Tasmania

G'day and welcome to my Tasmania information page. Here you will find some information about Tasmania, some sights from around the state as well as links to other related sites.

Tasmania, the smallest of Australia's six states, is an island lying south of the south-east corner of the Australian mainland. Roughly triangular in shape, it is surrounded by smaller islands, the most important of which are King, Flinders and Bruny islands.

Including these smaller islands, the State has a total area of 68 331 km² and is separated from the Australian mainland by Bass Strait, a shallow sea with an average width of 240 km.

Tasmania is the most mountainous of Australian States. It is distinctive not so much for the height of its mountains, which rarely exceed 1500 m, but for their domination of the landscape because the proportion of mountainous country to total area is particularly high.

The island is dominated by a central plateau sloping south-east from an average level of 1000 m in the south. On the western edge, it gives way to a range of mountains running parallel to the west coast. This region is sparsely populated and contains the State's main mining areas.

Between the central plateau and a mountainous region in the north-east corner of the State lies an area known as the Midlands, one of Tasmania's richest agricultural areas. The Midlands open to the south-east on to another low plateau which is another important agricultural region.

Tasmania, or Van Diemen's Land as it was originally known, is the second oldest of the Australian colonies. Its capital, Hobart, near the mouth of the Derwent River on the south-east coast, was established in 1803 and early in its history a major whaling port and shipbuilding centre. The city has come to function as the main administrative and commercial centre of the State.

Tasmania's population is divided almost equally between the north and the south. About 40 per cent of Tasmanians live in and around Hobart. The population pattern has resulted from geographical, historical and commercial factors which have led to the development of a number of relatively large centres on the island's north coast. These serve as centres for the agricultural and industrial activities typical of the region and include Launceston, Devonport and Burnie.

Largest Cities

Tasmania lies between latitudes 40° and 43.5° south and its climate is temperate maritime. The State's location on the northern edge of the "Roaring Forties" (a westerly airstream), plus its mountainous terrain, produce marked variations of climate, particularly of rainfall. Tasmania has the highest average rainfall of any Australian State. Annual rainfall can be as high 3600 mm in the west and as low as 500 mm in the east. In the west and north-west, maximum rainfall is received in winter. In the east and south-east, rainfall is more evenly distributed throughout the year.

Agriculture is an important part of Tasmania's economy and agricultural establishments occupy about 29 per cent of Tasmania's total land area. The most fertile regions of the State lie along the north-west and east and along the river valleys of the Midlands and south-east plateau.

There is a considerable diversity in the State's agricultural activity. Beef cattle establishments are distributed throughout the State, sheep are run mainly in the Midlands and south-east plateau regions, and dairy cattle and pigs are centred in the north and north-west areas.

Sheep numbers have increased to 5.3 million and the State produces more than 20 000 tonnes of wool a year. About 432 800 cattle are kept for meat and 135 800 for milk. Dairying is an important part of agricultural activity, with dairy products contributing about 15 per cent of the total value of agricultural production. The state produces some very good cheeses that are developing an international reputation.

The State's apple crop has declined considerably over the past 10 years to fewer than 60 000 tonnes, but apples remain a significant crop. Vegetable growing, mainly for the processing industry, is well established in the north-east and north-west regions. Tasmania produces about 25 per cent of the Australian potato crop, worth about $60 million. Hops, peas and French beans are among the other crops.

In recent years, marketing difficulties in many of the traditional areas, especially orchard, dairy and beef production, have prompted many farmers to investigate alternative livestock types and crops. These include goats, mainly for cashmere and mohair fibre production, and deer for the venison market. Leading alternative crops in commercial production include oil poppies for the pharmaceutical industry and lavender. Other essential oil crops under development include peppermint, fennel, boronia and pyrethrum.

Fishing is another important primary industry and the annual catch includes scale fish, shark, scallops, oysters, abalone, and crayfish (southern rock lobster). Tasmania is also developing aquaculture, particularly for salmon to develop a better product in sustainable numbers.

Tasmania is well endowed with natural resources. About 40 per cent of the state is covered by forest and most of the timber cut is native hardwood, but plantations of exotic softwoods are being established. As well as providing raw materials for the building and construction industries, the forests are exploited for paper production (newsprint, fine and writing papers), wood pulp, hardboard, and plywood. Tasmania also has significant mineral deposits. The richest are in the rugged western region of the State and more than 2 million tonnes each of iron ore pellets and scheelite-concentrate are produced annually. Approximately 630 000 tonnes of raw coal and 360 000 tonnes of washed coal are produced annually. Smaller quantities of zinc-concentrate, tin-concentrate, copper, silver and gold are produced. Additionally there are deposits of black coal and lead. Sulphuric acid is produced in the south.

King Island, off the north-west tip of the State, has a large scheelite industry and is Australia's main producer of tungsten. The island has a thriving kelp industry. It is the world's largest single producer of alginates, supplying about one third of the world's need.

Industry and Manufacturing

Tasmania's electricity requirements are provided by the Hydro-Electric Commission from a system based almost entirely on hydro installations. Abundance of high country and rainfall have created ideal conditions for hydro-electric power generation and the ready availability of cheap power has been a major factor in determining the development of some industries.

Manufacturing remains one of the main contributors to the local economy. It accounts for almost 20 per cent of the State's gross domestic product. Manufacturing employs around 17 per cent of Tasmania's workforce producing a wide range of goods, including food, textiles, clothing, footwear, wood and paper products, chemicals, metals, transport equipment, industrial machines, and household appliances.

Three areas account for most manufacturing in Tasmania: food and beverages; wood, wood products and furniture; and paper, paper products, printing and publishing. They account for just over 60 per cent of the manufacturing turnover.

Communication and transport within the State are helped by a well-developed road system. Air and sea connections exist with the Australian mainland.

The flag of Tasmania is a British Blue Ensign defaced with the state badge. The badge depicts a red lion passant on a white disc.

The exact symbolism of the badge is unknown, other than to indicate historical ties with England. The badge was approved by the British Colonial office in 1875 and the design of the Tasmanian flag has remained unchanged since then, save for a slight alteration of the lion in 1975 when the flag was officially proclaimed as the "Tasmanian Flag".

The present coat of arms was granted by King George V in 1917. On the shield are pictures representing industry in Tasmania. The shield is supported by two Tasmanian tigers (now believed extinct). The motto means 'Productiveness and Faithfulness'.

Page maintained by Grant Schmarr,
Copyright © 1997 Grant Schmarr.
Created: 29th September 1997. Updated: 24th November 1999