Waratah, Tasmania
| Waratah Tasmania |
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 Waratah Falls in Waratah with part of the town in the background |
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 Waratah
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| Population: | 227 (2006 Census)[1] |
| Postcode: | 7321 |
| Time zone:
• Summer (DST) |
AEST (UTC+10) |
| Location: |
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| LGA: | Waratah-Wynyard Council |
| State electorate: | Braddon |
| Federal Division: | Braddon |
Waratah is a town in western Tasmania. It was constructed to support a tin mine at Mount Bischoff. The town is built at the top of a waterfall, and water was diverted from the stream to provide water for mine sluicing and processing. At the 2006 census, Waratah had a population of 227.[1]
Tin was discovered at Mount Bischoff by James "Philosopher" Smith in 1871. The mine operated successfully at first. The easy ore was all extracted by 1893 when sluicing was discontinued. Mining continued opencut on the face of the mountain, and underground. The underground mine closed in 1914, but surface mining continued for some time before it also ceased after the price of tin slumped in 1929. The mine was reopened by the Commonwealth Government in 1942 to support the war effort, but it finally closed in 1947.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Politics
At the Australian federal election, 2007, the polling place at Waratah Primary School registered a total of 148 votes. 72 votes (49.32%) were cast for the Labor candidate Sid Sidebottom, 54 votes (36.99%) were cast for the Liberal candidate Mark Baker and 17 votes (11.64%) were cast for Greens candidate Paul O'Halloran.[3]
[edit] Climate
| Climate data for Waratah, Tasmania | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 17.6 (63.7) |
18.0 (64.4) |
15.7 (60.3) |
12.5 (54.5) |
9.9 (49.8) |
7.9 (46.2) |
7.2 (45.0) |
7.9 (46.2) |
9.7 (49.5) |
11.8 (53.2) |
13.9 (57.0) |
16.0 (60.8) |
12.3 (54.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 6.3 (43.3) |
7.0 (44.6) |
5.9 (42.6) |
4.3 (39.7) |
2.8 (37.0) |
1.5 (34.7) |
0.8 (33.4) |
0.9 (33.6) |
1.7 (35.1) |
2.7 (36.9) |
3.8 (38.8) |
5.2 (41.4) |
3.6 (38.5) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 110.8 (4.362) |
94.0 (3.701) |
121.6 (4.787) |
173.9 (6.846) |
215.4 (8.48) |
228.1 (8.98) |
248.2 (9.772) |
252.4 (9.937) |
227.1 (8.941) |
202.6 (7.976) |
164.6 (6.48) |
140.7 (5.539) |
2,182.7 (85.933) |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology[4] | |||||||||||||
Waratah is one of Australia's wettest locations. The town has an average of 246.5 days of rain per year.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Waratah (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=UCL618800&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ Interpretive sign at the former mine site
- ^ Polling Place - Waratah Australian Electoral Council. Accessed 2009-03-15
- ^ "Climate Statistics for Waratah (Mount Road)". Australian Bureau of Meteorology. http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_097014_All.shtml. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
- ^ Climate Statistics for Waratah (Mount Road). Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved on 2009-03-15
[edit] Further reading
- Haygarth, Nic Baron Bischoff: Philosopher Smith and the Birth of Tasmanian Mining 2004. ISBN 0-9585831-1-0
