Strahan ( ) is a small town and former port on the west coast of

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. It is now a significant locality for tourism in the region. Strahan Harbour and Risby Cove form part of the north-east end of Long Bay on the northern end of Macquarie Harbour. At the , Strahan had a population of 634.

Port

Originally developed as a port of access for the mining settlements in the area, the town was known as Long Bay or Regatta Point. In 1881, the settlement was renamed, after the colony’s new Governor, Sir George Cumine Strahan. The town was officially proclaimed in 1892. Strahan was a vital location for the timber industry that existed around

Macquarie Harbour Macquarie Harbour is a shallow fjord in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. It is approximately , and has an average depth of , with deeper places up to . It is navigable by shallow-draft vessels. The main channel is kept clear by th ...

. For a substantial part of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century it also was port for regular shipping of passengers and cargo. The Strahan Marine Board was an important authority dealing with the issues of the port and Macquarie Harbour, up until the end of the twentieth century when it was absorbed into the Hobart Marine Board.

Post offices

Macquarie Harbour Post Office opened on 16 May 1878, was renamed Strahan in 1881 and closed in 1891. East Strahan Post Office opened in 1891 and was renamed Strahan in 1893.

Fishing and tourism

Historically Strahan has been a port to a small fishing fleet that braves the west coast conditions and Hell's Gates. It is the nearest inhabited locality to Cape Sorell and is literally the 'gateway' to the south-west wilderness - as boats, planes and helicopters utilise Strahan as their base when travelling into the region. The Huon Pine industry utilised stands around the harbour and up the tributary rivers - including King River, the

Franklin River The Franklin River is a major perennial river located in the Central Highlands (Tasmania), Central Highlands and Western Tasmania, western regions of Tasmania, Australia. The river is located in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park at ...

and the Gordon River. Strahan is the location of the only all weather commercial airport in Western Tasmania, Strahan Airport. Also located at the airport is the Automatic Weather Station, an important western Tasmania weather observation point. Strahan is the base for boat trips to Sarah Island, the notorious penal settlement that garnered the reputation as the harshest penal settlement in the Australian colonies, and the lower Gordon River. Strahan is an access point to the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, which was declared part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area in 1982. For several years Strahan became the focus of a conservation campaign opposed to the proposed Franklin-below-Gordon Dam. It is the home of the Round Earth Theatre Company, which conducts explanatory tours of Sarah Island and also has produced a daily enactment/play about Sarah Island, ''The Ship That Never Was'', which has exceeded 5000 performances and is Australia's longest running play.

Railways

Strahan was a stopping place on the former Strahan to Zeehan railway. It was also known as Strahan Wharf. page 105 tickets were issues between 1892 and 1953, and 4 June 1960 was the closure date of the Strahan - Zeehand line The railway was government owned, and ran past the wharf at Strahan, and continued southwards around the harbour before running north on its way to

Zeehan Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia south-west of Burnie. It is part of the West Coast Council, along with the seaport Strahan and neighbouring mining towns of Rosebery and Queenstown. History The greater Zeehan a ...

. Strahan was connected with the former Mount Lyell railway line at a terminus at Regatta Point which is also the terminus of the currently operating

West Coast Wilderness Railway The West Coast Wilderness Railway is a reconstruction of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company Mount Lyell railway in Western Tasmania between Queenstown and Regatta Point, Strahan. The railway is significant because of its Abt rack ...

Cultural references

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of ''

Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and woody fruiting "cones" and head ...

'', fossils of which were found in sediment at nearby Regatta Point, was named '' Banksia strahanensis'' after the town.

Climate

Strahan has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(''Cfb'') with cool to mild, damp summers and cool to cold, very rainy winters. Lying on Tasmania's West Coast, Strahan is frequently buffeted by low pressure systems off the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean, generally taken to be south of 60th parallel south, 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is the seco ...

, causing heavy rain and gusty winds. Strahan receives 15.7 days, on average, of clear weather annually. Temperatures vary little between summer and winter, with minimums below having been recorded in every month. Hot weather is rare, with an average of only one day reaching or above every three years. The highest recorded temperature is on 14 February 1982, with the lowest recorded being on 30 June 1983. Snow down to sea level is uncommon, but falls frequently in the low hills just a few kilometres inland of Strahan.

References

External links

Strahan Tasmania Web Site

{{authority control Localities of West Coast Council Macquarie Harbour Railway stations in Western Tasmania Port towns of Tasmania