Hamilton is a rural locality in the local government area (LGA) of
Central Highlands in the
Central LGA region 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 ...
. The locality is about north-west of the city of
Hobart
Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
. The
2016 census recorded a population of 241 for the suburb of Hamilton.
History
Hamilton was gazetted as a locality in 1959.
Governor
Lachlan Macquarie
Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; ; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Gove ...
named the locality "Sorell Plains", and it became locally known as "Macquarie" and "Lower Clyde".
Governor
George Arthur
Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet (21 June 1784 – 19 September 1854) was a British colonial administrator who was Lieutenant Governor of British Honduras from 1814 to 1822 and of Van Diemen's Land (present-day Tasmania) from 1824 to 1836. ...
finalised a name for the locality and this was announced in 1826. Hamilton was named after William Henry Hamilton, a wealthy free settler who had arrived in
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania during the European exploration of Australia, European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. The Aboriginal Tasmanians, Aboriginal-inhabited island wa ...
in April 1824.
Hamilton Post Office opened on 1 June 1832.
Hamilton was once a bustling frontier town that contained many inns and several working breweries.
It contains a few small shops and buildings, such as the court house, many of them dating back to convict times.
Notable people
Cricketer
Percy Lewis was born here in 1864.
Tasmanian artist
Edith Lilla Holmes was born here in 1893.
Road infrastructure
Route A10 (
Lyell Highway
The Lyell Highway (Route A10) is a highway in Tasmania, running from Hobart to Queenstown.
It is the one of two transport routes that passes through the West Coast Range, the other being the B28 Anthony Road.
Name
The name is derived fro ...
) runs through from south-east to west. Route B110 (Hollow Tree Road) starts at an intersection with A10 and runs north-east until it exits. Route C182 (Thousand Acre Lane) starts at an intersection with A10 and runs east until it exits.
[
]
Geography
The River Derwent (Meadowbank Lake) forms the south-western boundary. The Clyde River flows through from north to south after forming a small part of the northern boundary.
Climate
Hamilton 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 ...
( Köppen: ''Cfb''), with mild, dry summers and cool, somewhat damp winters. Average maxima vary from in January to in July while average minima fluctuate between in January and in July. Due to its inland location and being downwind
In geography and seamanship, windward () and leeward () are directions relative to the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e., towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point o ...
of the Central Highlands, midsummer freezes have been recorded, while foehn winds occur (primarily in summer). Mean annual precipitation is quite low, spread on 148.4 days, and is concentrated in winter. Snow is not uncommon.
Extreme temperatures have ranged from on 24 June 2013 to on 11 January 2010.
References
Further reading
*
* Beavan, Ernest G. (1988) ''Take heed lest you forget: a history of St. Peter's Anglican Church, Hamilton, Tasmania''. Hamilton, Tas. St. Peter's Church Vestry.
{{authority control
Towns in Tasmania
Localities of Central Highlands Council
Populated places on the River Derwent