Bridgewater, Tasmania
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| name = Bridgewater
| image = Bridgewater, Gagebrook, Brighton and the Derwent River from Granton.jpg
| caption = Bridgewater (left) and Gagebrook (right)
| coordinates = {{coord|42|44|5|S|147|14|39|E|display=inline,title}}
| alternative_location_map = Australia Hobart
| local_map = yes
| zoom = 12
| state = tas
| type = suburb
| lga = Municipality of Brighton
| city = Hobart
| postcode = 7030
| pop = 4045
| pop_year = {{CensusAU|2016}}
| pop_footnotes = {{Census 2016 AUS|id=SSC60073|name=Bridgewater (Tas) (State Suburb)|access-date=14 April 2018|quick=on}}
| near-nw =
| near-n = Brighton
| near-ne =
| near-w = Derwent River
| near-e = Gagebrook
| near-sw = (Bridgewater Bridge)
| near-s = Green Point
| near-se = Gagebrook}}
Bridgewater is a northern suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 19 kilometres from the central business district.
Overview
File:Bridgewater Bridge from north.jpg]]
Bridgewater is situated on the eastern shore of the Derwent River. It is a suburb of the local government area of the Municipality of Brighton. From a transport perspective, Bridgewater is one of the first suburbs encountered by visitors traveling from the state's north via the Midland Highway and the Brighton Bypass. The suburb connects to the western shore via the Bridgewater Bridge. Bridgewater was also once home to the railway station on the South line, which was used by commuters for travel into the city.[http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/TASBridgewater.shtml Bridgewater Tourist Information] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050619221917/http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/TASBridgewater.shtml |date=19 June 2005 }} It was demolished in April 1997.Here & There Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin issue 718 August 1997 page 288
Culture
Bridgewater commonly has a reputation for its low social class and is noted as a disadvantaged area. Much of this is due to the mass of public housing, mainly built in the 1970s as part of a public housing project that was operating from 1944 to 1989.{{Cite web|url=http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/H/Housing%20Public.htm|title=The Companion to Tasmanian History|date=2006|website=The Companion to Tasmanian History|publisher=Alison Alexander and Colin Sproule|access-date=30 April 2016}}
It also has one of the highest proportions of cigarette smokers in Australia.{{cite news |last1=Hayes |first1=Jessica |title=Cindy had her first cigarette at 12. She lives in Australia's smoking capital |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-31/australia-worst-suburbs-for-smoking-rates-revealed/11164600 |access-date=9 June 2019 |work=ABC News|location=Australia|date=31 May 2019 |language=en-AU}}
Education
Bridgewater has three primary schools: Northern Suburbs Christian School (private), St. Paul's Primary School (Catholic), and East Derwent Primary School (public). It also has a public high school, Bridgewater High School, which includes a school farm. East Derwent Primary School is a merger of the old Greenpoint and Bridgewater Primary Schools and is on the site of the former Greenpoint school.
The Government of Tasmania, through the Big Picture School initiative, has connected the public schools of the area together into what will be known as the "Jordan River Learning Federation", which will provide the area with K–12 public school education, through the East Derwent Primary School, Bridgewater High School, and the newly developed post year 10 education institute.[http://education.tas.edu.au/jrlf/ Bridgewater High School (now Jordan River Learning Federation)]
Sport and recreation
Since 2011 Bridgewater has been the home to soccer club Derwent United FC at Weily Park.