Penguin, Tasmania

Penguin is a town in the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is located in the Central Coast Council Local Government Area on the Bass Highway, between Burnie and Ulverstone. At the 2006 census, Penguin had a population of 2,943.^[1]

Penguin was first settled in 1861 as a timber town, and proclaimed on 25 October 1875. The area's dense bushland and easy access to the sea led to Penguin becoming a significant port town, with large quantities of timber shipped across Bass Strait to Victoria, where the 1850s gold rushes were taking place. The town was named by the botanist Ronald Campbell Gunn for the Fairy Penguin rookeries that are common along the less populated areas of the coast.^[2]

Notable residents

• Fashion designer Alannah Hill lived in Penguin during her childhood, as her parents owned a milk bar in the town.^[3]
• Trevor Kaine, the second Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, was born in Penguin.
• Russell Robertson, an Australian rules footballer for the Melbourne Demons, attended Penguin High School from 1991 to 1994.
• Leslie Lloyd Robson, (1931-1990) the prolific Australian historian, was born and raised in Penguin.
• Grant O'Brien the current CEO of Woolworths (supermarket) was raised in Penguin and attended Penguin High School.

Education

Penguin has one of only two 7th Day Adventist Schools in Tasmania, North West Christian School. (The other being Hilliard in Hobart.)

Attractions

Penguin is home to the Big Penguin and all the bins have cement penguins along the sides. Penguin is also a great place for fishing. There are Trout in the Penguin Creek and many different types of fish in the surrounding sea. There are also sandy beaches that are a good place to swim at high-tide. Mt Montgomery is also in the Penguin area.

References