Rosebery, Tasmania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rosebery Tasmania
Rosebery Location in Tasmania
Postcode(s)	7470
Elevation	165 m (541 ft)
Location	315 km (196 mi) NW of Hobart 109 km (68 mi) S of Burnie 55 km (34 mi) N of Queenstown 25 km (16 mi) N of Zeehan
LGA(s)	West Coast Council
State electorate(s)	House of Assembly: Braddon Legislative Council Division: Murchison
Federal Division(s)	Braddon
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 16.4 °C 62 °F 7.0 °C 45 °F 1,952 mm 76.9 in

Rosebery is a town located on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It sits at the northern end of the West Coast Range. The town is nestled near Mount Black and next to the Pieman River, which is now known as Lake Pieman.

You can find Rosebery on the Murchison Highway. It is about 25 kilometres north-east of Zeehan. The town is part of the West Coast Council area. In 2021, Rosebery had a population of 752 people.

A newer part of Rosebery, located by Lake Pieman, is called Primrose.

History of Rosebery

Like many towns on Tasmania's west coast, Rosebery is a mining town. Its story began in 1893. A prospector named Tom McDonald found gold in the area. He also discovered rocks containing zinc-lead sulphide. These finds were made in the thick rainforest on the slopes of Mount Black.

McDonald claimed several areas for the Rosebery Prospecting Association. This group was named after Lord Rosebery. Later, it became the Rosebery Gold Mining Company. Soon after, the South Rosebery Mining Company was formed. It aimed to mine the southern part of the same ore deposit.

In 1896, the Rosebery Gold Mining Company changed its name to the Tasmanian Copper Company. The South Rosebery Mining Company became the Primrose Mining Company. Rosebery Post Office opened its doors on November 1, 1897.

The main mineral found was sphalerite, which contains zinc. However, at first, there was no good way to get the zinc out of the ore. This made it hard to use the mineral. One company, the Tasmanian Metals Extraction Company (TME), tried to solve this problem. They built a large processing plant in 1912. Sadly, their experiment did not work, and the plant closed in 1914.

The Rosebery mines were taken over by the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway company in 1916. Eventually, the mines joined with the Electrolytic Zinc Company of Australasia (EZ). EZ had found a successful way to extract zinc. In 1926, work began on a processing mill in Rosebery. By 1931, an aerial ropeway was finished. This ropeway carried ore from the Hercules Mine to the mill.

Due to the Great Depression, the Rosebery Mill was not fully built until 1936. The Rosebery Mine has been working non-stop ever since. In February 2011, the mine celebrated 75 years of operation. Today, Minerals and Metals Group (MMG) runs the mine. They produce zinc, lead, copper, silver, and gold. Before MMG, companies like Pasminco and Zinifex owned the mine.

Before the Murchison Highway was built in the 1960s, a railway connected Rosebery to Burnie. This was the Emu Bay Railway.

Rosebery's Climate

Rosebery has a wet oceanic climate. This means it has cool to mild, damp, and changeable summers. Winters are cool to cold and very wet. The town does not get much sunshine. It only has about 16.5 clear days each year. On the other hand, it has around 168 cloudy days annually.

February is usually the driest month. September is the wettest month. This is because of the strong westerly winds, also known as the Roaring Forties, that blow in this area. Snow falls in Rosebery about 2.8 days a year on average.

Famous People from Rosebery

• Richard Flanagan - a well-known author, historian, and film director.

Gallery

• 

  Mine buildings
• 

  Rosebery station
• 

  Railway Bridge over Rosebery Creek
• 

  Disused ore bucketway