 The area had been the lands of the Pallittorre Aboriginal Tasmanians for thousands of years . European settlement and disease drove them from the lands and decimated their population . Chudleigh was first settled by Europeans in the 1830s for agriculture and lime production . The town was laid out , probably prior to 1835 , to have up to 5000 residents though the population never became large . An early resident , John Badcock Gardiner , named Chudleigh , probably after Chudleigh in Devon , England . During the 19th century a town hall , four churches , a school , an inn , post office , police station and telegraph office were built . Over time the churches , school , inn and post office have closed . A rail line from Deloraine to Mole Creek served the town from 1890 till its closure in 1985 . 
