Founded in 1890, the University of Tasmania has a rich and proud history. In 2015 we are celebrating 125 years of education and research.

We invite you to explore the key milestones, stories and personalities of our history in our 125 Years Timeline. We also invite you toShare your story and become part of our digital history.


125 stories
For our 125 year celebrations we are publishing stories contributed by past and present members of the University community. Look for this badge while exploring, orsee all the stories here.
While reading stories on this site, you’ll see buttons showing the interest level. If you find a story interesting, click the button. You’ll help other people discover stories too!

The Great Depression

The Great Depression severely affected Australia. In 1929, The Wall Street stock market in New York crashed, sending the world economy into a downward spiral that would last for over a decade. The collapse of international commodity prices, including wheat and wool, led to heavy debts for the federal, state and territory governments.

During this time many Australians showed a high level of resourcefulness and self-sufficiency, such as tilling backyard gardens to grow food, and devising cheap forms of entertainment. However, many Australians were forced to rely on family or charities to survive, and those who could no longer pay rent were forced out of their homes to live in camps, which dotted the outskirts of the major cities.

This was an inhospitable environment for the University of Tasmania. Cuts in government funding were swift and severe, and University staff voluntarily reduced their salaries by up to twenty percent, in a futile effort to stem the bleeding. All Australian academics endured salary cuts during the depression, but those of Tasmania were among the very worst in the country.

However, this decade also saw the rise of the University’s first Academic Vice-Chancellor, Sir Edmund Morris Miller. Miller was determined to act as a mediator and ease the growing tensions between the teaching and administrative staff over issues such as wages and academic freedom. In this he succeeded, and during his time as Vice-Chancellor the University grew into a well-known centre of intellectualism, despite the difficulties presented by lack of funding and public hostility.

In this decade

  • 1932Sydney Harbour Bridge opened
  • 1936 -1939Spanish civil war
  • 1936Berlin Olympics - James 'Jesse' Owens wins gold
  • 1937Hindenburg explosion
  • 1938The Yellow River in China floods
  • 1939World War Two

Vice-Chancellors