Pontville was sited by Governor Lachlan Macquarie, in 1821, and was an early garrison town, where convicts built the bridge over the Jordon River. During World Wars I and II the area had a major army camp.

The convicts and soldiers are gone now but the historic buildings remain: St Matthews Catholic Church and St Marks Church of England (designed by convict architect James Blackburn), the Crown Inn (1835), the Sheiling (1819) and other cottages that now offer colonial accommodation.

Pontville, with a population of around 1400, is 27 kilometres (17 miles) north of Hobart, and you can walk along the riverbanks, read the headstones in the old churchyards and admire the pottery and crafts at studios roundabout.