27-567: South Arm Peninsula is a peninsula that lies on the east side of the mouth of the River Derwent south of Hobart in Tasmania , Australia . The peninsula commences at Lauderdale and curves landward or inward on a narrow isthmus that has South Arm situated on the east side of the Derwent, across from Blackmans Bay on the west side. Opossum Bay is the northernmost populated place on
54-422: A maximum depth of 215 metres (705 ft), making it Australia's deepest lake. The lake is fed by Narcissus River, Cuvier River, and Hamilton Creek and marks the start of the River Derwent . The locality of Lake St Clair is in the local government areas of Central Highlands (24%), Meander Valley (12%), and West Coast (64%). The southern end of the lake is about 106 kilometres (66 mi) north-west of
81-464: A vital source of water for irrigation and urban supply, notably providing a significant portion of Hobart's water needs. The river is also crucial for recreation, supporting activities such as boating, fishing, and leisure along its banks. Additionally, it facilitates marine transportation and various industrial activities, playing a central role in Tasmania's economy and lifestyle. The upper part of
108-605: Is a significant river and tidal estuary in Tasmania, Australia . It begins its journey as a freshwater river in the Central Highlands at Lake St Clair , descending over 700 metres (2,300 ft) across a distance of more than 200 kilometres (120 mi). At the settlement of New Norfolk in the Derwent Valley its waters become brackish , flowing through Hobart , the capital city of Tasmania, its seawater estuary eventually empties into Storm Bay and
135-526: Is found in many middens along the banks of the river. The first European to chart the river was Bruni d'Entrecasteaux , who named it the Rivière du Nord in 1793. Later that same year, John Hayes explored the river and named it after the River Derwent , which runs past his birthplace of Bridekirk , Cumberland . When first explored by Europeans, the lower parts of the valley were clad in thick she-oak forests, remnants of which remain in various parts of
162-474: The Tasman Sea . Historically, the banks of the Derwent were covered by forests and frequented by Aboriginal Tasmanians . With the arrival of European settlers, the area saw agricultural development and the construction of dams for hydro-electricity generation during the 20th century. Today, the Derwent's catchment area is characterised by agriculture , forestry , and hydropower generation. It serves as
189-899: The USS ; Enterprise ; USS John C. Stennis and USS Missouri . The largest vessel to ever travel the Derwent is the 113,000-tonne (111,000-long-ton), 61-metre (200 ft) high, ocean liner Diamond Princess , which made her first visit in January 2006. At points in its lower reaches the river is nearly 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) wide, and as such is the widest river in Tasmania. The Derwent estuary contains dozens of white sandy beaches, many of which are staples of local activity within Hobart suburbs and include Bellerive Beach , Blackmans Bay Beach , Howrah Beach , Nutgrove Beach , Lords Beach , Long Beach , Taroona Beach , Hinsby Beach , Kingston Beach and Windermere Beach. Until
216-468: The Derwent, preys on not only the fish eggs, but also on the sea squirts ( ascidians ) that help to form the substrate that the fish spawn on. Several bridges connect the western shore (the more heavily populated side of the river) to the eastern shore of Hobart – in the greater Hobart area, these include the five lane Tasman Bridge , near the CBD, just north of the port; the four lane Bowen Bridge ; and
243-490: The Meadowbank, Cluny, Repulse, Catagunya, Wayatinah, Liapootah and King William lakes or lagoons. The Upper Derwent is affected by agricultural run-off, particularly from land clearing and forestry. The Lower Derwent suffers from high levels of toxic heavy metal contamination in sediments. The Tasmanian Government -backed Derwent Estuary Program has commented that the levels of mercury , lead , zinc and cadmium in
270-711: The Tasman Sea. Flows average in range from 50 to 140 cubic metres per second (1,800 to 4,900 cu ft/s) and the mean annual flow is 90 cubic metres per second (3,200 cu ft/s). The large estuary forms the Port of the City of Hobart – the deepest sheltered harbour in the Southern Hemisphere . Some past guests of the port include HMS Beagle in February 1836, carrying Charles Darwin ;
297-535: The construction of several hydro-electric dams between 1934 and 1968, the river was prone to flooding. Now there are more than twenty dams and reservoirs used for the generation of hydro-electricity on the Derwent and its tributaries, including the Clyde , Dee , Jordan , Nive , Ouse , Plenty and Styx rivers. Seven lakes have been formed by damming the Derwent and the Nive rivers for hydroelectric purposes and include
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#1732776277880324-480: The first tourists arriving by car in 1915. From 1911 the beginnings of the Overland Track to Cradle Mountain began to form, with the route officially blazed by Bert Nichols in 1931. A guesthouse was built at Cynthia Bay in 1930, followed by improved parking, camping and visitor facilities. The lake has been a popular tourist destination, with most tourists visiting to walk, photograph and learn about
351-482: The lake was surveyor William Sharland in 1832, with George Frankland leading an expedition to it three years later. In 1840 James Calder cut a track from the lake to Macquarie Harbour , followed by another more practical track by Burgess. The Burgess track was maintained and re-cut by miners until 1883 when a new lower level route was discovered, which later became the Lyell Highway . The area surrounding
378-588: The lake was used by snarers and hunters from 1860 until the collapse of the fur trade in the 1950s, although it was illegal from 1927 onwards. In 1937 the Derwent River was dammed just below the lake, and a pumping station installed - enabling Hydro Tasmania to drain the lake up to 6 metres and feed water to the Tarraleah Power Station . The fluctuating water levels have caused erosion and environmental degradation since. The pumphouse
405-482: The locality, plus the locality of Cradle Mountain to the north. The C193 route (Lake St Clair Road) enters from the south-east and runs to the southern shore of the lake, where it ends. In 1871, the Tasmanian Guidebook mentioned Lake St Clair as being "admired for its scenery by the few who visit". By 1900 there was a boatshed, accommodation, improved access and horse paddocks at Cynthia Bay, with
432-523: The lower foreshore. There was a thriving whaling industry until the 1840s when the industry rapidly declined due to over-exploitation. Formed by the confluence of the Narcissus and Cuvier rivers within Lake St Clair , the Derwent flows generally southeast over a distance of 187 kilometres (116 mi) to New Norfolk and the estuary portion extends a further 52 kilometres (32 mi) out to
459-626: The most northerly crossing is at Derwent Bridge , before the river reaches its source of Lake St Clair . At the Derwent Bridge crossing, the flow of the river is generally narrow enough to be stepped across. The river is the subject of the multimedia performance "Falling Mountain" (2005 Mountain Festival), a reference to the mountain in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park from which
486-685: The northward curve. Ralphs Bay lies in the area defined by the peninsula to the west, while Storm Bay lies to the south of the peninsula, Frederick Henry Bay to the east side that separates from the Tasman Peninsula . The peninsular is located in the City of Clarence . There are a number of organisations that use the name of the peninsula. 42°58′19″S 147°29′46″E / 42.972°S 147.496°E / -42.972; 147.496 River Derwent (Tasmania) The River Derwent , also known as timtumili minanya in palawa kani ,
513-436: The river during months in winter and spring when their migration takes place. Some females even started using calm waters of the river as a safe ground for giving birth to their calves and would stay over following weeks after disappearance of almost 200 years due to being wiped out by intense whaling activities. In the winter months of 2014, humpback whales and a minke whale (being the first confirmed record of this species in
540-439: The river exceed national guidelines. In 2015 the program recommended against consuming shellfish and cautioned against consuming fish in general. Nutrient levels in the Derwent between 2010 and 2015 increased in the upper estuary (between Bridgewater and New Norfolk) where there had been algal blooms . A large proportion of toxic heavy metal contamination stems from legacy pollution caused by major industries that discharge into
567-639: The river including Nyrstar Hobart , a historic smelter establish at Lutana in 1916, and the Norske Skog Boyer paper mill at Boyer which opened in 1941. The Derwent adjoins or flows through the Pittwater–Orielton Lagoon , Interlaken Lakeside Reserve and Goulds Lagoon, all wetlands of significance protected under the Ramsar Convention . In recent years, southern right whales finally started making appearance in
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#1732776277880594-508: The river rises. The Derwent is mentioned in the song, Mt Wellington Reverie by Australian band, Augie March . Hobart is located in the foothills of Mount Wellington . Lake St Clair, Tasmania Lake St Clair or leeawulenna is a natural freshwater lake located in the Central Highlands area of Tasmania , Australia . The lake forms the southern end of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park . It has an area of approximately 45 square kilometres (17 sq mi), and
621-529: The river was named after the River Derwent, Cumbria by British Commodore John Hayes who explored it in 1793. The name is Brythonic Celtic for "valley thick with oaks". Matthew Flinders placed the name "Derwent River" on all of the river. The name "River Derwent" was officially endorsed on 20 May 1959. The River Derwent valley was inhabited by the Mouheneener people for at least 8,000 years before British settlement. Evidence of their occupation
648-710: The river) have been recorded feeding in the River Derwent for the first time since the whaling days of the 1800s. The rare spotted handfish ( Brachionichthys hirsutus ), whose only habitat is in the Derwent estuary and surrounds, was the first marine fish to be listed as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List , in 1996. The fish is threatened by the Northern Pacific seastar's invasion into southern Australian waters . The Northern Pacific seastar ( Asterias amurensis ), now firmly established in
675-542: The town of Hamilton . Lake St Clair was formed through glacial erosion, along with the surrounding river valleys. Lake St Clair is located on the edge of the Big River Tasmanian Aboriginal nation, and there is evidence that they hunted on the surrounding button grass plains. Numerous small quarries and campgrounds are located nearby, with the closest dated site putting human occupation at 10,000 years ago. The first European explorer to see
702-684: The two lane Bridgewater Bridge and Causeway . Until 1964 the Derwent was crossed by the unique Hobart Bridge , a floating concrete structure just upstream from where the Tasman Bridge now stands. Travelling further north from the Bridgewater crossing, the next crossing point is the Blair Street Bridge at New Norfolk , slightly north of the point where the Derwent reverts from seawater to fresh water , Bushy Park , Upper Meadowbank Lake , Lake Repulse Road, Wayatinah , and
729-485: Was decommissioned in the 1990s, and transformed into a hotel in 2015. The Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair area was declared a scenic reserve in 1922, a wildlife reserve in 1927, a national park in 1947 and a world heritage area from 1982. The locality has an area of 839.4 square kilometres (324.1 sq mi), of which the lake occupies about 45 square kilometres (17 sq mi) in the south-east corner. The Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park occupies all of
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