Omission of Tasmania from maps of Australia

Last updated

Map of Australia with Tasmania highlighted in red. Tasmania locator-MJC.png
Map of Australia with Tasmania highlighted in red.

The Australian island state of Tasmania is sometimes omitted from maps of Australia. Such omissions often provoke outrage from Tasmanians.

Contents

Early omissions

In 1909, the Daily Post of Hobart reported that "very often maps of the Commonwealth... are not graced with the fair island of Tasmania depicted on them." [1]

1982 Commonwealth Games

During the 1982 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, performers created a map of Australia that omitted Tasmania. [2] English-born Australian poet Andrew Sant wrote "Off the Map" in response:

Performers making a map of Australia (excluding Tasmania) during the 1982 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony - Brisbane 1982.jpg
Performers making a map of Australia (excluding Tasmania) during the 1982 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.

Identity deleted,
Close to the Continent
Who wouldn't make a fuss?
There have been wars for less... [3]

2014 Commonwealth Games

The Australian swim team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games were issued training swimsuits with a stylised design featuring maps of Australia, along with kangaroos and emus. The animals obscured Tasmania, and the design was criticized for leaving Tasmania off the map. Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman called the omission "un-Australian and unforgivable". [2]

Other incidents

In 1995, Portugal issued a 200 escudo coin commemorating Portugal's discovery of Australia, but the map used did not include Tasmania. 200 escudos 1522-1525 1995 Australia.png
In 1995, Portugal issued a 200 escudo coin commemorating Portugal's discovery of Australia, but the map used did not include Tasmania.
The map in the board game Risk includes Australia, but not Tasmania Amsterdam - Risk players - 1136 (cropped).jpg
The map in the board game Risk includes Australia, but not Tasmania

State of Invisibility exhibition 2022

In October 2022, publicist Hamish Thompson held an exhibition called State of Invisibility highlighting the absence of Tasmania from national maps, souvenirs and federal memorabilia. This seemed to strike a chord, and was covered by local and national press throughout Australia. [12] [13] [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasmania</span> State of Australia

Tasmania is an island state of Australia. It is located 240 kilometres to the south of the Australian mainland, separated from it by the Bass Strait, with the archipelago containing the southernmost point of the country. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th-largest island in the world, and the surrounding 1000 islands. It is Australia's least populous state, with 569,825 residents as of December 2021. The state capital and largest city is Hobart, with around 40 percent of the population living in the Greater Hobart area. Tasmania is the most decentralised state in Australia, with the lowest proportion of its residents living within its capital city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Lomond (Tasmania)</span> Mountain in the north of Tasmania

Ben Lomond is a mountain in the north-east of Tasmania, Australia.

Football Tasmania (FT) is the governing body for soccer in the Australian state of Tasmania. The federation oversees competitions across Tasmania, Tasmanian representative teams, and development of the sport in the state. The federation was known as the Tasmanian Soccer Association until 1996, when it was renamed to Soccer Tasmania. In line with national changes in March 2006, it became Football Federation Tasmania. In February 2019, the organisation became simply Football Tasmania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derwent Entertainment Centre</span> Indoor arena in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

The Derwent Entertainment Centre (DEC), known commercially as MyState Bank Arena since 2021, is Tasmania's largest indoor arena, serving as Hobart's primary location for large indoor sporting events, functions and live entertainment. Commissioned by the Tasmanian Government and the Glenorchy City Council, the DEC served as the home arena for the Hobart Devils in the NBL from 1989 until 1996, when the team's licence was revoked. Subsequently, between 1997 and 1998, ownership was transferred entirely to the City of Glenorchy, where it became a financial burden and incurred significant maintenance expenses for Glenorchy taxpayers, while seeing limited use. As the largest enclosed multipurpose venue in Tasmania, the DEC has hosted many Australian and international musical acts, including Kylie Minogue, Bob Dylan, Carole King, The Corrs, James Brown, Leonard Cohen, Tina Turner, Blondie and The Beach Boys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasmanian Football League</span> Australian rules football league in Tasmania

The Tasmanian State League (TSL), colloquially known as the Tasmanian Football League (TFL) (formerly known as the Tasmanian Australian National Football League (TANFL) and several other short-term names) is the highest ranked Australian rules football league in Tasmania, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian rules football in Tasmania</span>

Australian rules football in Tasmania, has been played since the late 1860s and draws the largest audience for a football code in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Tam</span> Brand of chocolate biscuits

Tim Tam is a brand of chocolate biscuit introduced by the Australian biscuit company Arnott's in 1964. It consists of two malted biscuits separated by a light hard chocolate cream filling and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnott's Group</span> Australian snack food manufacturer

Arnott's Group is an Australian producer of biscuits and snack food. Founded in 1865 by William Arnott, they are the largest producer of biscuits in Australia and a subsidiary of KKR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huon Valley</span> Valley in Tasmania, Australia

The Huon Valley, or simply the Huon, is a valley and geographic area located in southern Tasmania, Australia. The largest town is Huonville, with other smaller towns spread across the area. It includes Australia's most southern permanent settlement at Southport. The Huon Valley Council area had a population of 15,140 in 2011. Famed for its apple growing, the Valley was first settled by British colonists in the 1820s; prior to settlement the Huon Valley area was inhabited by the Mouheneenner, Nuenonne, Mellukerdee and Lyluequonny people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Davey</span> Oceanic inlet of Tasmania, Australia

Port Davey is an oceanic inlet located in the south west region of Tasmania, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symmons Plains Raceway</span> Motor sport race track in Tasmania, Australia

Symmons Plains Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Australia, located about 30 km (19 mi) south of Launceston, Tasmania. Since the closure of the Longford circuit in the 1960s it has been Tasmania's premier motor racing facility. The circuit is one of the longest serving circuits of the combined history of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the V8 Supercar Championship Series. Since 2005 it has hosted the Falken Tasmania Challenge for V8 Supercars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sport in Tasmania</span>

Participation in organised sports events and activities is a significant aspect of the sporting culture in Tasmania, Australia. According to the 2020 Sports Australia AusPlay survey, 88.3% of Tasmanian adults and 69.5% of Tasmanian children engage in some form of sport or physical activity at least once per year. However, these figures are slightly below the national average by -1.1% and -3.6%, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stacks Bluff</span>

The Stacks Bluff is a peak in northeast Tasmania, Australia. The mountain is situated on the Ben Lomond plateau.

The history of the Tasmanian AFL bid covers a series of proposals and bids between 1987 and 2023 for a Tasmanian-based Australian rules football team in the Australian Football League and AFL Women's premierships. Eight formal proposals for a new or relocated club to represent Tasmania were made over this time, the earliest coming in 1992, while informal proposals were raised as early as 1987, when the Victorian Football League commenced its expansion to become a national competition.

A-League expansion in Tasmania has been proposed since the establishment of the A-League in 2005. Before the introduction of the league, Football Federation Australia (FFA) chairman Frank Lowy said he hoped to expand the competition into cities such as Hobart and Launceston, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Tasmanian bushfires</span> 2013 Fire

The 2013 Tasmanian bushfires were a series of bushfires which occurred in south-eastern Tasmania, Australia, between November 2012 and late April 2013. The fires burnt approximately 20,000 hectares of mixed resident land and native forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasmania Football Club</span> Australian rules football club

The Tasmania Football Club, nicknamed the Devils, is a professional Australian rules football club set to compete in the Australian Football League (AFL) from the 2028 season and the AFL Women's (AFLW) from an unspecified date. The club will be based in Tasmania, with matches to be played across the state. Both University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston and Blundstone Arena in Hobart will host games initially, with the southern matches moving to the future Macquarie Point Stadium upon its construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gretna, Tasmania</span> Town in Tasmania, Australia

Gretna is a rural locality in the local government areas (LGA) of Central Highlands and Derwent Valley in the Central and South-east LGA regions of Tasmania. The locality is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south-east of the town of Hamilton. The 2016 census has a population of 211 for the state suburb of Gretna. It was formerly known as Stony Hut Plains, though the Gretna post office was known as Macquarie Plains for many years. It has a postcode of 7140.

Tasmanian Magpies are an Australian netball team that represents Tasmania in the Australian Netball League. They were ANL champions in 2018. The team was formed in 2017 as a partnership between Netball Tasmania, the Tasmanian Government and Collingwood Magpies. Tasmanian Magpies are effectively the reserve team of Collingwood Magpies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Cinema, North Hobart</span> Historic cinema venue in North Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

The State Cinema is a historic cinema venue located in North Hobart, Tasmania. It was acquired by the US-owned Reading Cinemas chain in November 2019.

References

  1. "Looking after Tasmania". Daily Post . Vol. II, no. 171. Tasmania, Australia. 20 July 1909. p. 4. Retrieved 22 July 2020 via National Library of Australia.
  2. 1 2 3 Hope, Emma (25 July 2014). "We demand an apology for snub after Tasmania is left off the map again". The Mercury . Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  3. Shakespeare, Nicholas (2010). In Tasmania: Adventures at the End of the World. Random House. p. 26. ISBN   9781407074153 . Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  4. Image of Shirley Strickland in her Australian tracksuit at the 1956 Olympic Games
  5. "Where the devil is Tasmania? | Bluffer's". bluffers.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012.
  6. Jones, Grant (13 January 2012). "Tasmania is missing from inside a box of Australia-shaped biscuits by Arnott's Shapes". Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  7. Usher, Melanie. "South Australia New State logo". HIT 107 . Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  8. Calligeros, Marissa (20 January 2016). "Woolworths forced to withdraw Australia Day merchandise after leaving Tasmania off hats". The Age . Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  9. Tassie Left Out Again, 26 February 2020, retrieved 28 February 2020
  10. Hasbro. "Risk Game". Hasbro Shop. Hasbro. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  11. SMG Studio. "RISK: Global Domination". Steam. Valve. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  12. Cutting, Lucie (31 October 2022). "Left off the map, exhibition highlights the many times Tasmania has been forgotten". ABC News. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  13. Kidman, John (29 October 2022). "Exhibition casts Tassie as invisible state". The Western Australian. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  14. Bilton, Ross (November 2022). "What's Missing? A kitsch love song to the state of invisibility" . The Australian. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023.