Low Head is a rural residential locality in the local government area (LGA) of George Town in the Launceston LGA region of

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

. The locality is about north of the town of George Town. The 2016 census recorded a population of 572 for the state suburb of Low Head. It is a suburb of George Town, on a peninsula at the mouth of the

Tamar River The Tamar River, officially kanamaluka / River Tamar, is a estuary located in northern Tasmania, Australia. Despite being called a river, the waterway is a brackish and tidal estuary over its entire length. Location and features Formed by the ...

. It is a popular snorkel and scuba diving area during much of the year, with extensive wide, unspoiled beaches. The area also has a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

, beaches and a colony of

little penguin The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is a species of penguin from New Zealand. They are commonly known as little blue penguins or blue penguins owing to their slate-blue plumage and are also known by their Māori name . The Australian lit ...

s (''Eudyptula minor''). The foghorn, a

Chance Brothers Chance Brothers and Company was a glassworks originally based in Spon Lane, Smethwick, West Midlands (formerly in Staffordshire), in England. It was a leading glass manufacturer and a pioneer of British glassmaking technology. The Chance fami ...

"Type G"

diaphone The diaphone is a noisemaking device best known for its use as a foghorn: It can produce deep, powerful tones, able to carry a long distance. Although they have fallen out of favor, diaphones were also used at some fire stations and in other situ ...

Low Head Lighthouse Low Head Lighthouse is in Low Head, Tasmania, about north of George Town on the east side of the mouth of the Tamar River. It was the third lighthouse to be constructed in Australia, and it is also Australia's oldest continuously used pilot s ...

, is the only operable foghorn of its type and is popular with tourists as it is sounded at noon every Sunday.

History

Low Head was gazetted as a locality in 1967. The first Low Head Post Office opened on 12 September 1887 and closed in 1894. In 1996 the ran aground on Hebe Reef, off Low Head, causing the worst oil disaster 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 ...

's history.

Geography

The waters of the Tamar River estuary (also known as ''Port Dalrymple'') and

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...

form the western to north-eastern boundaries. The

George Town Aerodrome George Town Aerodrome , also known as George Town Airport, is a minor airport serving George Town, Tasmania, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Austral ...

is within the locality.

Climate

Low Head has a temperate oceanic climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Cfb''), bordering on a warm Mediterranean climate.

Road infrastructure

Route A8 (Low Head Road) runs through from south-west to north-west, where it terminates.

References

External links