Dartmouth is a town in Victoria, Australia.

Dartmouth
Victoria
Aerial of the town
Dartmouth is located in Shire of Towong
Dartmouth
Dartmouth
Location in Shire of Towong, Victoria
Coordinates36°32′S 147°29′E / 36.533°S 147.483°E / -36.533; 147.483
Population104 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)3701
Elevation365 m (1,198 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Towong
State electorate(s)Benambra
Federal division(s)Indi
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
20.6 °C
69 °F
7.7 °C
46 °F
1,006.2 mm
39.6 in

It was established in 1973 as a construction camp for workers working on the Dartmouth Dam and the Post Office opened on 1 March 1973. (An earlier Post Office had existed in the rural locality from 1910 until 1930).[2]

The dam was built very close to the mouth of the Dart River where it joined the Mitta Mitta River and is a major reservoir in the Murray-Darling River system, on the Mitta Mitta River. Today Dartmouth is a village with a permanent population around 45 people. It caters to fisherman, tourists and local workers who maintain the dam and the now two power stations.

While the dam was being built by the State Rivers & Water Supply Commission, the population was around 2,000, many of those people were employed by Thiess Brothers.

Climate edit

Climate data for the region are sourced at the bottom of the dam wall, in a relatively sheltered spot at 365 metres (1,198 ft) above sea level. Although rainfall records span as far back as 1918, temperature records did not commence until 1975. Winter is twice as wet as summer, and occasionally it may snow.

Climate data for Dartmouth Reservoir (1975–2022, rainfall to 1918); 365 m AMSL; 36.54° S, 147.50° E
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 42.2
(108.0)
43.0
(109.4)
39.0
(102.2)
33.4
(92.1)
24.7
(76.5)
20.0
(68.0)
19.6
(67.3)
27.2
(81.0)
28.4
(83.1)
33.2
(91.8)
37.9
(100.2)
39.2
(102.6)
43.0
(109.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 29.5
(85.1)
29.0
(84.2)
25.8
(78.4)
20.7
(69.3)
15.9
(60.6)
12.5
(54.5)
11.8
(53.2)
13.4
(56.1)
16.6
(61.9)
20.5
(68.9)
24.0
(75.2)
26.9
(80.4)
20.6
(69.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 14.0
(57.2)
13.7
(56.7)
11.1
(52.0)
7.3
(45.1)
4.7
(40.5)
3.1
(37.6)
2.3
(36.1)
2.8
(37.0)
4.6
(40.3)
7.0
(44.6)
9.9
(49.8)
11.8
(53.2)
7.7
(45.8)
Record low °C (°F) 2.8
(37.0)
2.3
(36.1)
1.9
(35.4)
−1.6
(29.1)
−3.5
(25.7)
−5.0
(23.0)
−5.4
(22.3)
−5.0
(23.0)
−3.7
(25.3)
−1.5
(29.3)
−0.2
(31.6)
1.4
(34.5)
−5.4
(22.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 65.1
(2.56)
55.6
(2.19)
61.2
(2.41)
57.9
(2.28)
85.8
(3.38)
100.6
(3.96)
111.3
(4.38)
121.4
(4.78)
102.5
(4.04)
97.4
(3.83)
71.8
(2.83)
73.9
(2.91)
1,006.2
(39.61)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 6.3 5.9 6.7 7.7 10.5 12.5 14.8 14.6 12.9 11.0 8.8 7.6 119.3
Source: Bureau of Meteorology, Dartmouth Reservoir

References edit

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Dartmouth (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 24 August 2020.  
  2. ^ Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List, retrieved 24 March 2021