Whitemark Explained

Whitemark is a rural residential locality on Flinders Island in the local government area (LGA) of Flinders in the North-east LGA region of Tasmania. The 2021 census recorded a population of 308 for the state suburb of Whitemark.^[1] It is the main settlement of Flinders Island.

Buildings

Whitemark has a local pub, called the Flinders Island Interstate Hotel.^[3] It also has a post office, a supermarket, a bakery, a petrol station, a mechanic, an Anglican Church and a library as well as small local produce businesses.

History

Whitemark was gazetted as a locality in 1970. The name may be derived from a conspicuous white mark placed by an early surveyor.^[4] Whitemark Post Office opened around 1902.^[5]

The Hydro Tasmania developed power supply for the settlement in the 1980s.

The local newspaper was the Island News from 1954 to 2004.

Geography

The waters of Bass Strait form the western and south-western boundaries.

Climate

Whitemark has a oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb), with tepid, somewhat dry summers summers and cool, wetter winters. Average maxima vary from in February to in July while average minima fluctuate between in February and in July.^[6] Mean average annual precipitation is moderate, 730.3mm spread between 158.8 precipitation days, and is concentrated in winter. The town is not very sunny, with 108.6 cloudy days and only 47.6 clear days per annum. Extreme temperatures have ranged from on 29 January 2009 to on 28 July 1976. Climate data was sourced from Flinders Island Airport, northwest of Whitemark.

Road infrastructure

Route B85 (Palana Road / Lady Barron Road) passes through from north-west to south.^{[4] [7]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2021 Whitemark, Census All persons QuickStats . . 7 May 2023.
2. Web site: Flinders Island Airport Climate Statistics (1942-2024) (nearest AWS). Bureau of Meteorology. August 31, 2024.
3. Web site: Interstate Hotel. Interstate Hotel.
4. Web site: Placenames Tasmania – Whitemark . . Placenames Tasmania . 16 January 2021 . Select "Search", enter "1310R", click "Search", select row, map is displayed, click "Details".
5. Web site: Premier Postal History . Post Office List . Premier Postal Auctions . 16 June 2012.
6. Web site: Flinders Island Airport Climate (1942-2024) . FarmOnline Weather . August 31, 2024.
7. Web site: Tasmanian Road Route Codes . https://web.archive.org/web/20170801112712/http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/Documents/Route%20Descriptions%20V3.6.pdf . dead . 2017-08-01 . . May 2017 . Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & Environment . 16 January 2021 .