Dr Mathias Gaunt arrived in Tasmania (then known as Van Dieman’s Land) with his wife and five sons in May 1831. He received a grant of 2560 acres on the east bank of the Tamar River, which was later extended by a further grant of 1280 acres. He named his property ‘Windermere’, and had a vineyard, saw mills and flour mills. Before leaving England, Dr Gaunt promised his wife that if there was no church where they settled, he would build her one. With a local subscription of £60 and a grant of £40 from the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (SPCK) he financed the building of St Matthias’ church, the first service being held in November 1843. The first Bishop of Tasmania, Bishop Francis Nixon, consecrated the church and cemetery on 18 April 1845. The Rev’d A. Davenport was appointed Chaplain that same year and services were held regularly. The Chaplain initially lived in a nearby cottage, but after some years the centre of the parish moved to the west bank of the Tamar and services at St Matthias’ became less regular. Unfortunately, the condition of the building deteriorated leading to various efforts at repair. For example, the leaking shingle roof was replaced with corrugated iron in 1920, and further substantial repairs were carried out in 1937. As Windermere is a small community, many people travelled some distance to get to church there. Part of the local history is that church goers would cross the river by boat to attend services. Parish structures have changed over the years and St Matthias’ has been part of several different ones, including St George’s Invermay and St Barnabas’ North Launceston. Since 2008, St Matthias’ has been part of the parish of Holy Trinity Launceston - a slightly unusual arrangement in that it is geographically separate. Despite small numbers, a faithful group has continued to meet and has sought to make St Matthias’ and its grounds a meeting place for the local community.

The parish of Holy Trinity Launceston also includes St Andrew's, Evandale and St James', Franklin Village.

An audio tour of the church and cemetery can be found here

St Matthias’ is currently in good repair, but new maintenance and conservation projects arise regularly. Community support is very welcome. Contact us for more information.

The church and grounds are maintained by volunteers and we invite you to become part of this network.

St Matthias’ is a small and confined space and so, regrettably, we are unable to hold services there while current COVID-19 restrictions remain in place. This information will be updated as the situation changes. Until then, services for the parish are held at Holy Trinity and are available live-streamed and recorded via our Youtube channel. The information below describes our regular pattern when restrictions do not apply.

Services are held on the second and fourth Sundays of each month at 9.00am. Whenever possible, the service is Holy Communion following the Second Order in A Prayer Book for Australia 1995. When no ordained minister is available, a lay reader conducts Morning Prayer. As in every Anglican service, there is a clear emphasis on hearing God's word in the Bible readings, and grappling with its meaning and significance in Bible focused sermons. Joining in Holy Communion is a regular reminder that we gather in the name of Jesus Christ, who gave his life for our sins. We usually share in Morning Tea at the conclusion.

Christmas and Easter are two of the best known and most popular occasions in the church calendar. We warmly invite you to join us in celebrating them. Of course, we hope to see you more often than just twice a year!

Our usual pattern for Christmas Services is:
Christmas Eve:
7pm Lessons and Carols

Our usual pattern for Easter Services is:
Easter Sunday:
9.00am Holy Communion

Services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are held at Holy Trinity. Times can be found here

Sermons are recorded whenever possible at Holy Trinity's 10.30am service. They can be found here