Kingston, Tasmania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids KingstonHobart, Tasmania |
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Kingston Tasmania. Picture taken from the west.
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 Kingston
Location in Hobart
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| Population | 12,288 (2021 census) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 7050, 7051 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 52 m (171 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Kingborough | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | |||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) |
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Kingston is a lively town located just outside Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It sits about 12 kilometers south of the city, surrounded by hills. Kingston is the main center for the Kingborough Council.
Today, it's known as the entry point between Hobart and the D'Entrecasteaux Channel area. This channel meets the Derwent River nearby. Kingston is one of the fastest-growing places in Tasmania. In June 2021, the Kingston-Huntingfield area had about 13,473 people living there.
Even though the Kingston-Blackmans Bay area is counted as a separate urban area by the ABS, Kingston is also part of the larger Hobart area.
Contents
Kingston's Past: A Look at History
In 1804, a scientist named Robert Brown visited this area. The Browns River, which flows from Mount Wellington to Kingston Beach, is named after him.
The first people to settle here were Thomas Lucas and his family in 1808. They had to move from Norfolk Island. Soon, many pioneers started using the land, creating the beginnings of Kingston's neighborhoods. In its early days, the area was also called after Robert Brown. But as more people moved in and shops were built, Kingston officially became a town in 1851.
The Kingston area includes many different neighborhoods, like Blackmans Bay and Kingston Beach.
Kingston has a special connection with the Dutch community. After 1950, many immigrants from the Netherlands moved here. They called their new home 'Little Groningen' (which is now Firthside). These Dutch families were mostly part of the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia. They built their local church in 1952. The Calvin Christian School was started by this Dutch community in 1962.
Kingston was even named the Best Suburb in Australia for families by Aussie Home Loans. This was part of their yearly study of 3800 towns across Australia.
Weather in Kingston: A Mild Climate
Kingston has a mild oceanic climate. This means it has very mild summers and cool winters. The highest average temperatures are around 21.9°C in February. The lowest average temperatures are about 12.5°C in July.
The average lowest temperatures are around 10.7°C in February and 2.4°C in June and July. Kingston gets a moderate amount of rain each year, about 674.3 millimeters. This rain falls over about 131.5 days. The hottest day ever recorded was 40.0°C in January 1973. The coldest day was -7.2°C in June 1972.
| Climate data for Kingston (42º58'12"S, 147º19'12"E, 52 m AMSL) (1965-1977 normals & extremes, rainfall to 1910) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 40.0 (104.0) |
36.6 (97.9) |
34.8 (94.6) |
29.2 (84.6) |
25.0 (77.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
21.5 (70.7) |
20.1 (68.2) |
28.0 (82.4) |
28.5 (83.3) |
36.1 (97.0) |
37.5 (99.5) |
40.0 (104.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 21.6 (70.9) |
21.9 (71.4) |
20.4 (68.7) |
18.3 (64.9) |
15.0 (59.0) |
12.7 (54.9) |
12.5 (54.5) |
13.1 (55.6) |
14.8 (58.6) |
16.8 (62.2) |
17.6 (63.7) |
19.8 (67.6) |
17.0 (62.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 9.7 (49.5) |
10.7 (51.3) |
9.0 (48.2) |
7.0 (44.6) |
4.6 (40.3) |
2.4 (36.3) |
2.4 (36.3) |
2.9 (37.2) |
4.4 (39.9) |
5.2 (41.4) |
7.3 (45.1) |
8.8 (47.8) |
6.2 (43.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 1.3 (34.3) |
2.4 (36.3) |
1.7 (35.1) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
0.7 (33.3) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 46.4 (1.83) |
46.1 (1.81) |
52.1 (2.05) |
57.5 (2.26) |
55.3 (2.18) |
58.5 (2.30) |
56.3 (2.22) |
55.6 (2.19) |
51.3 (2.02) |
68.0 (2.68) |
61.8 (2.43) |
65.4 (2.57) |
674.3 (26.55) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 8.6 | 7.8 | 9.4 | 10.4 | 11.3 | 11.2 | 12.0 | 12.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 12.2 | 10.8 | 131.5 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology (1965-1977 normals & extremes, rainfall to 1910) | |||||||||||||
Kingston's Economy: Jobs and Shopping
Kingston is home to the main office of the Australian Antarctic Division. This is a very important place for Australia's work in Antarctica.
The town has two big shopping centers: Kingston Town Shopping Centre and Channel Court Shopping Centre. A newer shopping complex called Kingston Plaza opened in 2008. It was built over an existing Coles supermarket and now has a new Coles store plus 15 other shops.
Local Media: News and Radio
Kingston has its own local news. There are two free publications: the Kingborough Chronicle newspaper and the Kingston Classifieds weekly newsletter. You can also listen to local radio stations like Pulse FM Kingborough and Huon and Huon FM 98.5.
Education in Kingston: Schools for All Ages
Kingston has several schools for students of all ages. There are two public schools:
- Kingston High School for students in Grades 7 to 10.
- Kingston Primary School for students in Grades 1 to 6.
There are also three private Christian schools:
- Calvin Christian School for students from kindergarten all the way to Year 12.
- Southern Christian College also for students from kindergarten to Year 12. Both of these schools welcome students from all Christian backgrounds.
- The Kingston campus of St Aloysius Catholic College is for students from kindergarten to Year 4. Older students (Grade 5 to Year 10) attend the Huntingfield campus.
Sister Cities: Friends Around the World
Kingston has a special friendship with a town in the Netherlands:
