Scamander, Tasmania

History

The first European to travel through the area was surveyor John Helder Wedge in 1825. He named the river "Borthwick" and the position itself he named "Yarmouth" after the English port Great Yarmouth but both the river and town were both later renamed "Scamander".

The wide river mouth has been a challenge to bridge builders for many years. Richard Terry constructed a timber bridge in 1865, but it collapsed around May in 1875 while a large herd of cattle was being driven across it. A second and third bridge were successively washed away in floods in 1889 and 1911. Further bridges succumbed to flood and shipworms, the last timber bridge collapsing in 1929. A truss bridge was built in 1936 and still stands today, used by pedestrians and bicycles. The concrete bridge that currently carries the Tasman Highway was built on a better alignment nearby and officially opened on 26 June 1991.

Scamander Post Office opened on 1 October 1896 and closed in 1933. It reopened in 1950.

On the evening of 11 December 2006, 18 houses and a restaurant were razed by a bushfire that swept around the small town.

Climate

Scamander has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb); experiencing mild summers and cool winters. Average maxima vary from 22.1 C in February to 13.8 C in July, while average minima range between 13.0 C in February and 4.5 C in July. Precipitation is moderate, averaging 699.9 mm per annum. Rainfall is well-distributed through the year; occurring on 126.8 days. The town is not particularly sunny, experiencing 130.0 cloudy days and 74.3 clear days per annum. Extreme temperatures have ranged from 42.2 C on 30 January 2009 to -3.0 C on 6 July 1990. The former reading is also Tasmania's highest recorded temperature.

| Jan record high C = 42.2 | Feb record high C = 39.8 | Mar record high C = 34.8 | Apr record high C = 29.3 | May record high C = 24.7 | Jun record high C = 20.1 | Jul record high C = 21.8 | Aug record high C = 24.9 | Sep record high C = 29.7 | Oct record high C = 31.7 | Nov record high C = 34.7 | Dec record high C = 35.6 | Jan record low C = 5.1 | Feb record low C = 5.3 | Mar record low C = 2.6 | Apr record low C = 2.0 | May record low C = 0.0 | Jun record low C = -2.2 | Jul record low C = -3.0 | Aug record low C = -1.2 | Sep record low C = -0.2 | Oct record low C = 0.1 | Nov record low C = 1.8 | Dec record low C = 3.8 | Jan avg record high C = 32.9 | Feb avg record high C = 31.5 | Mar avg record high C = 28.9 | Apr avg record high C = 25.5 | May avg record high C = 21.4 | Jun avg record high C = 18.1 | Jul avg record high C = 17.6 | Aug avg record high C = 19.3 | Sep avg record high C = 22.3 | Oct avg record high C = 25.3 | Nov avg record high C = 28.7 | Dec avg record high C = 28.7 | year avg record high C = 34.8 | Jan avg record low C = 7.6 | Feb avg record low C = 7.7 | Mar avg record low C = 6.1 | Apr avg record low C = 4.2 | May avg record low C = 2.4 | Jun avg record low C = 0.9 | Jul avg record low C = 0.4 | Aug avg record low C = 0.9 | Sep avg record low C = 1.6 | Oct avg record low C = 2.8 | Nov avg record low C = 5.1 | Dec avg record low C = 6.4 | year avg record low C = -0.3 | Jan dew point C = 12.2 | Feb dew point C = 12.8 | Mar dew point C = 12.1 | Apr dew point C = 10.3 | May dew point C = 8.7 | Jun dew point C = 7.0 | Jul dew point C = 6.1 | Aug dew point C = 6.2 | Sep dew point C = 6.7 | Oct dew point C = 8.0 | Nov dew point C = 10.0 | Dec dew point C = 10.7 |access-date = 27 Jun 2025}}}}

Services

Services in Scamander include:

• Resort Hotel
• Bottle Shop
• Two Caravan Parks
• Numerous Bed and Breakfasts
• Several small motels
• Supermarket/minimarket
• Petrol Station including mechanic
• Fast food store
• Surf Shop
• Post office
• Coffee, Book & Video store
• JCG Marine charter
• Local Handymen

References

References

1. {{Census 2021 AUS
2. ''The Mercury'', 28 August 1875
3. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions.
4. (2006-12-12). "Conditions improve for Tasmanian fire crews". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
5. "Climate classification maps: Köppen - all classes". [[Bureau of Meteorology]].
6. "Scamander Climate (1974-2013)". [[Australian Community Media]].
7. "Tasmania breaks all-time high temperature record again". [[Bureau of Meteorology]].