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The island of Tasmania, an Australian state, is located 200 km south of the eastern portion of the continent, being separated from it by Bass Strait. Tasmania has a population of 484,700 (March 2005, ABS) and an area of 68 332 km˛ (26,383 square miles). Tasmania bears the
logo the Natural State owing to its large, and relatively un spoilt, natural environment. 40% of Tasmania is formally in reserves and world heritage zones.
The capital and largest city is Hobart, which includes the communities of Hobart, Glenorchy, and Clarence. Other major population centres include Launceston in the north, and Devonport and Burnie in the northwest. The subantarctic Macquarie Island is also under the administration of the state.
History
History of Tasmania
Physical prehistory
It is believed that the island was joined to the mainland until the end of the most recent ice age approximately 10,000 years ago.
Much of the island is composed of Jurassic dolerite, a basaltic intrusion of magma that upwelled through other rock types and formed large columnar crystals as it cooled. Tasmania has the world's largest areas of dolerite, with many distinctive mountains and cliffs formed from this rock type.
The Central Plateau and the SE portions of the island are mostly dolerite. Mt. Wellington above Hobart is a good example, with the Organ Pipes showing the distinct columns. In the SW, Precambrian quartzites are formed from very ancient sea sediments and form strikingly sharp ridges and ranges,
such as Federation Peak or Frenchman's Cap. In the NE, granites can be seen at Freycinet. In the NW and W, mineral rich conglomerate rocks can be seen at Mt. Murchison near Rosebery, or at Mt. Owen near Queenstown. Also present in the S and NW are limestones in which some magnificent caves
can be found.
The quartzite and dolerite in the higher mountains show evidence of glaciation and much of Australia's glaciated landscape is found on the Central Plateau and the Southwest. The combination of these different rock types offers incredible scenery, much of it distinct from any other regions
of the world.
Indigenous people
Tasmanian Aborigine
Tasmania was once inhabited only by an indigenous population, the Tasmanian Aborigines, and evidence indicates their presence in the territory, later to become an island, at least 35,000 years ago (rising sea levels cut Tasmania off from mainland Australia about 10,000 years ago). The indigenous
population at the time of British settlement in 1803 has been estimated at between 5,000 and 10,000 people, but through persecution (see Black War and Black Line) and disease the population had dwindled to 300 in 1833. The entire indigenous population was moved to Flinders Island by George
Augustus Robinson at this time. Truganini (1812-1876) is generally recognised as the last full-blooded Tasmanian Aborigine, although there is strong evidence that it was in fact Fanny Cochrane Smith, who was born at Wybalena, and died in 1905. H. G. Wells, in his famous preface to The War
of the Worlds, which was published in 1898, wrote: "We must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals such as the vanished bison and dodo, but also upon its own inferior races. The Tasmanians, in spite of their human likeness, were entirely
swept out of existence in a war of extermination waged by European immigrants, in the space of fifty years."
European arrival
The first reported sighting of Tasmania by a European was on November 24, 1642 by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman who named the island Anthoonij van Diemenslandt, after his sponsor, the Governor of the Dutch East Indies. The name was later shortened to Van Diemens Land by the British. Captain
James Cook also sighted the island in 1777, and numerous other European seafarers made landfalls, adding a colourful array to the names of topographical features.
The first settlement was by the British at Risdon Cove on the eastern bank of the Derwent estuary in 1803, by a small party sent from Sydney, under Lt. John Bowen for the purpose of preventing the French from claiming the island. An alternative settlement was established by Captain David Collins
5 km to the south in 1804 in Sullivan's Cove on the western side of the Derwent, where fresh water was more plentiful. The latter settlement became known as Hobart Town or Hobarton, later shortened to Hobart, after the British Colonial Secretary of the time, Lord Hobart. The settlement at
Risdon was later abandoned.
The early settlers were mostly convicts and their military guards, with the task of developing agriculture and other industries. Numerous other convict-based settlements were made in Van Diemens Land, including secondary prisons, such as the particularly harsh penal colonies at Port Arthur
in the southeast and Macquarie Harbour on the West Coast. Van Diemens Land was proclaimed a separate colony from New South Wales, with its own judicial establishment and Legislative Council, on December 3, 1825.
Geography
Tasmania is a rugged island of temperate climate, and was considered so similar in some ways to pre-industrial England that it was referred to by some English colonists as 'a Southern England'.
Geographically, Tasmania is similar to New Zealand to its east. Tasmania has been volcanically inactive in recent geological times, and has 'rounded smooth' mountain ranges similar to mainland Australia (unlike most of New Zealand). The most mountainous regions are the Central Highlands
and south western areas, which cover most of the central, west and south west parts of the state. The central east area (the Midlands) is fairly flat by comparison, and is predominantly used for agriculture, although various types of farming activity can be seen all around the state.
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The West Coast, being populated and having historically over 150 years of mineral exploration and exploitation, is a vital region to the state. It has a high rainfall which powers some of the hydro-electric schemes, and the earnings from mineral
activities are significant. The West Coast Range has some of the better known West Coast mines on its slopes – notably the Mount Lyell mine.
The Southwest region, in particular, is densely forested, the National Park holding some of the last temperate rainforests in the Southern Hemisphere. Management of such an isolated and inaccessible area has been made easier and more reliable with the advent of satellite imaging. |
Cataract Gorge, near Launceston
Most of the population lives on and around the coastal rivers – the Derwent and Huon Rivers in the south, the Tamar and Mersey Rivers in the north.
The temperate climate (Tasmania is the only Australian state with any land south of the 40th parallel), rustic environment and numerous historic features (for example, Richmond Bridge in southeastern Tasmania is the oldest bridge in Australia) make Tasmania a popular choice for retirees
who prefer a temperate climate over a tropical one such as Queensland. Tasmania receives a large amount of snow in the highlands throughout the winter months, but very little in significantly populated areas.
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Tasmania is separated from the Australian mainland by Bass Strait, reputed to be one of the potentially roughest waters in the world. The extreme by relatively rare seas experienced in Bass Strait are primarily a result of its shallow depth (typically around 60 m) and susceptibility
to Indian and Southern Ocean currents and swells.
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Climate
View of Hobart foreshore with the city centre and Mt Wellington in the background Tasmania is located at latitude 40° South, longitude 144° East, right in the pathway of the notorious "Roaring Forties" wind that encircles the globe. Tasmania has a very similar climate to England.
The seasons are opposite to that of the Northern Hemisphere. Summer is from December to February when the average maximum temperature is 21° Celsius ( 70° Fahrenheit ). Winter is from June to August with an average maximum temperature of 12° Celsius ( 40° Fahrenheit ).
Highest
maximum temperature: 40.8C (105.4F), Hobart, 4 January 1976
Lowest minimum temperature: -13.0C (8.6F), Shannon, 30 June 1983 [1]
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The annual rainfall varies from 626mm ( 24 inches ) in Hobart to 2400mm ( 95 inches ) on the west coast. The prevailing weather pattern is from west to east and creates a rain shadow in the same direction. The weather on the east coast is nearly
always warmer and milder than the rest of the state. Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year. Tasmania has four distinct seasons. Summer is warm with sunny days and mild evenings. The weather is more stable between the months of February and April, from mid summer to late
autumn. Autumn provides the classical transition to winter with very cool to frosty nights and clear cool days with deciduous trees displaying autumn colours and losing leaves. Winter is characterised by sudden storms, shorter day light hours and a lot of snow on the higher peaks (Mt
Ossa 1,617m / 5300 ft the highest ). Spring is the season shaking off winter with spring showers and new growth warming to summer.
All these factors contribute to the make-up of Tasmania and producing vegetation which is extremely diverse, from tall open eucalypt forest, alpine heathlands and large areas of cool temperate rainforests and moorlands. Many flora species are unique to Tasmania, and some are related
to species in South America and New Zealand through ancestors which grew on the super continent Gondwanaland, 50 million years ago.
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Economy
Tasmania's erratic economy was first experienced by colonists in the early 1800s. The reasons have been many and varied over the years. More recently the reasons have been attributed to: lack of federal infrastructure highway, lack of a gold rush, lack of open immigration initiatives, lack
of population, decline in the wool and mineral economies, lack of early colonial initiatives, or lack of foreign investment. For the length of the history of Tasmania there has been a continuing exodus of youth to mainland Australia in order to seek employment opportunities.
Traditionally Tasmania's main industries have been: mining, including copper, zinc, tin, and iron; agriculture; forestry; and tourism. Significantly in the 1940s and 1950s there had been a notion of 'Hydro-Industrialisation' but even that has ebbed. These all have had varying fortunes over
the last century and more, involved in ebbs and flows of population moving in and away dependant upon the specific requirements of the dominant industries of the time.
There had been a decline in manufacturing during the 1990s, leading to a drain of some of the island's trained and experienced working population to mainland Australia. The major urban centres such as Melbourne and Sydney are popular destinations.
The state has a large number of food exporting sectors, including seafood (for example, Atlantic Salmon, Abalone and Crayfish).
Since 2001, Tasmania has experienced a positive turnaround. Favourable economic conditions throughout Australia, cheaper air fares and three new Spirit of Tasmania ferries have all contributed to what is now a booming tourism industry. Record numbers of tourists are discovering the island,
the property market is booming and the growth of businesses is now being limited by labour constraints.
Today, a significant number of employed Tasmanians work for the government. Other major employers include the Federal Group, owner of several hotels and Tasmania's two casinos, and Gunns Limited, the state's biggest forestry company. In the late 1990s, many national companies based their call
centres in the state after cheap access to broad-band fibre-optic became a reality.
Apparently the state's housing market was undervalued in the early part of 2000, and a large boom in the national housing market finally made Tasmanian housing prices rise dramatically. This has in part been attributed to increased levels of interstate[1] and overseas migration. A shortage
of rental accommodation has caused problems for many of Tasmania's low income earners.
Small business is a large part of the community life and it is believed by many that the business environment in Tasmania is not an easy one to survive in. However there have been many success stories, such as International Catamarans, Moorilla Estate and Tassal. |
| Wikipedia contributors (2006). Tasmania. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:00, April 10, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tasmania&oldid=47520123.
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