Arthur River, Tasmania

Arthur River Tasmania
File:Arthur River mouth.jpg Mouth of the Arthur River
Arthur River Location in Tasmania
Coordinates
Population	121 (2006 census)
Postcode(s)	7330
Location	448 km (278 mi) NW of Hobart 194 km (121 mi) W of Devonport 64 km (40 mi) SW of Penguin
LGA(s)	Circular Head Council
State electorate(s)	Braddon
Federal Division(s)	Braddon

Arthur River is the name of both a river and a small township on the northern part of the West Coast of Tasmania, Australia. At the 2006 census, Arthur River and the surrounding area had a population of 121.

It is south of the town of Marrawah. Named after Sir George Arthur, Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemens Land (1824–36), the river is fed by several tributaries including the Frankland River, which was named after its discoverer, then the colony's surveyor-general. The region has been exploited commercially for timber and fisheries, but today is mostly a centre for tourism.

On the coast near the mouth of the Arthur River is a plaque titled The Edge of the World. North West Coast Tasmania, and a poem by tourism pioneer Brian Inder, who coined the term, referring to the coastline at Arthur River which is regularly lashed by the gales of the Roaring Forties.

Further reading

• Sharples, C.E. (1997) Karst geomorphology and values of the tarkine: limestone, dolomite and magnesite karst systems of the Arthur-Pieman Region of Tasmania: a report to the Australian Heritage Commission and the Tasmanian Conservation Trust Inc. Canberra: Australian Heritage Commission.