[4] In 1803, the island of Tasmania (then Van Diemen's Land) was colonised by United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, who subsequently established the settlement of Hobart.

[5] By the 1820s the settlement had spread to the 'Clarence Plains', but the area remained primarily agricultural until the mid to late 20th century, when it experienced a residential development boom.

[5] Prior to the establishment of the British colony there, Captain John Hayes of the East India Company had sailed up the Derwent River, with the vessels Duke of Clarence and the Duchess of Bengal in 1793.

Relieved at making landfall following an arduous crossing of the Indian Ocean, Hayes named the region around Rokeby as 'Clarence Plains', in honour of the vessel having delivered them safely to a sanctuary.

Aboriginal middens can often be found along the coastline of the City of Clarence such as at Shag Bay, indicating that they hunted, and searched for seafood and shellfish in the region.

Fearing the arrival of French explorers who may have wished to make a rival claim to the island of Van Diemen's Land, the then Governor of New South Wales, Philip Gidley King dispatched a young 23-year-old Lieutenant by the name of John Bowen to establish a colony there.

Collin's dispatched troops to row ashore off what is now Rokeby to march overland to the camp at Risdon and announce their arrival.

The initial intelligence from the soldiers that had marched overland from Rokeby to Risdon Vale, and subsequent explorations suggested the plains on the eastern shore of the Derwent were more suited to agriculture.

[16] By the early 1820s a small village was growing around Kangaroo Point, that was soon to become Bellerive, making it the first site of permanent settlement in Clarence Plains.

Bellerive was well fed by a freshwater stream that emptied into Kangaroo Bay, and it still exists running parallel to Rosny Park Public Golf Course as a storm water culvert.

[17] The next areas within Clarence Plains to be settled on the eastern shore of Hobart's Derwent River, were Rosny, and its neighbours Montagu Bay and Lindisfarne to the north.

Private properties had been built in each of these localities by the late 1820s, commanding excellent views across the Derwent to Hobart Town and Mount Wellington.

In 1836, Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land, George Arthur divided the island into administrative counties, and Clarence Plains fell into Pembrokeshire.

In 1862, Bellerive also became the administrative centre of the municipality, and the Eastern Police District, but for much of the late nineteenth century, Clarence Plains experienced little development, remaining primarily agricultural.

[21] It was hoped that is could eventually be connected to the Tasmanian Main Line at Brighton, thus providing rail access to the south of Clarence Plains, Sorrell and the Tasman Peninsular, but engineering difficulties and economic problems led to its abandonment.

[22] Despite soon developing a reputation of being treacherous to cross in stormy weather, and suffering delays caused by its lifting span opening to allow maritime traffic to pass, it created previously unprecedented access to the eastern shore.

The Metropolitan Transport Trust supported the expansion into the eastern shore, by opening up an excellent network of bus routes into the municipality.

New suburbs arose, such as Flagstaff Gully, Geilston Bay and Old Beach to the north, and Cremorne, Howrah, Lauderdale, Rokeby and Tranmere towards the south of the city.

Expansion to Eastlands Shopping Centre and the nearby commercial businesses on Bligh and Bayfield Streets has seen a strong growth in retail.

Most suburbs are served by centralised commercial services that are found primarily in Rosny Park which is the city's central business district.

The City of Clarence generally receives sunrise two to three minutes before Hobart and Glenorchy, and sunset is also experienced slightly after the western shore, due to the angle of shadow cast by Mount Wellington.

Local authority, responsible for provision of such services as roads, libraries and planning permissions rests with the Clarence City Council.

A new Bellerive Police Station and Watch House was completed in 1842, and has subsequently been used as municipal council chambers, a district library and the CIB headquarters, but at present it is used as a Community Arts Centre.

[43] There were few health care facilities other than local general practitioner surgeries within the Municipality of Clarence prior to the Tasman Bridge disaster.

The isolation caused by the severing of the bridge, and the inability of patients to travel across the river for treatment highlighted the need for local health care services on the eastern shore.

[48] Despite the existence of small-scale manufacturing, agriculture, and viticulture, it is retail and government administration that provide the primary impetus of local economy.

Based primarily around the Coal River valley between Richmond and Acton Park, the city's viticulture industry is exemplified by European style wines, that are located at a similar latitude to French and German regions such as Champagne, Lorraine, Baden and Rheingau.

Ironically, it was the poor supply from this water source during summer months that originally led to the abandonment of the initial British camp at Risdon Cove.

For many years the Carols by Candlelight festival held annually in Charles Hand Park in the heart of the city, has continued to draw crowds of upwards of 20,000.

In 1985 a local free weekly newspaper The Southern Star was begun by publisher Harris & Co, however the difficult advertising market in a small community meant it could not sustain a rivalry with The Mercury, and it closed in December 1995.