Port Sorell, Tasmania
Encyclopedia
Port Sorell is a town on the north-west coast of Tasmania
, Australia
. It lies on the waterway of the same name, just off Bass Strait
, 20 km east of Devonport
and close to Shearwater
and Hawley Beach
. It borders the Rubicon Estuary
, which has been identified by BirdLife International
as an Important Bird Area
because of its importance for wader
s, especially Pied Oystercatcher
s.
and sealing
port named Burgess, however the name was officially changed to Port Sorell (after Governor Sorell
) in 1822. The town could have been a lot larger than it is now, had it not been for bushfires, after which nearby Devonport grew to become a major port. At the 2006 census
, Port Sorell had a population of 2,211. Today Port Sorell is one of many popular holiday spots along the north coast of Tasmania.
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It lies on the waterway of the same name, just off Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
, 20 km east of Devonport
Devonport, Tasmania
-Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...
and close to Shearwater
Shearwater, Tasmania
Shearwater is a town on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It lies on the Rubicon Rivulet, just off Bass Strait, 20 km east of Devonport. The town of Port Sorell and Hawley Beach neighbour Shearwater. At the 2006 census, Shearwater had a population of 688. The town grows considerably...
and Hawley Beach
Hawley Beach, Tasmania
Hawley Beach, Tasmania is a seaside resort town from the nearest main town . At the 2006 census, the town had a population of 596. Nearby is the small town of Port Sorell and locality of Shearwater....
. It borders the Rubicon Estuary
Rubicon Estuary
The Rubicon Estuary is an estuary on the central coast of northern Tasmania, south-eastern Australia, lying next to the town of Port Sorell.-Description:...
, which has been identified by BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
as an Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
because of its importance for wader
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
s, especially Pied Oystercatcher
Pied Oystercatcher
The Pied Oystercatcher, Haematopus longirostris, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. The similar South Island Pied Oystercatcher The Pied Oystercatcher, Haematopus longirostris, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading...
s.
History
The town was originally a fishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and sealing
Seal hunting
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...
port named Burgess, however the name was officially changed to Port Sorell (after Governor Sorell
William Sorell
William Sorell was a soldier and third Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land.-Early life:Sorell was born probably in the West Indies, the eldest son of Lieutenant-general William Alexander Sorell and his wife Jane...
) in 1822. The town could have been a lot larger than it is now, had it not been for bushfires, after which nearby Devonport grew to become a major port. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Port Sorell had a population of 2,211. Today Port Sorell is one of many popular holiday spots along the north coast of Tasmania.
Further reading
- Gardam, Faye. A History of Port Sorell 1844 - 1994. Port Sorell Sesquicentenary Committee: Latrobe, TasmaniaLatrobe, TasmaniaLatrobe is a town in northern Tasmania, Australia, situated on the Mersey River. It lies 8 km south-east of Devonport on the Bass Highway. It is main centre of the Latrobe Council. At the 2006 census, Latrobe had a population of 2,843....
. 1994.