Dover, Tasmania

Town in Tasmania, Australia

Dover
Tasmania

Dover

Coordinates| 43°18′S 147°1′E﻿ / ﻿43.300°S 147.017°E﻿ / -43.300; 147.017
Population| 923 (2021 census)[1]
Postcode(s)| 7117
Elevation| 17 m (56 ft)[2]
LGA(s)| Huon Valley Council
State electorate(s)| Franklin
Federal division(s)| Franklin
| Mean max temp | Mean min temp | Annual rainfall

|
|

16.6 °C
62 °F | 6.9 °C
44 °F | 872.9 mm
34.4 in

Dover is the southernmost town of its size in Australia, on the western shore of Port Esperance.

At the 2021 census Dover had a population of 923, of whom 288 were aged under 40 years. 118 residents (including 59 of the 288 residents aged under 40 years) identified as 'Aboriginal' and/or 'Torres Strait Islander.' 83% of residents were born in Australia, 6% in the United Kingdom, 2% in New Zealand and about 1% each in China, Canada, Korea, the USA, Ireland and Nepal. 197 residents were employed, including 54% in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, 6% each in construction, retail and health care/ social assistance, and 5% each in public administration and professional services.[3]

## Etymology

[edit]

The word Dover, first recorded in its Latinised form of Portus Dubris, derives from the Brythonic word for waters (dwfr in Middle Welsh). The same element is present in the name of a French commune (Douvres) and in Modern Welsh (Dofr).

## History

[edit]

The Dover area was first inhabited by the Lyluequonny people, who were studied in detail by the French naturalists on the d'Entrecasteaux expedition in 1793.

A convict probation station the Dover Convict Probation Station was established in the 1840s,[4] and was in use between 1844 and 1848.[5] The Dover Museum and Gallery reports that convicts were accommodated on Hope Island or sent to Southport, and that at one time swimming was prohibited in Port Esperance due to the danger posed by sharks attracted by whaling activities.

The place name of Blubber Head, at the northern entrance to Port Esperance, indicates that shore-based bay whaling activity may have taken place here in the 19th century.[6]

Port Esperance Post Office, which opened on 6 February 1856, was renamed "Dover" in 1895.[7]

In 2013, the Dover Hotel pub/tavern was engulfed by fire and destroyed.[8]

Club activities of the Port Esperance Sailing Club are documented as dating to 1858 – when a regatta was held – and may date back further.[9] Fire destroyed the club building on the night of 23 April 2020.[10] Community response from across Tasmania, as well as beyond, led to the building of a new clubhouse, which ultimately opened on 17 March 2024. While the basic building is usable and many of the traditional community activities resumed, the cost impacts of COVID-19 mean that a number of the club's new facilities are yet to be used.

## Climate

[edit]

Dover has a marine climate (Cfb) with consistently cool, cloudy winters and relatively sunny summers. Due to its far-southern latitude and location more exposed than Hobart, snow occurs to beach level on an average of 2.3 days per year, with temperatures notably cooler than those of the capital and a pronounced winter rainfall peak.[11] The highest recorded temperature in Dover was 40.1 °C (104.2 °F) in March 2019, more than 20 °C above the mean daily maximum for March.

Climate data for Dover (1990–2024, rainfall to 1901); 20 m AMSL; 43.33° S, 147.00° E

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Record high °C (°F)  | 39.6
(103.3)  | 37.4
(99.3)  | 40.1
(104.2)  | 30.9
(87.6)  | 25.2
(77.4)  | 19.2
(66.6)  | 19.8
(67.6)  | 22.6
(72.7)  | 27.7
(81.9)  | 31.9
(89.4)  | 34.2
(93.6)  | 38.0
(100.4)  | 40.1
(104.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 21.2
(70.2)  | 20.9
(69.6)  | 19.5
(67.1)  | 17.0
(62.6)  | 14.6
(58.3)  | 12.6
(54.7)  | 12.3
(54.1)  | 13.1
(55.6)  | 14.8
(58.6)  | 16.4
(61.5)  | 17.9
(64.2)  | 19.4
(66.9)  | 16.6
(62.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 10.5
(50.9)  | 10.2
(50.4)  | 9.0
(48.2)  | 7.2
(45.0)  | 5.7
(42.3)  | 3.9
(39.0)  | 3.6
(38.5)  | 3.9
(39.0)  | 5.0
(41.0)  | 6.3
(43.3)  | 7.9
(46.2)  | 9.1
(48.4)  | 6.9
(44.4)
Record low °C (°F)  | 3.1
(37.6)  | 2.6
(36.7)  | 1.9
(35.4)  | −2.0
(28.4)  | −1.5
(29.3)  | −2.0
(28.4)  | −3.4
(25.9)  | −1.8
(28.8)  | −2.1
(28.2)  | −0.5
(31.1)  | 0.8
(33.4)  | 1.7
(35.1)  | −3.4
(25.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)  | 52.1
(2.05)  | 50.0
(1.97)  | 62.4
(2.46)  | 65.7
(2.59)  | 72.7
(2.86)  | 79.3
(3.12)  | 87.6
(3.45)  | 91.9
(3.62)  | 83.5
(3.29)  | 86.2
(3.39)  | 71.1
(2.80)  | 69.9
(2.75)  | 872.9
(34.37)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 11.6  | 10.8  | 13.0  | 14.4  | 16.1  | 16.0  | 18.7  | 18.3  | 17.5  | 17.5  | 15.4  | 14.3  | 183.6
Average afternoon relative humidity (%)  | 59  | 60  | 61  | 66  | 69  | 73  | 71  | 66  | 63  | 62  | 62  | 59  | 64
Source: [12]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Dover". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
2. ^ "Dover". Daily rainfall. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
3. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021). "Census Community Profile for Dover locality". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
4. ^ Poulson, Bruce. "Far South". Companion to Tasmanian History. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
5. ^ "Dover, Tasmania". our Tasmania. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
6. ^ Kathryn Evans, Shore-based whaling in Tasmania: historical research project; Volume 2; site histories, Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, Hobart, 1993, p.40.
7. ^ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
8. ^ "Fire engulfs Dover Hotel". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
9. ^ "Port Esperance Regatta". The Hobart Town Daily Mercury. 11 January 1858. Retrieved 23 March 2024 - via Trove.
10. ^ "Port Esperance Sailing Club". Retrieved 23 March 2024.
11. ^ "Dover Snowy Days (2.3)". australianweathernews.com. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
12. ^ "Climate statistics for Dover". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 19 December 2022.

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