Arthur River, Tasmania
Encyclopedia
Arthur River is the name of both a river and a small township
on the northern part of the West Coast
of Tasmania
, Australia
. At the 2006 census
, Arthur River and the surrounding area had a population of 121.
It is south of the town of Marrawah
. Named after Sir George Arthur
, Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemens Land (1824-36), the river is fed by several tributaries including the Frankland River, which was named after its discoverer, then the colony's surveyor-general. The region has been exploited commercially for timber and fisheries, but today is mostly a centre for tourism.
On the coast near the mouth of the Arthur River is a plaque titled The Edge of the World. North West Coast Tasmania, and a poem by tourism pioneer Brian Inder
, who coined the term, referring to the coastline at Arthur River which is regularly lashed by the gales of the Roaring Forties
.
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...
on the northern part of the West Coast
West Coast, Tasmania
The West Coast of Tasmania is the part of the state that is strongly associated with wilderness, mining and tourism, rough country and isolation...
of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Arthur River and the surrounding area had a population of 121.
It is south of the town of Marrawah
Marrawah, Tasmania
Marrawah is a small town on the northern part of the West Coast of Tasmania, Australia. marrawah is located in the former shire of Wellington. At the 2006 census, Marrawah had a population of 407....
. Named after Sir George Arthur
George Arthur
Lieutenant-General Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet KCH PC was Lieutenant Governor of British Honduras , Van Diemen's Land and Upper Canada . He also served as Governor of Bombay .-Early life:George Arthur was born in Plymouth, England...
, Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemens Land (1824-36), the river is fed by several tributaries including the Frankland River, which was named after its discoverer, then the colony's surveyor-general. The region has been exploited commercially for timber and fisheries, but today is mostly a centre for tourism.
On the coast near the mouth of the Arthur River is a plaque titled The Edge of the World. North West Coast Tasmania, and a poem by tourism pioneer Brian Inder
Brian Inder
Brian Inder is a tourism pioneer of North Western Tasmania, Australia. On his property at Staverton near Lake Barrington he has established one of the world's largest maze complexes, called Tasmazia....
, who coined the term, referring to the coastline at Arthur River which is regularly lashed by the gales of the Roaring Forties
Roaring Forties
The Roaring Forties is the name given to strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 40 and 49 degrees. Air displaced from the Equator towards the South Pole, which travels close to the surface between the latitudes of 30 and 60 degrees south, combines...
.
Further reading
- Sharples, C.E. (1997) Karst geomorphology and values of the tarkine: limestone, dolomite and magnesite karst systems of the Arthur-Pieman Region of Tasmania: a report to the Australian Heritage Commission and the Tasmanian Conservation Trust Inc. Canberra: Australian Heritage Commission.