Swansea, Tasmania

Swansea is a town in the heart of Tasmania's east coast, on the north-west shore of Great Oyster Bay and overlooking Freycinet National Park. It was the first municipality in Australia to be established after Hobart and Sydney. At the 2006 census, Swansea had a population of 557.[3]

Swansea
Tasmania
Morris General Store in the main street of Swansea
Swansea
Coordinates42°08′S 148°05′E
Population866 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)7190
Elevation11 m (36 ft)[2]
Location
  • 43 km (27 mi) from Bicheno
  • 50 km (31 mi) from Triabunna
  • 134 km (83 mi) from Hobart
LGA(s)Glamorgan Spring Bay Council
State electorate(s)Lyons
Federal Division(s)Lyons
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
17.9 °C
64 °F		 7.8 °C
46 °F		 596 mm
23.5 in

History

The first European to explore the Swansea area was Captain John Henry Cox sailing from England to Sydney. He took his ship, the Mercury, up the eastern coast of Tasmania. On 3 July 1789, having heard of vast colonies of seals in the area, he sailed along the western shore of Maria Island and into a stretch of water he named Oyster Bay.[4]

Schouten House, Swansea

Swansea was not settled until 1821 when George Meredith, his family and workers arrived from Pembrokeshire, Wales. Meredith obtained a grant from Lieutenant Governor William Sorell to farm in the area around Oyster Bay. The land was developed and made suitable for seasonal crops and grazing stock and a tannery and flour mill were established by the Meredith River. Whaling stations were also set up on nearby islands to enable the export of whale oil.[5] Swansea was originally called Great Swanport and Meredith built the family home, Cambria, which is now in private hands. There are other important buildings in the town including Morris’ General Store which has been owned and run by the Morris family for over 100 years. The Swansea Bark Mill which processed black wattle bark was used in colonial times in the tanning industry and is now a combined museum, tavern and bakery. Schouten House is a fine early Victorian colonial house built in 1844 and is now a hotel.

Waterloo Point Post Office opened on 6 September 1832 and was renamed Swansea around 1863.[6]

Wildlife

Swansea is home to colonies of short-tailed shearwaters (muttonbirds) and little penguins. The nearby Freycinet National Park has quolls, wallabies, native microbats, possums and Tasmanian devils. Offshore, there are dolphins, whales and seals.

Climate
Climate data for Swansea
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 40.4
(104.7)		 39.2
(102.6)		 36.8
(98.2)		 30.1
(86.2)		 27.0
(80.6)		 21.1
(70.0)		 24.0
(75.2)		 24.3
(75.7)		 29.6
(85.3)		 33.9
(93.0)		 36.0
(96.8)		 41.1
(106.0)		 41.1
(106.0)
Average high °C (°F) 22.2
(72.0)		 22.1
(71.8)		 20.9
(69.6)		 18.6
(65.5)		 15.9
(60.6)		 13.8
(56.8)		 13.3
(55.9)		 14.2
(57.6)		 16.0
(60.8)		 17.7
(63.9)		 19.1
(66.4)		 20.6
(69.1)		 17.9
(64.2)
Average low °C (°F) 11.7
(53.1)		 11.8
(53.2)		 10.3
(50.5)		 8.2
(46.8)		 6.2
(43.2)		 4.4
(39.9)		 3.6
(38.5)		 4.4
(39.9)		 5.8
(42.4)		 7.2
(45.0)		 9.0
(48.2)		 10.5
(50.9)		 7.8
(46.0)
Record low °C (°F) 2.4
(36.3)		 1.3
(34.3)		 0.0
(32.0)		 −1.3
(29.7)		 −3.1
(26.4)		 −4.0
(24.8)		 −5.0
(23.0)		 −4.2
(24.4)		 −4.0
(24.8)		 −1.9
(28.6)		 −1.4
(29.5)		 1.0
(33.8)		 −5.0
(23.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 49.4
(1.94)		 42.7
(1.68)		 50.4
(1.98)		 51.1
(2.01)		 46.1
(1.81)		 57.5
(2.26)		 47.8
(1.88)		 44.0
(1.73)		 41.1
(1.62)		 53.2
(2.09)		 51.6
(2.03)		 59.9
(2.36)		 594.8
(23.42)
Average rainy days 8.4 7.3 9.0 9.5 9.6 10.6 10.9 10.8 11.0 11.6 10.3 10.0 119.0
Source: [7][8]

Demographics

According to the 1996 census, the town's population was 495. Of the population, 25.1% were above the age of 65 – making it the Tasmanian town with the largest percentage of over-65-year-olds.

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References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Swanseas (Tas.) (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  2. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved on 14 November 2007
  3. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Swansea (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  4. http://www.mariaislandferry.com.au/Maria_Island_Facts_&_History.html Archived 15 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine accessed on 23 February 2009
  5. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A020192b.htm accessed on 23 February 2009
  6. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  7. {{cite web | url = "Climate statistics for Swansea". Bureau of Meteorology.
  8. "Highest daily maximum temperatures for Tasmania – 30 December 2019". www.bom.gov.au. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
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