Dover Tasmania | |||||||||
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Coordinates | 43°18′S147°1′E / 43.300°S 147.017°E | ||||||||
Population | 486 (2016 census) [1] | ||||||||
Postcode(s) | 7117 | ||||||||
Elevation | 17 m (56 ft) [2] | ||||||||
LGA(s) | Huon Valley Council | ||||||||
State electorate(s) | Franklin | ||||||||
Federal division(s) | Franklin | ||||||||
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Dover is the southernmost town of its size in Australia, located on the western shores towards the southern end of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, just south of the Huon Valley, southwest of Hobart, located on the head of Port Esperance in Tasmania. It has a population of 486; 91% were born in Australia and 5% was born in United Kingdom, with other less common origins such as New Zealand, Germany and Greece all clustering around the 1% mark. [3] [ better source needed ]
First recorded in its Latinised form of Portus Dubris , the name derives from the Brythonic word for waters (dwfr in Middle Welsh). The same element is present in the towns French (Douvres) and Modern Welsh (Dofr) forms.
The place name of Blubber Head, at the northern entrance to Port Esperance, may indicate shore-based bay whaling activity took place at the location in the 19th century. [4]
Port Esperance Post Office opened on 6 February 1856 and was renamed "Dover" in 1895. [5]
In 2013, the Dover Hotel pub/tavern was destroyed when it was engulfed by a fire. [6]
A fire on the night of 23 April 2020 destroyed the Port Esperance Sailing Club's building. [7] This triggered a response from the wider Tasmanian community and beyond to build a new clubhouse. These efforts led to a clubhouse that opened on 17 March 2024. While the basic building is usable and many of traditional community activities have resumed, the cost impacts of COVID-19 mean a number of the clubs facilities wait to be undertaken. Documented club activities date back to an 1858 Regatta, [8] possibly earlier.
Dover has a marine climate (Cfb) with consistently cool, cloudy winters and relatively sunny summers. Due to its far southern latitude and more exposed location than Hobart, snow occurs on an average of 2.3 days a year to beach level, with notably cooler temperatures than the capital and a pronounced winter rainfall peak. [9] The highest recorded temperature in Dover was 40.1 °C (104.2 °F) in March 2019, over 20 °C above the March average maximum.
Climate data for Dover (1990–2024, rainfall to 1901); 20 m AMSL; 43.33° S, 147.00° E | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 39.6 (103.3) | 36.8 (98.2) | 40.1 (104.2) | 30.9 (87.6) | 25.2 (77.4) | 18.9 (66.0) | 18.5 (65.3) | 22.6 (72.7) | 27.7 (81.9) | 31.9 (89.4) | 34.2 (93.6) | 38.0 (100.4) | 40.1 (104.2) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 21.2 (70.2) | 20.9 (69.6) | 19.5 (67.1) | 17.0 (62.6) | 14.6 (58.3) | 12.6 (54.7) | 12.3 (54.1) | 13.1 (55.6) | 14.8 (58.6) | 16.4 (61.5) | 17.9 (64.2) | 19.4 (66.9) | 16.6 (62.0) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10.5 (50.9) | 10.2 (50.4) | 9.0 (48.2) | 7.2 (45.0) | 5.7 (42.3) | 3.9 (39.0) | 3.6 (38.5) | 3.9 (39.0) | 5.0 (41.0) | 6.3 (43.3) | 7.9 (46.2) | 9.1 (48.4) | 6.9 (44.4) |
Record low °C (°F) | 3.1 (37.6) | 2.6 (36.7) | 1.9 (35.4) | −2.0 (28.4) | −1.5 (29.3) | −2.0 (28.4) | −3.4 (25.9) | −1.8 (28.8) | −2.1 (28.2) | −0.5 (31.1) | 0.8 (33.4) | 1.2 (34.2) | −3.4 (25.9) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 52.1 (2.05) | 50.0 (1.97) | 62.4 (2.46) | 65.7 (2.59) | 72.7 (2.86) | 79.3 (3.12) | 87.6 (3.45) | 91.9 (3.62) | 83.5 (3.29) | 86.2 (3.39) | 71.1 (2.80) | 69.9 (2.75) | 872.9 (34.37) |
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2mm) | 11.6 | 10.8 | 13.0 | 14.4 | 16.1 | 16.0 | 18.7 | 18.3 | 17.5 | 17.5 | 15.4 | 14.3 | 183.6 |
Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 59 | 60 | 61 | 66 | 69 | 73 | 71 | 66 | 63 | 62 | 62 | 59 | 64 |
Source: [10] |
HobartHOH-bart; is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly half of Tasmania's population, Hobart is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-smallest by population and area after Darwin if territories are taken into account. Its skyline is dominated by the 1,271-metre (4,170 ft) kunanyi / Mount Wellington, and its harbour forms the second-deepest natural port in the world, with much of the city's waterfront consisting of reclaimed land. The metropolitan area is often referred to as Greater Hobart, to differentiate it from the City of Hobart, one of the seven local government areas that cover the city. It has a mild maritime climate.
The River Derwent, also known as timtumili minanya in palawa kani, is a significant river and tidal estuary in Tasmania, Australia. It begins its journey as a freshwater river in the Central Highlands at Lake St Clair, descending over 700 metres (2,300 ft) across a distance of more than 200 kilometres (120 mi). At the settlement of New Norfolk in the Derwent Valley its waters become brackish, flowing through Hobart, the capital city of Tasmania, its seawater estuary eventually empties into Storm Bay and the Tasman Sea.
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Mount Wellington, also known as kunanyi and gazetted as kunanyi / Mount Wellington is a mountain in the south-east of Tasmania, Australia. It is the summit of the Wellington Range and is within Wellington Park reserve. Hobart, Tasmania's capital city, is located at the foot of the mountain.
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The history of Tasmania begins at the end of the Last Glacial Period when it is believed that the island was joined to the Australian mainland. Little is known of the human history of the island until the British colonisation of Tasmania in the 19th century.
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