The Tamar Valley is a valley in
Tasmania, Australia
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 ...
(lutruwita). It runs north-west from the northern city of
Launceston to the coast either side of the
Tamar River
The Tamar River, officially kanamaluka / River Tamar, is a estuary located in northern Tasmania, Australia. Despite being named a river, the waterway is a brackish and tidal estuary over its entire length.
Etymology
The Tamar River was named ...
, a distance of approximately 70 km.
There are more than 20 vineyards lining the valley, making it the largest wine region in lutruwita Tasmania. Tourists are guided by the Tamar Valley Wineroute. The main varieties of grapes grown are
pinot noir
Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...
and
chardonnay
Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...
.
The body of water which flows through Tamar Valley extends from the Bass Strait to Launceston, and is commonly referred to as Tamar River despite it actually being an estuary. The palawa name for the Tamar River is kanamaluka and it stretches 70km, making it Australia’s longest estuary.
kanamaluka/Tamar estuary is part of the East-Asian Flyway; a migratory corridor which stretches from the Russian Tundra, Mongolia, and Alaska to non-breeding grounds in the Southern Hemisphere. Migratory birds using the East-Asian Flyway are protected under federal legislation. kanamaluka/Tamar estuary is home to over 20 migratory bird species including more than 1% of the global Chestnut Teal and Pies Oystercatcher populations which rely on the estuary during a key stage in their lifecycle.
The Tamar Valley is a
graben
In geology, a graben () is a depression (geology), depressed block of the Crust (geology), crust of a planet or moon, bordered by parallel normal faults.
Etymology
''Graben'' is a loan word from German language, German, meaning 'ditch' or 't ...
—a depressed block of the crust bordered by parallel faults.
The Structural history of Tasmania: a review for petroleum explorers
- A.R. Stacey and RF Berry, 2004, PESA Eastern Australasian Basins Symposium II
See also
* Bell Bay Pulp Mill
References
External links
Tamar Valley tourism website
Tamar River
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