Cape Portland, officially Luemerrernanner / Cape Portland,[1] is both a geographical feature and a locality near the north-eastern tip of Tasmania, Australia. The cape points west across Ringarooma Bay, where the Ringarooma River empties into the Tasman Sea.

Luemerrernanner / Cape Portland
Tasmania
Luemerrernanner / Cape Portland is located in Tasmania
Luemerrernanner / Cape Portland
Luemerrernanner / Cape Portland
Coordinates40°44′58″S 147°56′43″E / 40.74944°S 147.94528°E / -40.74944; 147.94528
Postcode(s)7264
LGA(s)Dorset Council
The Cape Portland area is an important site for Cape Barren geese

It was named after the Duke of Portland by Matthew Flinders during his 1798 circumnavigation of the island in the sloop Norfolk with George Bass. The Pyemmairre name of the Cape Portland district is Tebrakunna.[2]

Banks Strait separates Cape Portland from Clarke Island, one of the Furneaux Group, to the north.[3][4]

History

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Cape Portland Post Office opened on 6 April 1865 (first as a receiving house) and finally closed in 1918.[5]

Birds

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It is the site of the 67 km2 Cape Portland Important Bird Area which includes the cape itself, some adjacent land, a strip of coastline east of the cape extending to Policemans Point at the mouth of Ansons Bay, and nearby Swan Island. This area supports more than 1% of the world population of the Cape Barren goose, chestnut teal and the near threatened hooded plover. It also occasionally supports large numbers of pied oystercatchers, double-banded plovers and breeding fairy terns.[6]

Notable people

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Dora Jeanette Turner (1888-1953), a local educationist, was born here on 8 January 1888.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Place Name Assignments List No. 561 (22089)" (PDF). Tasmanian Government Gazette. 2 June 2021. p. 489. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  2. ^ Milligan, Joseph (1858). "On the dialects and languages of the Aboriginal Tribes of Tasmania, and on their manners and customs" (PDF). Papers of the Royal Society of Tasmania: 270.
  3. ^ "Bank Strait". Bonzle. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Banks Strait and Franklin Forecast". Bureau of Meteorology. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  5. ^ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  6. ^ "IBA: Cape Portland". Birdata. Birds Australia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
  7. ^ Sprod, Gleewyn, "Dora Jeannette Turner (1888–1953)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 27 March 2024