Dover, Tasmania

Dover Tasmania
Dover
Coordinates	43°18′S 147°1′E / 43.300°S 147.017°E / -43.300; 147.017
Population	486 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)	7117
Elevation	17 m (56 ft)[2]
LGA(s)	Huon Valley Council
State electorate(s)	Franklin
Federal division(s)	Franklin
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 16.6 °C 62 °F 6.9 °C 44 °F 872.9 mm 34.4 in

Dover is the southernmost town of its size in Australia, located on the western shores towards the southern end of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, just south of the Huon Valley, southwest of Hobart, located on the head of Port Esperance in Tasmania. At the 2021 census it had a population of 923. 83% were born in Australia, 6% in the United Kingdom, 2% in New Zealand and about 1% each in China, Canada, Korea, the USA, Ireland and Nepal.^[3]

First recorded in its Latinised form of Portus Dubris, the name derives from the Brythonic word for waters (dwfr in Middle Welsh). The same element is present in the towns French (Douvres) and Modern Welsh (Dofr) forms.

The place name of Blubber Head, at the northern entrance to Port Esperance, may indicate shore-based bay whaling activity took place at the location in the 19th century.^[4]

Port Esperance Post Office opened on 6 February 1856 and was renamed "Dover" in 1895.^[5]

In 2013, the Dover Hotel pub/tavern was destroyed when it was engulfed by a fire.^[6]

A fire on the night of 23 April 2020 destroyed the Port Esperance Sailing Club's building.^[7] This triggered a response from the wider Tasmanian community and beyond to build a new clubhouse. These efforts led to a clubhouse that opened on 17 March 2024. While the basic building is usable and many of traditional community activities have resumed, the cost impacts of COVID-19 mean a number of the clubs facilities wait to be undertaken. Documented club activities date back to an 1858 Regatta,^[8] possibly earlier.

Dover has a marine climate (Cfb) with consistently cool, cloudy winters and relatively sunny summers. Due to its far southern latitude and more exposed location than Hobart, snow occurs on an average of 2.3 days a year to beach level, with notably cooler temperatures than the capital and a pronounced winter rainfall peak.^[9] The highest recorded temperature in Dover was 40.1 °C (104.2 °F) in March 2019, over 20 °C above the March average maximum.

The annual mean temperature of 11.8 °C (53.2 °F) is comparable to London in the British Isles, despite sharing a latitude with Nice in southern France. Summer mean temperatures are comparable to those in Glasgow.