Smithton, Tasmania

Smithton is a town on the far north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It lies on the Bass Highway, 85 km north-west of Burnie. At the Template:CensusAU, Smithton had a population of 3,934.Template:R Smithton is the administrative centre of the Circular Head Council.

History

Duck River Post Office opened on 1 November 1873 and was renamed Smithton in 1895.<ref name="Post Office">Template:Cite web</ref> In 1905 Smithton was declared a town and the Mowbray swamp (now part of the locality of Mella) was drained for dairy pasture. It was here that, in 1920, the 45,000 year old skeleton of a Zygomaturus was discovered.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1905, the jetty at Smithton was 1200m long.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The first regular rail service on the Marrawah Tramway started in 1913. In 1919 The Stanley–Trowutta railway commenced services and by 1921 the Smithton to Irishtown link was opened. By 1922 the railway link from Myalla to Wiltshire Junction was completed, thus joining the railways in the municipality to the state system. Smithton High School was opened in 1937, and in 1951 a kindergarten and public hospital were opened in Smithton, and the town began to flourish.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Economy

The economy of Smithton is agriculture based, consisting primarily of dairy and beef farming. Other major industries that contribute to the local economy are fishing, aquaculture, crop farming, timber plantations and tourism.Template:Citation needed

As it is a major centre in the northwest of the state, several companies have established processing plants in Smithton. Major employers in the town include Greenham Tasmania, who operate a meat processing plant that prepares beef for export to Japan and the United States as well as Australian markets. The plant employs over 120 staff.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> McCain Foods (Australia) maintain potato storage, processing and freezing facilities in the town for the production of French fries. The McCain plant operates year-round and employs a workforce of 150 from the local community. Two timber mills are also located in Smithton, operated by Britton Bros and Ta Ann Tasmania.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Tasmanian Seafoods Pty Ltd operate an abalone processing facility and cannery as well as having their head office located in the town.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Also, Murray Goulburn (a dairy company) have offices there.Template:Citation needed

Tarkine Fresh Oysters (Bolduans Bay Oysters) also run a significant aquaculture facility in Smithton, employing more than 40 people.Template:Citation needed

Infrastructure

The education community consists of a Catholic independent school, a Christian school and government schools. St Peter Chanel is the local Catholic primary school servicing the community. Circular Head Christian School is the local Christian school, which starts at Kindergarten and goes through to year 12.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The National Broadband Network ran a trial rollout in Smithton, with the first customers connected in July 2010.Template:Citation needed

In 1996, a Cultural Heritage Centre and Museum was started in Smithton to preserve many of the artifacts from Smithton's settlement and is still run today by local volunteers. It houses a collection of photos, tools and other day to day memorabilia used in the Circular Head area.Template:Citation needed

Climate

Smithton has a Mediterranean-influenced oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb/Csb), with very mild, relatively dry summers and cool, wet winters. Average maxima vary from Template:Convert in February to Template:Convert in July while average minima fluctuate between Template:Convert in February and Template:Convert in July. Mean average annual precipitation is moderate: Template:Convert, and is strongly concentrated in winter. Due to being windward of the Central Highlands, precipitation is very frequent: spread between 208.3 precipitation days.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The town has 183.4 cloudy days and only 38.1 clear days per annum. Extreme temperatures have ranged from Template:Convert on 30 January 2009 to Template:Convert on 19 June 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Temperature extremes were combined from the closed Grant Street and the open Smithton Airport weather stations.

Notable people

Noted former Smithtonians include:

• Hannah Gadsby (born in Smithton, 1978), comedian, winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2017
• Enid Lyons (born in Smithton, 1897), first woman elected to the Australian House of Representatives
• Don Kay (born in Smithton, 1933), composer and professor of music