Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Halifax n.

a euph. for SE hell.

1767		‘Andrew Barton’ Disappointment II iv: If ever I blow you, blast me! If one word goes through my head rails, the devil blow me to Halifax.
1881		Bulletin (Sydney) 19 Mar. 9/1: The plucky offer of 100 of our ‘painted soldiers;’ (vide Sir H. P.) to blow the Boers to Halifax, and chop what are left Into coookshop hash [etc].
1906		in DARE n.p.: I’ll jist be diddle-de-diddle-de-daggon if I don’t wish the dern corn wuz in Halifax and him with it! [HDAS].
1908		N.Z. Truth 8 Feb. 6/3: The men or alleged men, were kicked from there to Halifax.
c.1943		S .J. Baker Aus. Vulgarisms [t/s] 6: Hell: hades, Halifax, heck, hellishun, hangashun, help (and, possibly, heavens).
1989		H. Rawson Dict. of Invective (1991) 190: Such euphemisms as blazes, Halifax, heck, Jesse, Sam Hill, and thunder.

In phrases

go to Halifax (v.)

to go the long way round.

1903

G.D. Chase ‘Cape Cod Dialect’ in DN II:v 298: Halifax, n. In expression ‘go way to Halifax,’ to go out of the way, or an unnecessarily long distance.

In exclamations

go to Halifax!

a euph. for go to hell! under hell n.

1669		Depositions from Castle of York (1861) 165: Sirrah! goe to Hallifax. And come, I am as good a man as thy father.
1866		W. Stamer Life of Adventure II 295: [A]s to what people thought, they might go to Halifax for all I cared.
1875		N&Q Ser. 5 IV 66: Go to Halifax. This expression is sometimes used in the United States as a mild substitute for a direction to go to a place not to be named to ears polite .