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Mathinna, Tasmania
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] 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] HistoryMathinna 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] GeographyThe Scamander River forms part of the northern and most of the north-eastern boundaries.[9] Road infrastructureRoute 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] References
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