Low Head
Low Head | |||||||||||||
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| Low Head Pilot Station Low Head Pilot Station | |||||||||||||
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 411: Malformed coordinates value. | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates: Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Tasmania | ||||||||||||
| Region | Launceston | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Location |
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| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Elevation | 28 m (92 ft) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 572 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 7253 | ||||||||||||
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Low Head is a rural residential locality in the local government area (LGA) of George Town in the Launceston LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of the town of George Town. The 2016 census recorded a population of 572 for the state suburb of Low Head.[1] It is a suburb of George Town, on a peninsula at the mouth of the Tamar River.
It is a popular snorkel and scuba diving area during much of the year, with extensive wide, unspoiled beaches.
The area also has a lighthouse, beaches and a colony of little penguins (Eudyptula minor).
The foghorn, a Chance Brothers "Type G" diaphone at Low Head Lighthouse, is the only operable foghorn of its type and is popular with tourists as it is sounded at noon every Sunday.
History
[edit | edit source]Low Head was gazetted as a locality in 1967.[3] The first Low Head Post Office opened on 12 September 1887 and closed in 1894.[4] In 1996 the MV Iron Baron ran aground on Hebe Reef, off Low Head, causing the worst oil disaster in Australia's history.
Geography
[edit | edit source]The waters of the Tamar River estuary (also known as Port Dalrymple) and Bass Strait form the western to north-eastern boundaries. The George Town Aerodrome is within the locality.[5]
Climate
[edit | edit source]Low Head has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb), bordering on a warm Mediterranean climate.
| Climate data for Low Head | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 28.6 (83.5) |
28.7 (83.7) |
26.1 (79.0) |
23.1 (73.6) |
20.4 (68.7) |
18.0 (64.4) |
16.1 (61.0) |
17.2 (63.0) |
20.6 (69.1) |
21.2 (70.2) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.7 (78.3) |
28.7 (83.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 20.7 (69.3) |
21.2 (70.2) |
20.1 (68.2) |
17.8 (64.0) |
15.4 (59.7) |
13.5 (56.3) |
12.8 (55.0) |
13.1 (55.6) |
14.1 (57.4) |
15.5 (59.9) |
17.5 (63.5) |
19.1 (66.4) |
16.7 (62.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.5 (58.1) |
14.6 (58.3) |
13.4 (56.1) |
11.2 (52.2) |
9.4 (48.9) |
7.5 (45.5) |
7.0 (44.6) |
7.4 (45.3) |
8.5 (47.3) |
9.6 (49.3) |
11.4 (52.5) |
12.9 (55.2) |
10.6 (51.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 8.2 (46.8) |
8.1 (46.6) |
7.0 (44.6) |
3.7 (38.7) |
2.6 (36.7) |
0.8 (33.4) |
0.6 (33.1) |
0.5 (32.9) |
1.4 (34.5) |
3.9 (39.0) |
5.1 (41.2) |
6.5 (43.7) |
0.5 (32.9) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 46.6 (1.83) |
27.0 (1.06) |
50.6 (1.99) |
55.9 (2.20) |
61.4 (2.42) |
75.2 (2.96) |
74.2 (2.92) |
76.6 (3.02) |
57.3 (2.26) |
54.0 (2.13) |
52.9 (2.08) |
43.8 (1.72) |
674.0 (26.54) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 6.9 | 6.6 | 7.8 | 9.6 | 12.7 | 14.1 | 15.9 | 15.7 | 14.3 | 11.8 | 9.6 | 8.9 | 133.9 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 68 | 66 | 64 | 66 | 69 | 72 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 68 | 68 | 66 | 68 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology (1997–2024 averages;[6] extremes 1980–present) | |||||||||||||
Road infrastructure
[edit | edit source]Route A8 (Low Head Road) runs through from south-west to north-west, where it terminates.[3][7]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 2007-11-10
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Iron Baron - report on oil spill
- Low Head Pilot Station Maritime Museum - Maritime History of the area.
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