Main article
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 5 000-10 000 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.
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. 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 south-east 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.
World attention
Although the state is seldom in the world news, global attention has turned to Tasmania quite a few times.
Tasmania was badly affected by the Hobart fires of the 1960s in which there was major loss of life and property.
In the 1970s the state government announced plans to flood environmentally significant Lake Pedder. National and international attention surrounded the No Dams campaign for the Franklin River in the early 1980s. This contributed to the start of the Green movement.
Tasmania has received a position in the top ten of several popular international tourism publications.
On April 28, 1996 in the incident now known as the Port Arthur Massacre, lone gunman Martin Bryant opened fire. He killed 35 people (including tourists and residents) and injured 37 others. The use of firearms was immediately reviewed, and Tasmania adopted new gun safety laws.
The Sydney-Hobart Yacht race is an annual event that attracts foreign media attention.
On May 14 2004 the royal wedding of former Hobart woman Mary Donaldson to Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, and their subsequent visit in 2005, again drew some international attention to the state.
Geography
Main article: Geography of Tasmania
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 region is the Central Highlands area, which covers most of the central 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.
The West Coast, being populated and having historically over a 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 scheme, and the earnings from mineral activities are significant. The West Coast Range has some of the more well known West Coast mines on its slopes - notably the Mount Lyell mine.
The South-West 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 below the 40th parallel), rustic environment and numerous historic features (for example, Richmond Bridge in south-eastern Tasmania is the oldest bridge in Australia) make
Tasmania is a popular choice for retirees who prefer a temperate climate over a tropical one such as Queensland.
Government
Main article: Government of Tasmania
The form of the government of Tasmania is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then. Since 1901 Tasmania has been a state of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Australian Constitution regulates its relationship with the Commonwealth.
Under the Australian Constitution, Tasmania ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in other areas like Health and Education. In practice, however, the independence of Australian states has been eroded by increasing financial domination of the Commonwealth since the introduction of the GST, and a desire to make laws consistent across Australia.
Politics
Tasmania's relatively low population density and temperate, maritime climate mean that it has a number of relatively unspoilt, ecologically valuable regions. Proposals for local economic development have therefore been faced with strong requirements for environmental sensitivity, or outright opposition. In particular, proposals for hydroelectric power generation proved controversial in the late 20th century. In the 1970s, opposition to the construction of the Lake Pedder impoundment led to the formation of the world's first green party, the United Tasmania Group. In the early 1980s the state was again plunged into often bitter debate over the proposed Franklin River Dam. The anti-dam sentiment was shared by many Australians outside Tasmania, and proved a factor in the election of the Hawke Labor government in 1983, which halted construction of the dam. Since the 1980s the environmental focus has shifted to old growth logging, which has proved a highly divisive issue. The Tasmania Together process recommended an end to clear felling in high conservation old growth forests by January 2003.
Nationally, Tasmania is well represented in the Australian Senate, where seats are not proportional to population. Since 1975, Tasmanian Independent senator Brian Harradine often held the balance of power. As a result he was able to hold the government of the day to pass legislation that, although often matches his conservative religious views, was also very financially rewarding for the state. Harradine successfully defended his seat in six consecutive senate elections and did not stand for re-election at the 2004 federal election, voluntarily retiring.
In the 2002 state election, the Labor_Party held 14 of the 25 available seats. The Liberal Party saw their percentage of the vote decrease dramatically, claiming only 7 seats. The Greens won four seats, with over 18% percent of the vote, the highest proportion of any Green party in any parliament in the world.
On 23 February 2004, the Premier Jim Bacon announced his retirement, due to being diagnosed with lung cancer. He died four months later.
The Premier is currently Paul Lennon.
- List of former Governors of Tasmania
- List of premiers of Tasmania
- Local Government Areas of Tasmania
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 1940's and 1950's 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 1990's, 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 fish Atlantic Salmon, Abalone and Crayfish.
Since 2001, Tasmania has experienced a positive turn around. 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 are 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 fiber-optic became a reality.
Apparently the states 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.
The shortage of rental properties that followed the investment rush 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, Incat and Moorilla and Tassal
Transport
The fastest and cheapest method of travel across Bass Strait is by air. The main carriers are Qantas, JetStar, and Virgin Blue, which fly direct routes to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide. Major airports include the Hobart International Airport and Launceston Airport; the smaller airports, Burnie and Devonport, are serviced by Regional Express and Qantaslink who generally fly only to Melbourne and the Bass Strait islands.
The domestic sea route is being serviced by the Bass Strait passenger/vehicle ferries operated by the Tasmanian Government-owned TT-Line. From 1986 the Abel Tasman made six weekly overnight crossings between Devonport and Melbourne. It was replaced by the Spirit of Tasmania in 1993, which performed the same route and schedule. The most recent change was the 2002 replacement of the Spirit by two Superfast ferries - Spirit of Tasmania I and Spirit of Tasmania II — which brought the number of overnight crossings up to fourteen, plus additional daylight crossings in peak times. In January 2004 a third ship, the slightly smaller Spirit of Tasmania III, started the Devonport to Sydney route. Two container ships owned by Toll Shipping also make daily crossings between Burnie and Melbourne. The port of Hobart also serves as a host to visiting cruise ships and prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks was a regular port of call for United States Navy ships returning home from the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf.
The state is also home to International Catamarans, a manufacturer of very high speed aluminium vessels that broke records regularly when they were first launched. The state Government tried using them on the Bass Strait run, but eventually the decision was made to discontinue this.
Tasmania, Hobart in particular, serves as Australia's chief sea link to the Antarctic and South Pacific, with the Australian Antarctic Division located in Kingston. Hobart is also the home port of the French ship l'Astrolabe which makes regular supply runs to the French Southern Territories near and in Antarctica.
Hobart also has the second deepest natural port in the world, second to only Rio De Janeiro in Brazil.
Within the state, the primary form of transport is by road. Since the 1980s, many of the states highways have undergone regular upgrades. These include the Hobart Southern Outlet, Launceston Southern Outlet, Bass Highway re-construction, and the Huon Highway.
Tasmania's rail network consists of narrow gauge lines to all four major population centres and to mining or forestry operations on the west coast and north-west. Regular passenger train services in the state ceased in 1977; the only trains are for freight, and tourist trains in specific areas. In 2005 there were concerns that the rail service was in so much trouble that it might stop for everything but cement haulage. Prices start in the billions for a new rail line, and apparently no-one has the money to spend on it.
The West Coast Wilderness Railway being a good example of a recently rebuilt tourism specific railway (2002).
Culture
Sport
The dominant sports in Tasmania are cricket and Australian rules football. The Tasmanian Tigers cricket team, which plays home games at Bellerive Oval on the eastern shore, represents the state in limited overs and first class cricket competitions. Despite its lack of success in national competitions, Tasmania has produced two international cricket stars, David Boon and current Australian captain Ricky Ponting. However in the last few years Tasmanian cricketing quality has increased with them winning the ING One Day Cup in 2004/05 for the first time in 10 years.
Despite Australian rules football's huge popularity in the state, Tasmania does not have a team in the Australian Football League. They do have a team (the Tasmanian Devils) in the VFL (Victorian league), and a team in the national league is a popular topic among supporters as well as the state government (one of the potential sponsors of such a team). Some AFL teams play scheduled games at Aurora Stadium (at York Park in Launceston). These teams include Hawthorn and St Kilda who substitute their home games in Melbourne for games at Aurora Stadium to create extra revenue for the clubs. They generally play 2-3 games a year per team.
Tasmania's small population and low sponsorship potential results in the state not being represented in national basketball, soccer and netball leagues.
Events
In order to foster tourism, the state government encourages or supports several different annual events in and around the island. The best known of these would be the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race [1], starting on Boxing Day in Sydney and usually arriving at Constitution Dock in Hobart around three to four days later, during the Hobart Summer Festival [2].
The Targa Tasmania road rally [3], usually held in late April or early May, attracts world class rally drivers and is staged all over the state, over five days.
Agfest [4] is a three day agricultural show held at Carrick (just west of Launceston) in early May, and despite its agricultural focus it attracts city and country residents - 75000 people in 2004. Other major shows include the Royal Hobart Show and Royal Launceston Show, held in October of each year.
A recent addition to the state has been the 10 Days on the Island arts festival - however it has drawn criticism from environmental groups for its acceptance of sponsorship from forestry company Gunns.
The Basin Concert was a now defunct music concert held at the Cataract Gorge in Launceston. Current festivals include Gone South [5], held four times since 1999, and the Falls Festival [6], a Victoria event now held in both Victoria and Tasmania on New Year's Eve.
The Antarctic Midwinter Festival [7] celebrates Hobart's special connection with the Antarctic, on the winter solstice in June each year.
Prominent Tasmanians
Main article: List of Prominent Tasmanians
For a small population base Tasmania has produced a number of significant people in many areas. These include: the actor Errol Flynn, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark (Mary Donaldson), Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting and Politician Bob Brown.
Indigenous animals
Thylacine
The island of Tasmania was home to the Thylacine, a marsupial equivalent of a wild dog. Known colloquially as the Tasmanian Tiger because of the distinctive striping across its back, it became extinct on mainland Australia much earlier because of the introduction of the dingo. Due to persecution by farmers, government-funded bounty hunters, and, in the final years, collectors for overseas museums, it also appears to have been exterminated in Tasmania. The last known animal died in captivity in 1936. Many alleged sightings have been recorded, none of them confirmed.
Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian Devil is a carnivorous marsupial found exclusively on the island of Tasmania. The size of a small dog but stocky and muscular, the Tasmanian Devil is characterised by its black fur with white patches. It has an offensive odour when stressed, performs a loud and disturbing screeching, and possesses a vicious temperament. The Devil survived European settlement and was considered widespread and fairly common throughout Tasmania until recently.
Like a lot of the wildlife, fast vehicles on the roads cause problems for the Tasmanian Devil.
As of 2005 the Tasmanian Devil population has been reduced by about 90% in many areas of Tasmania by Devil facial tumour disease. It is believed the majority have died of starvation when the tumours have spread to their mouths and that the tumours spread by fighting between devils - typically, fighting devils will bite one another's faces.
Birds
Many birds of the Australian mainland and Southern Ocean also occur in Tasmania. Tasmania has 12 endemic bird species:
4 honeyeaters (family Melaphagidae) - the yellow wattlebird (world's largest honeyeater) and the yellow-throated, black-headed and strong-billed honeyeaters;
3 Australo-Papuan warblers (family Acanthizidae) - the Tasmanian thornbill, the scrubtit and the Tasmanian scrubwren;
1 pardalote (family Pardalotidae) - the rare and endangered forty-spotted pardalote;
1 old-world flycatcher (family Muscicapidae) - the dusky robin;
1 corvid (family Corvidae) - the black currawong;
1 parrot (family Psittacidae) - the green rosella; and
1 rail (family Rallidae) - the Tasmanian native hen, Australia's only flightless bird other than the giant ratites (emu and southern cassowary).
The endemic Tasmanian Emu was exterminated in the mid-1800s.
Places in Tasmania
Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain, Central Tasmanian Highlands
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Islands:
- Boundary Islet
- Bruny Island
- Cape Barren Island
- Flinders Island
- King Island
- Maatsuyker Islands
- Maria Island
- Macquarie Island
Lakes:
- Great Lake
- Lake Gordon
- Lake Pedder
- Lake St Clair
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Significant bridges:
- Bowen Bridge
- Batman Bridge
- Bridgewater Bridge
- Ross Bridge
- Richmond Bridge
- Tasman Bridge
Beaches:
- Bakers Beach
- Boat Harbour
- Coles Bay
- Ocean Beach
- Sisters Beach
- Wine Glass Bay
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Main highways:
- Arthur Highway
- Bass Highway
- Brooker Highway
- Channel Highway
- East Tamar Highway
- Esk Highway
- Lake Highway
- Lyell Highway
- Midlands Highway
- Murchison Highway
- Tasman Highway
- West Tamar Highway
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Rivers:
- Arthur River
- Derwent River
- Franklin River
- Gordon River
- Henty River
- Huon River
- King River
- Leven River
- Mersey River
- North Esk River
- Picton River
- Queen River
- Savage River
- South Esk River
- Styx River
- Tamar River
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Mountains:
- Ben Lomond
- Cradle Mountain
- Federation Peak
- Mount Field
- Frenchmans Cap
- Great Western Tiers
- Mount Ossa
- Mount Wellington
- West Coast Range
Regions:
- Central Highlands
- Derwent Valley
- East Coast
- Freycinet Peninsula
- Midlands
- North-West Coast
- South West Wilderness
- Tamar Valley
- Tasman Peninsula
- West Coast
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See also: List of Australian islands, lakes, bridges, highways, rivers, mountains and regions.
See also
- Protected areas of Tasmania
- University of Tasmania
- Locations in Tasmania by post code
- List of schools in Tasmania
External links
- Tasmania Online - the main State Government website
- Discover Tasmania - official tourism website
- Interactive Tour of Tasmania
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