Mathinna, Tasmania

Mathinna is a small Australian town in the north-east of Tasmania, 63 km east of Launceston. It was named after a young Aboriginal girl befriended by the Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land, Sir John Franklin and his wife, Lady Jane Franklin.[2]

Mathinna
Tasmania
Mathinna
Coordinates41°28′36.6″S 147°53′19.0″E
Population142 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density0.2/km2 (0.52/sq mi)
Postcode(s)7214
Elevation300 m (984 ft)
Area1,370.4 km2 (529.1 sq mi)
Location
LGA(s)Break O'Day Council
State electorate(s)Lyons
Federal Division(s)Lyons

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.[3] Melbourne-based mining company Riltec made a failed attempt to re-establish the Golden Gate mine in 1994,[4] although recent gold mining efforts have been more successful, with a production target of 70,000 ounces made for the Mathinna mine in 2006.[5]

Blackboy Post Office opened on 30 June 1870, was renamed Reedy Marsh, Blackboy in 1871 and Mathinna in 1882.[6]

Former Premier of Tasmania Eric Reece, was born in the town in 1909.[7]

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Mathinna (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  2. Tasmanian Personalities - Mathinna Archived 2007-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, Discover Tasmania. Retrieved on 27 May 2007.
  3. Community History - Mathinna Archived 2007-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, Fingal Online Access Centre (Tasmanian Communities Online). Retrieved on 27 May 2007.
  4. Making a Nation - About Mathinna, The Examiner. Retrieved on 27 May 2007.
  5. Gold exploration ramping up in state's north east, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 29 May 2006. Retrieved on 27 May 2007.
  6. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  7. The Parliament of Tasmania from 1856 - Eric Reece, Government of Tasmania. Retrieved on 27 May 2007.


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