Dover is the southernmost town of its size in Australia, located on the western shores towards the southern end of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, just south of the
Huon Valley
The Huon Valley, or simply the Huon, is a valley and geographic area located in southern Tasmania, Australia. The largest town is Huonville, with other smaller towns spread across the area. It includes Australia's most southern permanent settl ...
, southwest of
Hobart, located on the head of Port Esperance in
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
. It has a population of 486; 91% were born in Australia and 5% was born in United Kingdom, with other less common origins such as New Zealand, Germany and
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
all clustering around the 1% mark.
Etymology
First recorded in its Latinised form of ''
Portus Dubris
Dubris, also known as Portus Dubris and Dubrae, was a port in Roman Britain on the site of present-day Dover, Kent, England.
As the closest point to continental Europe and the site of the estuary of the Dour, the site chosen for Dover was ideal ...
'', the name derives from the
Brythonic word for waters (''dwfr'' in
Middle Welsh
Middle Welsh ( cy, Cymraeg Canol, wlm, Kymraec) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 15th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed directly from Old Welsh ( cy, Hen G ...
). The same element is present in the towns
French (Douvres) and
Modern Welsh
The history of the Welsh language (Welsh: ''Hanes yr iaith Gymraeg'') spans over 1400 years, encompassing the stages of the language known as Primitive Welsh, Old Welsh, Middle Welsh, and Modern Welsh.
Origins
Welsh evolved from British, the C ...
(Dofr) forms.
History
The place name of Blubber Head, at the northern entrance to Port Esperance, may indicate shore-based bay whaling activity took place at the location in the 19th century.
Port Esperance Post Office opened on 6 February 1856 and was renamed "Dover" in 1895.
In 2013, the Dover Hotel pub/tavern was destroyed when it was engulfed by a fire.
Climate
Dover has a
marine climate (
Cfb) with consistently cool, cloudy weather all year round. Despite its southerly latitude and low maximum temperatures,
snow
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
and
frost are uncommon in winter, however
sleet is an occasional occurrence. The highest recorded temperature in Dover was 40.1 °C (104.2 °F) in March 2019, over 20 °C above the March average maximum.
References
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Localities of Huon Valley Council