James Austin was a convict success story.

Transported from England in 1803 for stealing beehives, he would go on to develop land on the River Derwent into a farm, orchard and ferry quay, complete with a grand inn and homestead.

But while little evidence of his small empire remains, his legacy endures through the suburb bearing his name north of Hobart and a cottage undergoing renewal as a tourist attraction.

Austin's grand inn was in ruins by the 1920s. ( Supplied: Louise Kemsley )

New caretakers

Budding historian Louise Kemsley and artist Kaye Green recently became caretakers of James Austin Cottage, one of the oldest unmodified buildings in Tasmania.

"I love old buildings, so when I saw Austin's Cottage, I thought I just have to," Ms Kemsley said.

"We'll be making the cottage somewhere the community can come and see, and to make it more of a tourist attraction for the northern suburbs.

"At the moment everyone I talk to has never heard of it."

James Austin was given a parcel of land on the river Derwent past Hobart’s northern suburbs. ( Supplied: Tasmanian Archives and Heritage Office )

An entrepreneurial convict

Austin was transported from England for stealing beehives valued at 30 shillings and arrived at Port Phillip in Victoria in 1803.

The following year he was relocated to Van Diemen's Land and remained a convict until 1809.

Upon his release, Austin was granted 12 hectares of land on the River Derwent north of Hobart Town, where he built the cottage and developed a sheep farm that employed several convicts.

He partnered with his cousin, John Earle, in 1816 to establish what would become a popular ferry service across the river to Old Beach.

For the first time, people and goods could be transported across the river on the vital trade route to Launceston — it would be 20 years until the nearby Bridgewater Causeway was opened.

Roseneath House was completed shortly before Austin's death in 1831. ( Supplied: Louise Kemsley )

Ms Kemsley wants to use the cottage to tell Austin's story.

"I think it's amazing that something so important came from one convict," she said.

"He was illiterate but he was clearly a savvy businessman.

"He realised there was a need and demand to cross the river."

An impressive Inn

Austin's ferry service had the seal of approval from the authorities, and in 1818 was granted a formal licence to continue his work.

He used the wealth generated from the monopoly to establish a large orchard and continue to graze livestock.

Austin and Earle also built a large inn, known as Austin's, to cater for ferry passengers and was a holiday destination for people visiting Hobart Town.

James Austin's cottage in the 1970s. ( Supplied: Louise Kemsley )

It impressed then-governor Lachlan Macquarie, who renamed the inn and precinct Roseneath.

Austin never married and his estate passed to his nephews when he died in 1831.

Shortly before his death, worked was finished on Roseneath House which had been designed to replace the inn.

The inn fell into ruin by the 1920s and Roseneath House was destroyed in the 1967 bushfires.

While Bridgewater Causeway lessened the need for the ferry service, it remained in place until the 1950s.