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, on the head of Port Esperance in Tasmania. At the 2021 census, Dover had a population of 923, with 83% of the populace born in Australia, 6% in the United Kingdom, 2% in New Zealand and about 1% each in China, Canada, Korea, the USA, Ireland and Nepal.[3]
The place name of Blubber Head, at the northern entrance to Port Esperance, indicates that shore-based bay whaling activity may have taken place at the location in the 19th century.[4]
Port Esperance Post Office, which opened on 6 February 1856, was renamed "Dover" in 1895.[5]
In 2013, the Dover Hotel pub/tavern was engulfed by fire and destroyed.[6]
Club activities of the Port Esperance Sailing Club are documented as dating to 1858 – when a regatta was held – and may date back further.[7] Fire destroyed the club building on the night of 23 April 2020.[8] Community response from across Tasmania, as well as beyond, led to the building of a new clubhouse, which ultimately opened on 17 March 2024. While the basic building is usable and many of the traditional community activities resumed, the cost impacts of COVID-19 mean that a number of the club's new facilities are yet to be used.
Climate
Dover has a marine climate (Cfb) with consistently cool, cloudy winters and relatively sunny summers. Due to its far-southern latitude and location more exposed than Hobart, snow occurs to beach level on an average of 2.3 days per year, with temperatures notably cooler than those of 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, more than 20°C (68°F) hotter than the average daily maximum for March.
The annual mean temperature of 11.8°C (53.2°F) is comparable to London in the British Isles, despite Dover sharing a latitude with Nice in southern France. Summer mean temperatures are comparable to those in Glasgow.
Climate data for Dover (1990–2024, rainfall to 1901); 20 m AMSL; 43.33° S, 147.00° E
↑ Kathryn Evans, Shore-based whaling in Tasmania: historical research project; Volume 2; site histories, Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, Hobart, 1993, p.40.
↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
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