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Australia Decoded
'T-1'


Tasman Peninsula

Tasman Arch, Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania — a natural arch and a littoral chasm formed from a sea cave's collapse
by Diego Delso [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons



ta—thank you.

ta-ta—good-bye.

TAB—Totalisator Agency Board—government-operated betting agency for horse-racing.

tabby—silly old woman.

tacho—tachometer.

taddie—a tadpole.

TAFE—Technical and Further Education institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education courses, mostly qualifying courses under the National Training System/Australian Qualifications Framework/Australian Quality Training Framework. Fields covered include business, finance, hospitality, tourism, construction, engineering, visual arts, information technology and community work. Individual TAFE institutions (usually with many campuses) are known as either colleges or institutes, depending on the state or territory. TAFE colleges are owned, operated and financed by the various state and territory governments. This is in contrast to the university sector, whose funding is predominantly the domain of the Commonwealth government and whose universities are predominantly owned by the state governments. TAFE colleges generally award qualifications up to the level of advanced diploma, which is below that of Bachelor degree within the Australian Qualifications Framework. In many instances TAFE study can be used as partial credit towards Bachelor degree-level university programs. From 2002 the TAFE education sector has been able to offer Bachelor degrees and post-graduate diploma courses to fill niche areas, particularly vocationally focused areas of study based on industry needs. As at June 2009 10 TAFE colleges (mainly in Victoria, but also Western Australia, ACT, and Queensland) now confer their own degree-level awards and post graduate diplomas, though not beyond the level of Bachelor degree. (See for example Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE) This practice is somewhat controversial due to the blurring of once clearly defined boundaries between sectors. Students who enrol in these undergraduate degree courses at TAFE are required to pay full fees and are not entitled to Commonwealth Government supported student fee loans, known as HECS loans, but may access a FEE-HELP loan scheme. While universities have the ability and power to design and offer their own degree courses, each TAFE degree course must be assessed and approved by the Higher Education Accreditation Committee (HEAC). TAFEs in some states can also teach senior high school qualifications, like the VCE and the Higher School Certificate. Some universities, e.g. Charles Darwin University and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, offer TAFE courses; these are funded by the local state and territory governments. Some high schools also deliver courses developed and accredited by TAFEs. Some private institutions also offer courses from TAFEs, however they more commonly offer other vocational education and training courses. Note that many Australians refer to all sub-degree courses as 'TAFE' courses, no matter what institution creates or delivers the course. Before the 1990s, the TAFEs had a near monopoly in the sector. TAFE courses provide students an opportunity for certificate, diploma, and advanced diploma qualifications in a wide range of areas. In most cases, TAFE campuses are grouped into TAFE institutions along geographic lines. Most TAFEs are given a locally recognised region of the country where they exclusively operate, covering a wide range of subjects. A few TAFEs specialise in a single area of study. These are usually found near the middle of the capital cities, and service the whole state or territory. For example, the Trade and Technician Skills Institute in Brisbane, (from 1 July 2006), specialises in automotive, building and construction, manufacturing and engineering, and electrical/electronic studies for students throughout Queensland. Or the William Angliss Institute of TAFE in Melbourne which specialises in food, hospitality and tourism courses for Victoria.

taffy—1. a confection like toffee. 2. insincere flattery. 3. (cap.) a Welshman.

tail—(cricket) the tail end of the batting, with the weakest batter.

taipans—there are two taipans in the Oxyuranus genus. The inland taipan (O. microlepidotus) is the most venomous snake on earth, but the the coastal taipan (O. scutellatus) is still the more dangerous, due to size, volume of venom, and fang length. They are Australia's largest venomous snakes, reaching 2.8m in length. Both hunt small mammals almost exclusively and both practise a strike-and-release technique to immobilize prey. This strike and release behaviour is unique to taipans and is thought to reduce their chance of injury from the formidably toothed mammals. The main prey species is the long-haired rat, enormous populations of which build in the flood plains after good rains. Because of their remote location few people have been bitten by the inland taipan and no-one has died. It is unknown how or when the two populations of taipans evolved, but the single population was split in two and they now live in quite different climates—hot and wet for the coastal taipan, hot and very dry for the inland taipan.

take a bit of doing—require considerable effort.

take a decision—make a decision.

take a fancy to—be enchanted, drawn, infatuated by.

take a fit—become very angry; lose one's temper.

take a hammering—1. receive a sound beating, defeat. 2. receive heavy criticism, ridicule or questioning.

take a piece out of (someone)—to reprimand (someone) severely.

take a poke at (someone)—aim a punch at (someone).

take a punt at—to have a go; try; attempt.

take a rise out of (someone)—provoke, annoy, irritate (someone).

take a running jump at yourself!—a rude rebuff or dismissal telling someone to go away, shut up, or that his opinion is not wanted or agreed with.

take a sickie—to take a day off from work, whether one is sick or not.

take a squiz—have a look.

take a thumping—suffer a sound thrashing, defeat, especially in sport.

take a tumble—to fail; suffer defeat, ruin, collapse: e.g., His business took a tumble during the credit squeeze.

take (one's) dog for a walk—to urinate.

take silk—is licensed to wear a silk gown in the law courts; become Queen's (or King's) Counsel. Said of a barrister, which is a type of lawyer, but the details depend according to jurisdiction. The legal profession in many British countries is divided between solicitors and barristers. Both are trained in law but serve different functions in the practice of law.

take some pickies—take some photographs.

take (someone) in hand—severely discipline, reprimand (someone); pull (someone) into line after a misdemeanor.

take (someone) to pieces—1. fight, beat up (someone). 2. reprimand, criticise (someone) severely

.take the bit between (one's) teeth—1. tackle a task or problem promptly and energetically. 2. act impetuously, without restraint or control.

take the bun—equivalent to the American expression, "take the cake": i.e., to win a prize against all expectation: e.g., Well now, doesn't that take the bun!

take the mickey out of (someone)—make a fool of, tease (someone); act disrespectfully to (someone) in the hope of causing grave embarrassment; humble, degrade, belittle (someone).

take the piss out of (someone)—1. (see: take the mickey out of) 2. humble, degrade, belittle (someone) by getting the better of him.

take the rough with the smooth—endure, tolerate the bad with the good.

take the shine out of—1. spill the fun and pleasure of. 2. humiliate; humble: e.g., His cutting remarks took the shine out of her.

take to the bush—1. to run away and hide. 2. to abandon a life in the city for one in the country. 3. to go, disappear.

take two bites at the cherry—1. to have two chances or opportunities to do something. 2. (Australian Rules football) mark a ball after two attempts.

take-down—a trick, swindle or act of deception.

takeaway/take-away—take-out food.tale of a tub—an idle fiction.

talent—unattached men or women viewed as possible sex partners: e.g., There's usually a lot of talent at the hotel on Saturday night.

talk as if (one) has a plum in (one's) mouth—(see: plum in the mouth).

talk blackfella—speak Aboriginal English.

talk nineteen to the dozen—talk fast and in an excited manner that is difficult to understand or decipher.

talk (someone) blind—to talk at length and bore (someone).

talking through the back of (one's) neck—speaking ill-informed nonsense; talking meaninglessly or insincerely.

tall black—double espresso.

tall canegrassEragrostis australasica, a tall, perennial, cane-like grass forming tussocks or spreading clumps. Grows in low-lying areas subject to periodic flooding, on slightly saline, compact, heavy clay soils. Common in the Riverina region, where it acts as a shelter for birds and fish. Also known as swamp canegrass, tall canegrass and bamboo grass.

tall oat grass—(see: oat kangaroo grass).

tall open forests—most rainforests abut tall, eucalypt-dominated forests designated 'tall open forests' in the terminology of Specht (1994) but often known as wet sclerophyll forests. These forests are found in wet environments along the eastern coasts of Australia and in a more restricted area of south-western Western Australia. The trees are often enormous (over 100m known for E. regnans), the understory is dense with abundant herbs, shrubs and ferns. Regeneration of the canopy trees is usually dependent upon death of the parent trees following canopy scorch—massed seed fall after fire saturates predators, avoids competition for light and resources, avoids allelopathic interactions with adults and also takes advantage of enhanced nutrient environments found in the ash bed (the ash bed effect). The effect is often a uniform age structure in stands of tall open forest, which have regenerated following a particular fire. Fires in these forests do not occur particularly frequently but when they do, they are of high intensity and sometimes extreme. These are the places fire legends are made. Needless to say, the animals of the tall open forest are also fire adapted.

tall poppy—1. very important person; influential person; person with status—often held in contempt by others, who try to bring about this person's downfall or ruin. 2. someone who gets ideas above their station.

tall poppy syndrome—the Australian habit of trying to destroy anyone who does better than the lowest common denominator, or rises above the status of the venerated "little Aussie battler".

tall streak of misery—person who is always morose or miserable.

tall wet forest—a forest type that was once fairly common along the edge of the adjacent escarpment, but which has been extensively cleared for its timber and the establishment of pasture for sheep grazing. The tall wet forest is dominated by several eucalypt species, including red stringybark, broad-leafed peppermint, brittle gum and scribbly gum. Of particular interest are the communities dominated by black gum, which prefer the moist and fertile soils of low aspect drainage lines. As these areas are highly fertile and have ample moisture, they have been extensively cleared for agriculture across the entirety of their range, from southern Queensland to Tasmania. The forest provides habitat for arboreal mammals such as sugar gliders, squirrel gliders, brushtail possums and ringtail possums.

Tallaringa Conservation Park—the park is on the southern fringe of the Great Victoria Desert, 100km due west of Coober Pedy, and is a wilderness area of over 1 million hectares comprising a vast wilderness of vegetated dunes and gibber rises. The park supports a variety of important wildlife species that have adapted to this arid area. The Anne Beadell Highway, a rough bush track, commences on the eastern edge of Tallaringa Conservation Park and ends at Laverton in Western Australia over 1300km away. This route is not inhabited, access is by 4WD only and there are no services or facilities. Camping is only permitted in clear areas within 50m of the Anne Beadell Highway.

tallowwoodEucalyptus microcorys is a native eucalypt species common in New South Wales and Queensland. It grows in forests near the coast on moderate to fertile soils in a protected, sunny position. It is a tall evergreen tree growing to 40m, occasionally to 70m, with rough, fibrous, orange bark and a dense crown. The leaves are 8-12cm long and 1.5-2.5cm broad. The flowers are produced in umbels of 7111. Tallowwood is so named owing to the greasy feel of the wood when cut. It is one of the species whose leaves are used for food by koalas. The timber is naturally oily with a high tannin content and is heavily used for decking and, recently, garden furniture. It has a distinct yellowish-brown to olive-green colour. The leaves can be used to dye wool and silk. The nectar of tallowwood is much prized by apiarists.

tally-hi—system of shearing which allows higher tallies.

tally-ho!—good-bye!

Talyawalka Anabranch & Teryawynia Creek—this wetland area comprises the wetlands of the Talyawalka Anabranch of the Darling River, and its distributary Teryawynia Creek, located between Wilcannia and Menindee on the Darling Plains. The system includes Teryawynia, Dry, White Water, Eucalyptus/Waterloo, Victoria, Brummeys, Dennys, Brennans, Sayers, Gum, Boolaboolka, North and Ratcatchers Lakes, plus associated wetlands. It is representative of a semi-arid inland floodplain wetland system, that is fringed by black box woodland. When inundated, these lakes provide habitat for large numbers of waterbirds.

Tamar River—the South and North Esk rivers merge at Launceston to become the Tamar River, which meanders for 58km through the Tamar Valley. The river was discovered by Bass and Flinders during their circumnavigation of Van Diemen's Land in 1798. They explored the river for 16 days and named it Port Dalrymple after Alexander Dalrymple, the British Admiralty's hydrographer.

Tamar Valley—a region of high-yielding vineyards and orchards, of scenic farmland and forests. It runs north-west from the northern city of Launceston to the coast either side of the Tamar River, a distance of approximately 50km. There are more than 20 vineyards lining the shores of the valley. The main varieties of grapes grown are pinot noir and chardonnay. Tamar Valley plays a significant role in the rich history of Australia. The Tamar River that drifts north from Launceston formed a beautiful valley. But before it became a famous valley, the area has been a home to a number of people who took part in making Australia what it is today. The valley's first settler arrived in 1789 in the person of Sammy Jervis, who happened to have jumped off the ship and joined the locals. The valley was then considered as the second settlement in 1803 next to Sydney and Norfolk Island. The first person who made many discoveries in the area is Lt. Col. William Patterson. He first settled in George Town and York Town and then in Launceston. Soon after, the York town near Beaconsfield was considered as the first capital in northern Tasmania. In 1804, Lt Col Paterson was the first to discover iron ore in Australia, at Beaconsfield. He then set up the first metal mine in Australia to mine the ore body the following year. It was the same year when he discovered the first Tasmanian tiger while catching wallabies and Tasmanian emus in York Town. He also discovered many Aboriginal middens in the west bank of Tamar River. In 1806 a convict named Charlotte Badger escaped and took one of Lt Col Patterson's ship, The Venus, becoming the first Australian pirate. Badger Head was named after her, as many early settlers believed her ghost had returned.

Tamblagooda Sandstone—a consolidated red sandstone of Silurian age that ranges in thickness from 1000 to 2500m. The formation abuts the Northampton Complex, commonly with a faulted contact, and is overlain by Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous sediments. The sandstone appears to have both fracture and intergranular permeability. Bore yields presumably depend on intersection of either fractures or gravel layers within the formation. Bores drilled for the Kalbarri town water supply obtain as much as 1000kL/day. Groundwater salinity is variable. East of the Northampton Complex, the groundwater in the Tumblagooda Sandstone is generally brackish. Groundwater in the formation near Horrocks Beach is also brackish. At Kalbarri, the groundwater salinity is low, less than 0.5 ppt. North of the Murchison River, the groundwater is brackish or saline. Groundwater adjacent to Hutt Lagoon is hypersaline. Groundwater is used principally for the town water supply at Kalbarri. Saline groundwater has also been used at Hutt Lagoon for the processing of algal material, and there is minor stock usage.

tammar wallaby—the greyish-brown Macropus eugenii is one of the smallest wallabies of the genus. At the time of European settlement, it was the most common kangaroo of the Adelaide Plains, but has been extinct on the mainland since 1930. However, local farmers are issued with destruction permits on Kangaroo Island, where the population has soared. These wallabies rest in dense scrub during the day and come out at dusk to feed on grasses, crops and pastures. Causes of extinction on the mainland are largely unknown. It is thought that it was probably due to a combination of land clearing, the impacts of settlers' fires, predation by introduced species (especially cats and foxes), and hunting by early settlers.

Tamworth—in 1834, The Australian Agricultural Company was granted 313,000 acres on the western side of the Peel River; and in 1835, the settlement was named Tamworth. Severe floods followed by drought and economic recession hit the fledgling town throughout the 1840s. On January 1, 1850, Tamworth was proclaimed a town, consisting of East Tamworth, bounded by the Peel River, East Street, North Street and Swan Street. West Tamworth was developed by the AA Company as a private town. By 1861 Tamworth had become a link in the traffic route from the north (Great North Road). Tamworth became the first town in Australia to use electric lighting in 1888, after building its own electricity generating plant—which eventually serviced much of northern New South Wales. Tamworth was proclaimed a city in 1946.

Tamworth Country Music Festival—there is little doubt that the major reason Tamworth is known far and wide is due to the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival, one of the World's Top Ten Festivals. Each year, for 10 days, Tamworth becomes a forum where city meets country in a celebration of culture, heritage and identity. No longer stamped with a hillbilly image, the music itself has significantly slipped into mainstream.

Tanami—a small and seldom-visited settlement within the Tanami Desert, and the centre of the Tanami Desert Wildlife Sanctuary. In 1900, gold was discovered in the area and a small but short-lived mining town was established. Located 634km northwest of Alice Springs, Northern Territory.

Tanami bioregion—mainly red Quaternary sandplains overlying Permian and Proterozoic strata which are exposed locally as hills and ranges. The sandplains support mixed shrub steppes of Hakea suberea, desert bloodwoods, acacias and grevilleas over soft spinifex hummock grasslands. Wattle scrub over soft spinifex hummock grass communities occur on the ranges. Alluvial and lacustrine calcareous deposits occur throughout. In the north they are associated with Sturt Creek drainage, and support Crysopogon and Iseilema short-grasslands often as savannahs with river red gum. Arid tropical with summer rain.

Tanami Desert—one of the most inhospitable places on Earth, consisting mainly of red Quaternary sandplains overlying Permian and Proterozoic strata, which are exposed locally as hills and ranges. The sandplains support mixed shrub steppes of Hakea suberea, desert bloodwoods, acacias and grevilleas over Triodia pungens hummock grasslands. Wattle scrub over T. pungens hummock grass communities occur on the ranges. Tanami lies 634 km north-west of Alice Springs on a dirt road and, consequently, is only to be visited by enthusiastic explorers who have a reliable vehicle and plenty of water. The journey across the desert is broken only by a petrol stop at Yuendumu 290km north of Alice Springs and a stop at Rabbit Flat, which has achieved a level of fame as the location of the most isolated pub in Australia. It says something for the isolation of the area that it really wasn't explored until the twentieth century. It was, in a very real sense, the last frontier in the Northern Territory.

Tanami Desert Area—the result of a successful land rights claim in the early 1980s, covering an area of 3 752 900 hectares, the Tanami Desert Area contains rare and unusual species of flora and fauna that are of particular interest to scientists. Public access is prohibited without a permit, which is available from the Central Land Council before entering the area.

Tanami Sandplains—(see: Tanami Desert).

tangle-foot—one who is clumsy on his feet.

tank loaf—round, cylinder-shaped bread with corrugated pattern.

tanner—(hist.) sixpence; a sixpenny coin.

tanning—a beating or defeat.

Tantanoola tiger—a fabulous animal; one reported at Tantanoola, South Australia, in 1889.

Tantungalung—a sub-clan of the Gunai/Kurnai people of Gippsland, Victoria.

tanty—tantrum.

tar-boy—an employee in a shearing gang who applies a disinfectant, formerly tar, to a wound on a sheep.

taradiddle—1. a petty lie. 2. pretentious nonsense.

Taranna—a township on the road to Port Arthur. Originally, Taranna was a terminus for the railway that ran from Port Arthur to the jetty at Little Norfolk Bay. This railway, which required four convicts to push the carriage, was the first in Australia. It traversed a 7km line across Eaglehawk Neck, connecting Taranna to Port Arthur and Long Bay. The railway was designed to carry passengers and supplies, in order to avoid the rough seas between the Hobart Town and Port Arthur penal settlements. Taranna is located 89km south-east of Hobart.

Taranna House—a classic Federation house, located across the road from the historic Norfolk Bay Convict Station, on Little Norfolk Bay. Taranna House is a Tasmanian heritage-listed farmhouse built in 1905.

Tarn Shelf—located in Mount Field National Park, Tasmania. The numerous tarns (small glacial lakes) on Tarn Shelf are an excellent illustration of glacial scouring. Twisted Tarn and Twilight Tarn are reminders of the glacier that flowed down from Lake Newdegate to Lake Webster. Another glacier flowed south from the Rodway Range to form Lakes Belcher and Belton, and north from the Rodways to form the Hayes Valley and Lake Hayes. During autumn, the slopes of the mountains which back onto Tarn Shelf become a riot of colour as the fagus, or deciduous beech, turns gold and red and orange. The tarns are often frozen in winter.

Taronga Zoo—the nation's leading zoological garden, featuring Australia's finest collection of native animals and a diverse collection of exotic species. What makes Taronga something special is its location, it is situated on elevated land along the waterfront in one of the most beautiful vantage points on Sydney Harbour overlooking Sydney Cove, the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. As you zigzag your way up along the paths among the animal enclosures, you are able to enjoy magnificent harbour views. The Taronga Zoo has its own jetty and you are able step off the boat and walk directly into the zoo. Located in New South Wales.

tarpaulin muster—the collecting of a pool of money to be used in buying drinks for the contributors, or for a charitable purpose.

Tarra-Bulga National Park—covers 1625ha of some of the best examples of original cool temperate rainforests of the Stzelecki Ranges. Located in South Gippsland, Tarra-Bulga National Park is well known for its giant mountain ash trees, beautiful fern gullies and ancient myrtle beeches. The Gunaikurnai identify the Tarra-Bulga National Park as their Traditional Country.

tart—immoral woman; prostitute.

tart up—embellish, decorate, make up in a garish, cheap manner: e.g., They tarted up the house for a quick sale.

tartar—a violent-tempered or intractable person: e.g., She's a right tartar, that one!

tarty—(especially of a woman) vulgar, gaudy; promiscuous.

tarwhineRhabdosargus sarba can be recognised by its silver body with rows of yellow spots forming stripes. The pelvic and anal fins are usually yellow but fade with age. It grows to 45cm and weights up to 1.4kg. This species lives in schools in bays, harbours and coastal areas. It is found widely throughout the Indo-Pacific, and in Australia it is recorded on the east coast from southern Queensland to eastern Victoria, and on the west coast from central to southern Western Australia.

Tas—Tasmania.

Tasman, Abel Janszoon—the greatest of Dutch navigators, the discoverer of Tasmania, New Zealand, the Tonga and the Fiji Islands, and the first circumnavigator of Australia, was born at Lutjegast in Groningen, about 1603. In 1642, Anthony Van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, commissioned Tasman, now a sea captain employed by the Dutch East India Company, to undertake a voyage to the unknown south seas. Leaving Batavia in August of that year, Tasman first set a course towards Mauritius, then sailing southward, and later easterly, he reached the west coast of Tasmania in November,1642, and which he named Van Diemen's Land. The name of his ships—Zeehaen and Heemskerck—survive in the names of two mountains, the first land he sighted. Two years later, on another voyage, Tasman sailed along the northern coast of Australia (which became known as "New Holland") from Cape York to North West Cape.

Tasman Fold Belt—a system in eastern Australia that partially records the Palaeozoic and late Precambrian history of the interactions between the ancient Pacific Ocean and the Gondwana supercontinent. A continuing theme of these interactions has been cratonic/orogenic detrital input into a convergent margin setting, resulting in the development of several major orogenic belts. In south-eastern Australia these orogenic belts (subsets of the Tasman Fold Belt system) include the Delamerian Fold Belt of South Australia, western Victoria and western New South Wales and the Lachlan Fold Belt of Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania.

Tasman Island Lighthouse—one of the highest lighthouses in Australia, situated at the highest point of Tasman Island, near Storm Bay. When the light was first established, the bay’s fierce winds caused the steel tower to shudder and the lamps mantles to fracture, putting out the light. The Tasman Island Lighthouse is noted not only for its massive 25m height, but also the steepness of its cliffs on which it is perched. The island is located in south-eastern Tasmania.

Tasman Line of Fire—a mantle plume that gives rise to hotspot volcanoes underwater. The Tasman Line of Fire extends from Mount Erebus in Antarctica, along the south-east coast of Australia, into the Tasman Sea. The line is 4000km long and fused about 55 million years ago, joining Lord Howe Island to the one of the highest lighthouses in Australia, situated at the highest point of Tasman Island, near Storm Bay. When the light was first established, the bay’s fierce winds caused the steel tower to shudder and the lamps mantles to fracture, putting out the light. The Tasman Island Lighthouse is noted not only for its massive 25m height, but also the steepness of its cliffs on which it is perched. The island is located in south-eastern Tasmania. Australian plate.

Tasman National Park—protects an area of the Tasman Peninsula. The major rock type is sandstone, against which the action of the sea has created stacks, blowholes and rock platforms, e.g., The Blowhole, Devil’s Kitchen and Tasman's Arch. Waterfall Bay provides a spectacular view across the cliff-lined bay to a waterfall which, after rain, plummets straight into the sea. Commonly seen marine life includes seals, penguins, dolphins and whales. Australian fur seals use the coastline for breeding and resting, and fairy penguins nest along the foreshore. The waters just off the bay contain vast forests of Macrocystis kelp, which is one of the fastest growing organisms on Earth. These spectacular underwater forests are among the most beautiful in the world, and are highly-valued by divers. Sea birds including gannets and terns frequent the coastline, while the forest harbours smaller birds such as fairy-wrens, scarlet robins, honeyeaters and pardalotes. Tasman National Park also contains a number of nesting raptors, including the endangered wedge-tailed eagle and the sea eagle. The area around Mount Spaulding is also is a recognised habitat of the endangered swift parrot.

Tasman Peninsula—an isolated coastline consisting of vertical cliffs of up to 400m in height, among the highest in Australia. In 1830, Port Arthur was established on the imposing cliffs as a penal settlement for secondary offenders. The peninsula was opened up for free settlement in the 1880s, and Port Arthur was settled as a logging camp. Through the twentieth century economic activity centred on clearing the forest and planting orchards. Forestry remains an important industry to this day. At the time of first contact with Europeans, the Tasman Peninsula was the country of the Pydairrerme clan of the Oyster Bay tribe. The Tasman Peninsula today comprises the Tasman National Park, several state reserves, Eaglehawk Neck and approximately 240km of coastline. The peninsula consists of about 1% of Tasmania’s land area, yet holds approximately 33% of the vascular plants and most of the island’s land birds. Located east of Hobart, in south-east Tasmania.

Tasman Sea—a section of the south-western Pacific Ocean, between the south-eastern coast of Australia and Tasmania on the west and New Zealand on the east; it merges with the Coral Sea to the north and encloses a body of water about 2250km wide and 2,300,000sq km in area. At its widest point, between Sydney and the North Island of New Zealand, the Tasman Sea extends for about 2250km. The sea was named for the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman, who navigated it in 1642. Its New Zealand and Australian shorelines were explored in the 1770s by the British mariner Captain James Cook and others. With maximum depth exceeding 5200m, the seafloor's most distinctive feature is the Tasman Basin.

Tasman's Inn—(hist.) originally the commissariat store for the Norfolk Bay convict settlement. Provisions were landed at the Taranna jetty, after having been pushed along the wooden railway to Long Bay. When Port Arthur closed down in 1877, the storehouse became the Tasman Hotel (the only hotel on Tasman Peninsula). In 1913 it was converted to a combination guesthouse and post office.

Tasmania—an island separated from mainland Australia by the 240km stretch of Bass Strait. The ragged and deeply indented coastline is very distinct, a result of ancient rises in sea level which drowned the lower reaches of the Derwent and Huon rivers. In places, steep-walled cliffs expose erosion-resistant dolerite columns. Numerous sharply angular islands have been formed, notably the large, tenuously connected Tasman Peninsula to the east, Maria Island with its wafer thin sand isthmus to the north and, similarly, the elongated Bruny Island to the south-west, adjacent to the Huon River. In many places, particularly along the west coast, the coastline rises sharply to nearby uplands of more than 1500 meters. Features of the uplands are their stepped appearance and rounded summits, caused mainly by glaciation. As one of the last land masses to break away from the Gondwana super continent, Tasmania's geology bears a strong similarity to geological formations found in Antarctica. The fossilised remains of plant species now unique and endemic to Tasmania, can be found in Antarctica. Typical of these is the Antarctic beech, still found in the temperate rainforests of Tasmania, as well as other species such as tree ferns, myrtle and Huon pine. Matthew Flinders and George Bass sailed around Tasmania in 1798, proving it to be an island. Britain sent convicts to Tasmania—then still known as Van Diemen’s Land—as early as 1804. The first shipment arrived with soldiers and free settlers in Sullivans Cove (Hobart). During the next 30 years convict stations were established at Sarah Island, Maria Island, Port Arthur and many other places. Tasmania is located to the south-east of mainland Australia.

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