Scottsdale, Tasmania

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Scottsdale Tasmania
Scottsdale, from North Scottsdale. Mount Barrow can be seen in the background
Population:	1,904 (2001)^[1]
Postcode:	7260
Location:	22 km from Bridport 63 km from Launceston 89 km from St Helens 252 km from Hobart
LGA:	Dorset Council
State District:	Bass
Federal Division:	Bass

Scottsdale is a town in the north-east of Tasmania, Australia. It lies on the Tasman Highway, around 63 km north-east of Launceston and 22 km south-east of the coastal town of Bridport . It is part of the Dorset Council.

The area was first surveyed in 1855 and was described as, "the best soil on the island ... well watered, with a mild climate" by surveyor James Scott, for whom the town is named. This rings true today as the town, as well as being the regional centre for other north-east towns, is a major agricultural centre.

1 Industry
2 Demographics
3 Localities
4 Culture
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Industry

Potato farming, dairy farming, pine plantations, poppy cultivation and mining are all major industries in the area. Hops were previously an important crop, however large hop farms have over the last few years been sold and/or turned into dairy farms and eucalypt and pine plantations.

The setting of the town, surrounded by green fields and blue mountains, as well as increasing infrastructure and improved promotion for visitors, is giving the local tourism industry a boost. The Barnbougle Dunes Golf Links[1] and the Bridestowe Estate Lavender Farm are key local attractions.

The Forest EcoCentre, operated by Forestry Tasmania, was built in Scottsdale in the late 1990s, as an educational visitor centre designed to inform the public about the forestry industry in Tasmania.

Scottsdale is an important service centre for North-East Tasmania, with shops catering for most residents' needs, however the town's retail sector has recently suffered a decline, with increasing vacancies in the town's main street of King Street. The town has also suffered from the closure of the North-East Tasmania Rail Line, which increased the number of trucks on local roads. The complete removal of rails on major sections of the line halted the possibility of the rail line operating as a tourist route, despite it running through spectacular scenery. Ironically, the rails removed were used for the Abt Wilderness Railway on Tasmania's west coast. ^[2]

[edit] Demographics

Scottsdale is a relatively anglo-saxon community, with the largest groups of foreign-born locals being from the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Italy. The town lacks religious diversity, with 72% of the population report to being of the Christian faith, and no Muslims or Jews. The median age of the town is 36. (Figures from the 2001 census ^[3])

Scottsdale voters showed their right-wing leanings compared to other Tasmanian towns when they gave the Liberal candidate at the 2004 Federal election, Michael Ferguson, 61.72% of their vote on a two-party preferred basis. ^[4]

[edit] Localities

Scottsdale consists of a web of streets around two major avenues, King Street (Tasman Highway) and George Street/Tasman Highway or "Ringarooma Road" (Bridport Road). The main shopping area is located around King Street and Victoria Street.

The high point of the town is located in Mary Street where there is a large water storage tank.

Elesmere is the "original" Scottsdale where the first settlement was built, located now on the northern outskirts of the town.

The other well-known locality is Lades Estate, primarily a government housing area. Lades Estate has earned the nickname Sin City because of the higher crime rate and lower socio-economic status of this area of Scottsdale.

Public facilities in the town include a 25 meter heated outdoor swimming pool, 9 hole golf course, public library and online access centre, primary school, and high school (grade 7 to grade 10).

[edit] Culture

The town gained national media attention in 2005 and 2006 when fears about job losses in the local sawmilling industry ^[5] arose in the Scottsdale community.

In July 2006 Scottsdale, the heart of Tasmania's "north-east Bible belt", was given national coverage because local Exclusive Brethren sect members were named as having conducted an advertising smear against the Australian Greens political party ^[6]. Scottsdale again received national attention in relation to this issue when the Greens party attempted to pass a motion to have a Senate Inquiry into the activities of the Exclusive Brethren.^[7] Exclusive brethren members are successful local business people.

There has been consternation and division in 2005 and 2006 in the local community and against the Dorset Council over the issue of the closure of William Street to through traffic and the blessing of Lilydale Road and Listers Lane as a trucking route.^[8] A new "version" of Listers Lane was built to link Lilydale Road to Bridport Road. Many local businesses protested against the closure of William Street, and today the new road sits unused because of safety reasons, a "white elephant" costing several million dollars.

Major activity is currently afoot around Scottsdale in the development of the tourist trail, "Trail of the Tin Dragon." ^[9]

Scottsdale locals gain a sense of community by participating in activities related to the local primary and high schools, churches and sport. AFL football is very popular in the town, as are swimming, golf, hockey, bowls and basketball.

Students wishing to complete their Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) are required to attend college in the city of Launceston.

Scottsdale is served by television stations ABC TV, SBS, Southern Cross Tasmania, WIN Television, radio stations 7SD 540 kHz and Sea FM 99.7 MHz, and local newspaper The North-East Advertiser.

7SD previously operated from studios in Scottsdale's King Street. It provided a community service by joining together locals over the large north-east Tasmania area by for example publishing cooking books filled with recipes by locals. There are no longer local radio broadcasts from Scottsdale itself. 7SD is now run from Launceston while Sea FM is run from Devonport, with many programs being networked from the Gold Coast, Queensland.