Scamander, Tasmania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids ScamanderTasmania |
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 Scamander
Location in Tasmania
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| Population | 803 (2021 census) | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 7215 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 3 m (10 ft) | ||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Break O'Day Council | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Lyons | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Lyons | ||||||||
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Scamander is a small, fun town in Tasmania, Australia. It's located right where the Scamander River meets the ocean. You can find it on the north-east coast, between the towns of St Helens and St Marys.
Many people love to visit Scamander for holidays. It has wide, sandy beaches and amazing views of the ocean. You can enjoy activities like surfing, swimming, and fishing for bream fish in the river.
Contents
History of Scamander
The first European person to explore this area was a surveyor named John Helder Wedge. He traveled through in 1825. A surveyor is someone who measures and maps land.
John Wedge first called the river "Borthwick" and the town "Yarmouth." He named Yarmouth after a port city in England. But later, both the river and the town were given the name "Scamander."
Building Bridges
The wide mouth of the Scamander River has always been a challenge for people trying to build bridges across it.
- In 1865, Richard Terry built a bridge made of timber (wood). But it broke in May 1875 when a large group of cattle was walking over it.
- After that, two more bridges were built, but they were both washed away by big floods in 1889 and 1911.
- Even more timber bridges were built, but they also broke because of floods or tiny sea worms called shipworms. The last wooden bridge fell apart in 1929.
A strong truss bridge was built in 1936. This bridge is still standing today! People use it for walking and riding bicycles. The main concrete bridge that cars use now was built in a better spot nearby. It opened on June 26, 1991.
Other Historical Facts
The Scamander Post Office first opened on October 1, 1896, but it closed in 1933. It opened again in 1950.
On the evening of December 11, 2006, a large bushfire swept through the area. It caused damage to 18 houses and a restaurant in the small town.
Weather in Scamander
Scamander has a mild ocean climate. This means it has warm summers and cool winters.
- The average highest temperature in summer (February) is about 22.1 degrees Celsius (71.8°F).
- The average highest temperature in winter (July) is about 13.8 degrees Celsius (56.8°F).
- The average lowest temperature in summer (February) is about 13.0 degrees Celsius (55.4°F).
- The average lowest temperature in winter (July) is about 4.5 degrees Celsius (40.1°F).
Scamander gets a moderate amount of rain, about 699.9 millimeters (27.6 inches) each year. Rain falls on about 127 days a year. The town doesn't get a lot of sunshine. It has about 130 cloudy days and only about 74 clear days each year.
The hottest temperature ever recorded in Scamander was 42.2 degrees Celsius (108.0°F) on January 30, 2009. This is also the highest temperature ever recorded in all of Tasmania! The coldest temperature recorded was -3.0 degrees Celsius (26.6°F) on July 6, 1990.
| Climate data for Scamander (41°28′S 148°16′E / 41.46°S 148.26°E) (3 m (9.8 ft) AMSL) (1974-2013) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 42.2 (108.0) |
39.8 (103.6) |
34.8 (94.6) |
29.3 (84.7) |
24.7 (76.5) |
20.1 (68.2) |
21.8 (71.2) |
24.9 (76.8) |
29.7 (85.5) |
31.7 (89.1) |
34.7 (94.5) |
35.6 (96.1) |
42.2 (108.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 22.1 (71.8) |
21.7 (71.1) |
20.7 (69.3) |
18.8 (65.8) |
16.6 (61.9) |
14.4 (57.9) |
13.8 (56.8) |
14.8 (58.6) |
16.3 (61.3) |
17.4 (63.3) |
19.0 (66.2) |
20.3 (68.5) |
18.0 (64.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.7 (54.9) |
13.0 (55.4) |
11.8 (53.2) |
9.8 (49.6) |
7.5 (45.5) |
5.5 (41.9) |
4.5 (40.1) |
5.3 (41.5) |
6.6 (43.9) |
8.1 (46.6) |
10.3 (50.5) |
11.3 (52.3) |
8.9 (47.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.1 (41.2) |
5.3 (41.5) |
2.6 (36.7) |
2.0 (35.6) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
0.1 (32.2) |
1.8 (35.2) |
3.8 (38.8) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 55.2 (2.17) |
45.3 (1.78) |
65.7 (2.59) |
69.0 (2.72) |
53.9 (2.12) |
54.0 (2.13) |
54.2 (2.13) |
63.4 (2.50) |
54.7 (2.15) |
61.9 (2.44) |
64.3 (2.53) |
59.1 (2.33) |
699.9 (27.56) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 8.9 | 8.4 | 11.0 | 9.3 | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.6 | 11.8 | 11.9 | 11.9 | 10.6 | 10.9 | 126.8 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 64 | 67 | 67 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 67 | 64 | 62 | 64 | 66 | 64 | 65 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | 12.2 (54.0) |
12.8 (55.0) |
12.1 (53.8) |
10.3 (50.5) |
8.7 (47.7) |
7.0 (44.6) |
6.1 (43.0) |
6.2 (43.2) |
6.7 (44.1) |
8.0 (46.4) |
10.0 (50.0) |
10.7 (51.3) |
9.2 (48.6) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 241.8 | 206.2 | 189.1 | 174.0 | 142.6 | 129.0 | 158.1 | 173.6 | 192.0 | 223.2 | 210.0 | 229.4 | 2,269 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 53 | 53 | 49 | 53 | 46 | 47 | 54 | 53 | 54 | 54 | 48 | 49 | 51 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology (1974-2013) | |||||||||||||
What You Can Find in Scamander
Scamander has many services for both locals and visitors:
- A Resort Hotel
- A Bottle Shop
- Two Caravan Parks
- Many Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs)
- Several small motels
- A Supermarket or minimarket
- A Petrol Station, which also has a mechanic
- A Fast food store
- A Surf Shop
- A Post office
- A Coffee, Book & Video store
- JCG Marine charter (for boat trips)
- Local Handymen (people who can fix things)
