Mathinna is a rural locality in the local government areas (LGA) of Break O'Day (97%) and Dorset (3%) in the North-east LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about 83 kilometres (52 mi) south-west of the town of St Helens. The 2016 census recorded a population of 142 for the state suburb of Mathinna.[1]
Mathinna Tasmania | |||||||||||||||
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![]() ![]() Mathinna | |||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 41°28′36.6″S 147°53′19.0″E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 131 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 0.2/km2 (0.52/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 7214 | ||||||||||||||
Elevation | 300 m (984 ft) | ||||||||||||||
Area | 1,370.4 km2 (529.1 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Location |
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LGA(s) | Break O'Day Council | ||||||||||||||
Region | North-east | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Lyons | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Lyons | ||||||||||||||
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It is a small Australian town in the north-east of Tasmania, 63 km east of Launceston. It was named after a young Aboriginal girl sent to live with the Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land, Sir John Franklin and his wife, Lady Jane Franklin.[2]
Mathinna was gazetted as a locality in 1976.[3]
The town became established as a gold mining centre, shortly after gold was discovered in the area in the 1890s. The Golden Gate Mine in Mathinna was one of Tasmania's highest-yield gold mines, second only to Beaconsfield. At its peak in the late 1890s, the town sustained a population of over 5,000, including a large number of Chinese miners, making it the third largest town in Tasmania at the time.[4] Melbourne-based mining company Riltec made a failed attempt to re-establish the Golden Gate mine in 1994,[5] although recent gold mining efforts have been more successful, with a production target of 70,000 ounces made for the Mathinna mine in 2006.[6]
Blackboy Post Office opened on 30 June 1870, was renamed Reedy Marsh, Blackboy in 1871 and Mathinna in 1882.[7]
Former Premier of Tasmania Eric Reece, was born in the town in 1909.[8]
The Scamander River forms part of the northern and most of the north-eastern boundaries.[9]
Route B43 (Mathinna Road) enters from the south and runs north-west and west to the village. From there, the road continues west as C401 (Upper Esk Road).[3][10]
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