Perth is the first major city en route from Launceston to Hobart . There, the Illawarra Main Road (B52) branches off from the Midland Highway to form a bypass option for those traveling from Hobart to the north-west of the island from Launceston.
Like Longford , just a few kilometers southwest, Perth has a historic city center with many buildings from the early 19th century.
Adoration of John McKay
In 1837 John McKay's body was gibbeted (hung in a cage on the gallows until death by dying of thirst) near Perth, where he had murdered Joseph Wilson . This was five years after the practice was abolished in the UK. There was a great public outcry, but McKay's body was not removed until acquaintances of the murdered man passed the site and were so shocked by the sight of the murderer's rotting body that they asked authorities to remove it. The scene is on the northern outskirts to the right of the Midland Highway (in the direction of Launceston). A sign shows him as Gibbet Hill .
This was the last case of gibbet in a British colony.
