Somerset is a small township to the west of

Burnie Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. When founded in 1827, it was named Emu Bay, being renamed after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company, in the early 1840s. , Burnie had an urban popu ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, which shares its name with the

County of Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, UK. Today the city of

encompasses the entire Burnie-Somerset urban area; however, the town is part of the Waratah/Wynyard municipal area.

History

''Somerset River Cam'' Post Office opened on 5 November 1864. It was renamed ''Somerset Cam'' around 1934 and ''Somerset'' in 1963.

Geography

Somerset is located on estuary on the western bank of the Cam River midway between the township of Wynyard and the city of

. The Cam River is the borderline of where the Waratah-Wynyard Council meets the

City of Burnie Burnie City Council (or City of Burnie) is a local government body in Tasmania, located in the city and surrounds of Burnie in the north-west of the state. The Burnie local government area is classified as urban and has a population of 19,348, ...

. A beach stretches along the full length of the Somerset coastline from the Cam River to the far western outskirts. Somerset has three parks, each with a playground. These are ANZAC Park (Bells Parade), The Cam River Reserve (Bass Highway), and Plover Park (Ronald Crescent).

Climate

The temperature in summer ranges from 12.5 °C to 21 °C, with drier days as warm as 30 °C, and around 16 hours of sunlight per day. In winter, temperatures range from 6 °C to 13 °C, and only 8 hours of sunlight.

Demographics

At the , Somerset had a population of approximately 3,900. However, in 2011 Somerset had a total population of 3975.

Economy

There are a number of small businesses in Somerset with almost all along the main street. Notable industries in Somerset include: Gunns Veneers, which is one of only three production facilities in Australasia. Gunns Veneers is Australasia's largest producer of sliced veneers and the world's largest producer of Eucalypt veneers. The Burnie branch of William Adams. William Adams is a CAT Rental Dealer as well as a servicing department. They specialize in the repairing, maintenance and modifications of heavy machinery used for mining, forestry and agriculture.

Community

Coastal Pathway

The development of a coastal pathway will connect Somerset and

to Wynyard and Latrobe as part of a State Government and Local Government Council initiative to upgrade infrastructure on the north-west coast of Tasmania.

Media

The Advocate is the local newspaper for the region, with its press and mailroom located in Burnie. Somerset has access to all major television stations, including: ABC, SBS, WIN and Southern Cross.

Sport

Somerset is home to five sporting venues: a football field, soccer field, tennis courts, a recreation center and a surf lifesaving club.

Education

Somerset does not have a public high school or college. There is one public primary school in Somerset, Somerset Primary School, located at the site of the old West Somerset Primary School, after the two schools merged. There is one private school in Somerset, the Burnie branch of Australian Christian College, which is located on the outskirts of the town on Seabrook Road.

Transport

Somerset is connected to the surrounding areas by the Bass Highway which runs through the town following the coast. Somerset is also connected to the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

by the

Murchison Highway The Murchison Highway is a highway located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The highway runs generally north–south, with Somerset, near Burnie, as its northern terminus and Zeehan as its southern terminus. The highway was ...

which begins beside the Cam River. The only public transport in the area is

Metro Tasmania Metro Tasmania, commonly called Metro, a Tasmanian Government business enterprise, is the largest bus operator in the state of Tasmania, Australia, with operations in three of the four largest urban centres of Hobart, , and . Urban services in ...

which offers bus services from Wynyard to Burnie. The

Burnie Airport Burnie Airport , also called Burnie Wynyard Airport or Wynyard Airport, is a regional airport located adjacent to the town of Wynyard, about west from Burnie, Tasmania, Australia. Formally named the Wynyard Aerodrome, the first official openin ...

is located in the township of Wynyard, a 15-minute drive away.

References

External links

* *
Waratah-Wynyard Council
{{authority control Localities of Waratah–Wynyard Council Towns in Tasmania