Swansea, Tasmania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Swansea | |
|---|---|
 Morris' General Store in the main street of Swansea | |
  Swansea | |
| Coordinates: 42°08′S 148°05′E / 42.133°S 148.083°E | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Tasmania |
| LGA | |
| Location | |
| Government | |
| • State electorate | |
| • Federal division | |
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 997 (2021 census)[2] |
| Postcode | 7190 |
| Mean max temp | 17.9 °C (64.2 °F)[1] |
| Mean min temp | 7.8 °C (46.0 °F)[1] |
| Annual rainfall | 593.8 mm (23.38 in)[1] |
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 2021 census, Swansea had a population of 997.
The town was formed in 1821 and celebrated its 200th birthday in 2021.
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.[3]
Swansea was not settled until 1821 when more British settlers, 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.[4] 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.[5]
Notable residents
- William Lyne, Premier of New South Wales from 1899 to 1901, and later federal cabinet minister under Edmund Barton and Alfred Deakin
- Violet Mace, potter known for the "proclamation cup", based on Governor Davey's Proclamation
