Deloraine, Tasmania
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Deloraine is a town on the Meander River, in the central north of
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 state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. It is 50 km west of Launceston and 52 km south of Devonport along the Bass Highway. It is part of the
Meander Valley Council Meander Valley Council is a local government body in northern Tasmania. It covers the western outskirts of Launceston, and further westward along the Meander River. Meander Valley Council is classified as a rural local government area and h ...
. Deloraine recorded a population of 3,035 in the . Deloraine, like most Tasmanian towns, has a temperate and wet climate.


History

The region was explored in 1821 by Captain Roland, who was searching for farm land. The land was granted to new settlers, and the town is now a major agricultural centre, with a large number of
farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...
s of all types in the area. Deloraine is named after a character from the poem ''
The Lay of the Last Minstrel ''The Lay of the Last Minstrel'' (1805) is a narrative poem in six cantos with copious antiquarian notes by Walter Scott. Set in the Scottish Borders in the mid-16th century, it is represented within the work as being sung by a minstrel late i ...
'', written by Sir
Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...
. Deloraine Post Office opened on 29 October 1836. The town won the State Tidy Towns award in 1992, 1993 and 1995, and the Australian Community of the Year award in 1997.


Economy

While Deloraine is a predominantly rural farming town, it is also aimed at pleasing
tourists Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...
, who visit because of its culture and location also serving as a base to explore areas such as
Cradle Mountain Cradle Mountain is a locality and mountain in the Central Highlands region of the Australian state of Tasmania. The mountain is situated in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. At above sea level, it is the sixth-highest mount ...
, the
Great Western Tiers The Great Western Tiers are a collection of mountain bluffs that form the northern edge of the Central Highlands plateau in Tasmania, Australia. The bluffs are contained within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site. The bluffs stretch ...
,
Mole Creek Mole Creek is a town in the upper Mersey Valley, in the central north of Tasmania, Australia. Mole Creek is well known for its honey and accounts for about 35 percent of Tasmania's honey production. The locality is in the Meander Valley Coun ...
and the Central Highlands. Farms in the area produce
poppies Poppies can refer to: *Poppy, a flowering plant * The Poppies (disambiguation) - multiple uses *'' Poppies (film)'' - Children's BBC remembrance animation *"Poppies", a song by Patti Smith Group from their 1976 album '' Radio Ethiopia'' *"Poppies", ...
, herbs, onions and potatoes; as is typical produce for the Tasmanian climate. Deloraine is also home to the 41° South salmon and ginseng aqua farm. The town currently operates two
sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
s previously owned by Gunns as well as facilities that manufacture
fertiliser A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...
, farm equipment,
water tank A water tank is a container for storing water. Water tanks are used to provide storage of water for use in many applications, drinking water, irrigation agriculture, fire suppression, agricultural farming, both for plants and livestock, chemi ...
s and street signs. The nearby opium processing factory,
Tasmanian Alkaloids Extractas Bioscience (before called Tasmanian Alkaloids) is the largest opium poppy processing company in the Australian state of Tasmania. Approximately forty percent of the world's legal opiate crop is grown in Tasmania. Tasmanian Alkaloids was ...
, located in Westbury offers some employment for the town. Deloraine is in the Launceston licence area for television and radio and is served by
ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...
,
SBS Television The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS Wor ...
,
Tasmanian Digital Television TDT is a digital television station in Tasmania, Australia. It is jointly owned by WIN Corporation and Southern Cross Austereo, operating as ''Tasmanian Digital Television''. History In Australia, the major capital cities, and a majority of th ...
, Southern Cross Tasmania,
WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television station covering the Wollongong region. The WIN Netw ...
, 91.7 ABC Northern Tasmania and other ABC radio networks, commercial stations 89.3 LAFM and 90.1 Chilli FM and community station 96.9 Meander Valley FM. The annual Tasmanian Craft Fair takes place in Deloraine, it attracts around 18,000 people annually. During the craft fair, there are around 260 exhibitors demonstrating crafts in the town. Because of this, as well as the large population of artists, the town is considered a cultural centre.


Infrastructure

Because of its location between the two cities of Launceston and Devonport, Deloraine is a transport hub for trade and tourists between the two cities. Most local infrastructure and commercial buildings such as supermarkets, shops, schools, bus routes are also used by the nearby town of Westbury, and the hamlets of Exton,
Mole Creek Mole Creek is a town in the upper Mersey Valley, in the central north of Tasmania, Australia. Mole Creek is well known for its honey and accounts for about 35 percent of Tasmania's honey production. The locality is in the Meander Valley Coun ...
and
Meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex ba ...
. The town has a telephone exchange, which is owned and operated by
Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets voice, mobile, internet access, pay television and other products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 ...
. Deloraine was one of the first trial towns in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
to be connected to the fibre optic
National Broadband Network The National Broadband Network (NBN) is an Australian national wholesale open-access data network. It includes wired and radio communication components rolled out and operated by NBN Co, a Government-owned corporation. Internet service provide ...
(colloquially 'NBN'). As of 2013, Deloraine has a 40.8% fibre optic connection rate. As of May 23, 2014, Deloraine, along with George Town,
Triabunna Triabunna is a rural residential locality in the local government area (LGA) of Glamorgan–Spring Bay in the South-east LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about north-east of the city of Hobart. The has a population of 905 for the state ...
and Sorell, are the first all-fibre optic towns in Australia.


Transport

The Emu Bay/Meander Valley Road passes through the town. One of the earliest railway lines in Tasmania was built between Launceston and Deloraine in 1871 to ship agricultural products into the city. It was constructed and operated by the private company, Launceston and Western Railway. The railway went bankrupt in 1872 after a mere year of operation and all assets were bought by the Tasmanian Government in 1873. Access to Deloraine is provided by the Bass Highway, part of Australia's National Highway, or by the older Meander Valley Road. Both the Meander River and a railway track that runs through the town from north Devonport through Deloraine and into Launceston and Central Tasmania. The train line is predominantly used for cargo with rare tourist train use. The town was bypassed by the new Bass Highway in the early 1990s.


Health and education

Deloraine is the educational and health centre for the
Meander Valley Meander Valley Council is a local government body in northern Tasmania. It covers the western outskirts of Launceston, and further westward along the Meander River. Meander Valley Council is classified as a rural local government area and h ...
region, location of a
library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
, online access centre, local
museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...
and public and private primary school and a
high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
. As well as being host to several art galleries. Deloraine is home to both a hospital/dental clinic and a doctor's practice, which are used by both the locals and neighbouring towns and villages.


Climate


Sister cities

Deloraine has one
sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...
, according to the Australian Sister Cities Association. * Hokitika, New Zealand


References


External links

{{authority control Localities of Meander Valley Council