Mount Arthur is a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...
in the
northern region of
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
, Australia. With an elevation of
above sea level,
[ the mountain is located north-east of Launceston, near the town of Lilydale.
]
Toponymy
Mount Arthur had been called Row Tor in the 1800s, although this name also applies on maps to nearby Mount Barrow
Mount Barrow ( Aboriginal: ''pialermeliggener'') is a mountain in the northern region of Tasmania, Australia. With an elevation of above sea level, the mountain is located east-north-east of Launceston. The mountain habitat is a mixture of ...
.
Later maps of the north-east show Row Tor as occupying the present day location of Mount Arthur.homonym
In linguistics, homonyms are words which are homographs (words that share the same spelling, regardless of pronunciation), or homophones ( equivocal words, that share the same pronunciation, regardless of spelling), or both. Using this definiti ...
of Rough Tor
Rough Tor (), or Roughtor, is a tor on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, United Kingdom. The site is composed of the tor summit and logan stone, a neolithic tor enclosure, a large number of Bronze Age hut circles, and some contemporary monuments.
Top ...
, named for the eponymous mountain in Cornwall, England and not in reference to the mountain's shape, as is commonly supposed.
History
The summit cairn was built in the late 1800s as a survey marker for north-east Tasmania.
The area around the mountain was an important timber district early in Tasmanian colonial settlement.
From 1879, the Lisle valley, on the northern aspect of Mount Arthur, was the centre of gold mining and for twenty years the town of Lisle was a thriving commercial centre. The town no longer exists apart from the remains of the town cemetery.
Due to its close proximity to Launceston its summit is home to a large number of radio towers. WayFM (105.3 and 98.1), Launceston, and Northern Tasmania's Christian community radio station, have their tower on Mount Arthur. It is also a popular destination for hikers.
In addition to this peak, there are two further minor peaks in Tasmania, also called Mount Arthur. One is located near Port Arthur; and the other is located near .
See also
* List of mountains in Tasmania
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur
Mountains of Tasmania
Northern Tasmania