much about the early residents of Launceston as they could.
Late last year, they partnered with the Launceston City Council’s Spatial Science Department and University of Tasmania Bachelor of Surveying and Spatial Sciences students Ryan Anthony and Steven Harvey to make the Sharland map available online, with a ‘story map’ featuring much of the historical and biographical information they had managed to unearth.
Now it is possible to overlay elements of the Sharland map on a modern map of Launceston and to view details of those early land occupants in the city.
Launceston City Council Spatial Sciences Manager Alex Crothers said the impressive revelation from dragging the Sharland map into the 21st century was how accurate it was.
“Today we have access to, aerial photography, GPS and all kinds of advanced surveying technology. In 1826, none of that existed. But this map is surprisingly accurate, especially considering it was all done with a chain and staff.”
Mr Dent said the project had been a labour of love.
“We set about taking these 163 names and trying to find out a bit about these people, because these are the people who built Launceston.”
The map can be found online at bit.ly/1hLeuvh
