Derby, Tasmania
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| Derby Tasmania |
|
| Population: | 302 (2006)[1] |
| Established: | 1874 |
| Postcode: | 7264 |
| Elevation: | 164 m (538 ft) |
| Location: |
|
| LGA: | Dorset Council |
| State District: | Bass |
| Federal Division: | Bass |
Derby is a small Australian town located in the north east of Tasmania.
The area had been surveyed in 1855, but was not settled or inhabited until 1874, when George Renison Bell discovered tin in the area. The Krushka brothers discovered a large lode of tin, and set up a mine (named The Brothers Mine) in the area, assuring the town's economic future. The town was known as Brother's Home, until 1897 when it was renamed Derby (believed to be after Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom).[2]
Derby reached its peak in the late 19th century, when its population reached over 3,000, and the Brothers Mine (renamed the Briseis Mine after the winner of the 1876 Melbourne Cup) was producing upwards of 120 tonnes of tin per month.[2]
On 4 April 1929, the dam used by the mine burst after heavy rains and flooded the town, killing 14 people. The mine was closed, but re-opened five years later although it never reached the same level of output as it had in the last century and closed in 1948.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Derby (State Suburb). 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
- ^ a b c Derby, The Age, February 8, 2004.
[edit] External links
- Derby, Tasmania is at coordinates Coordinates:
