| Ross Tasmania | |||||||||
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 Aerial panorama of Ross | |||||||||
  Ross | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°01′48″S147°29′31″E / 42.03000°S 147.49194°E /-42.03000; 147.49194 | ||||||||
| Population | 404 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1812 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 7209 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 186 m (610 ft)[2] | ||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Northern Midlands Council | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Lyons | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Lyons | ||||||||
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Ross is a village in theMidlands of the state ofTasmania inAustralia. On theMacquarie River, Ross is located 78 km south ofLaunceston and 117 km north ofHobart. The town is listed on theRegister of the National Estate and is noted for itshistoric bridge, original sandstone buildings andconvict history.
The town of Ross lies in lands that were traditionally owned byAboriginal Tasmanians, specifically the Tyrernotepanner (Stony Creek) Nation. The Aboriginal name for the area that now constitutes the Ross township isMakala (Mah kah lah).[3][4][5]
The first European to explore the district was surveyorCharles Grimes who passed through the area while mapping Tasmania's central area including parts of what later became known as the Macquarie River.[6]On an expedition in 1821,Governor Lachlan Macquarie passed through the area himself and, as he recorded in his journal,
I named our last Night's Station "Ross", in honor of H. M. Buchanan Esqr. – that being the name of his Seat on Loch-Lomond in Scotland; this part of Argyle Plains on the Right Bank of the Macquarie River being very beautiful and commanding a noble view.[7]
Later that year, a timber bridge was built over the river and subsequently Ross became an important stopover on road journeys between Launceston and Hobart. Shortly afterward, cattle were being run on Crown land at Ross, to be used as working bullocks, and others were used asmilch cows for people holding government posts.[8] Ross developed as a base for the localgarrison and became a centre for trade for the surrounding district.[6] Between 1848 and 1854 approximately 12,000 female convicts passed through theFemale Factory.[9]
Ross Post Office opened on 1 June 1832.[10] In 1836 the stone bridge, known asRoss Bridge, was completed.[6]
By the time ofAustralian Federation in 1901, the permanent population had grown to 311 and the wider area had become known as a finewool growing district. At this time Ross had four churches, a post andtelegraph office, a savings bank, one hotel, and a town hall and library.[9]
| Climate data for Ross (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1993–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 41.6 (106.9) | 36.6 (97.9) | 35.3 (95.5) | 28.9 (84.0) | 22.5 (72.5) | 18.7 (65.7) | 17.6 (63.7) | 19.6 (67.3) | 23.2 (73.8) | 29.2 (84.6) | 33.1 (91.6) | 37.8 (100.0) | 41.6 (106.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 24.8 (76.6) | 24.0 (75.2) | 21.8 (71.2) | 17.6 (63.7) | 14.3 (57.7) | 11.7 (53.1) | 11.3 (52.3) | 12.5 (54.5) | 14.6 (58.3) | 17.2 (63.0) | 20.1 (68.2) | 22.8 (73.0) | 17.7 (63.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 17.8 (64.0) | 17.3 (63.1) | 15.0 (59.0) | 11.6 (52.9) | 8.8 (47.8) | 6.7 (44.1) | 6.4 (43.5) | 7.3 (45.1) | 9.1 (48.4) | 11.1 (52.0) | 13.6 (56.5) | 15.8 (60.4) | 11.7 (53.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10.7 (51.3) | 10.6 (51.1) | 8.2 (46.8) | 5.6 (42.1) | 3.4 (38.1) | 1.7 (35.1) | 1.4 (34.5) | 2.1 (35.8) | 3.6 (38.5) | 5.0 (41.0) | 7.0 (44.6) | 8.8 (47.8) | 5.7 (42.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −0.4 (31.3) | −0.2 (31.6) | −3.3 (26.1) | −5.6 (21.9) | −6.9 (19.6) | −7.0 (19.4) | −7.6 (18.3) | −6.3 (20.7) | −6.4 (20.5) | −5.6 (21.9) | −3.2 (26.2) | −2.5 (27.5) | −7.6 (18.3) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 43.9 (1.73) | 36.2 (1.43) | 37.4 (1.47) | 36.7 (1.44) | 33.1 (1.30) | 39.8 (1.57) | 41.1 (1.62) | 46.7 (1.84) | 49.7 (1.96) | 43.4 (1.71) | 44.9 (1.77) | 39.3 (1.55) | 492.3 (19.38) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 4.7 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 6.3 | 6.5 | 7.3 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 9.1 | 8.3 | 6.8 | 6.2 | 82.4 |
| Averagedew point °C (°F) | 8.7 (47.7) | 9.6 (49.3) | 8.3 (46.9) | 7.0 (44.6) | 5.6 (42.1) | 4.3 (39.7) | 3.9 (39.0) | 3.9 (39.0) | 4.9 (40.8) | 5.8 (42.4) | 7.0 (44.6) | 7.3 (45.1) | 6.4 (43.5) |
| Source 1:National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration[11] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Bureau of Meteorology[12] | |||||||||||||
The town is centred on the crossroads of Church and Bridge Streets with afield gun from theBoer War and awar memorial as a central part of the intersection. The crossroads area is humorously referred to as the "Four Corners of Ross" with each corner having a label:
The town of Ross itself is listed on theRegister of the National Estate[13] and many of the town’s historic buildings, many built fromsandstone, are listed in their own right.
The former Army Orderly Room is a stone Colonial building which was the first army headquarters in Ross. Nearby is the Royal Ordnance Corps Store, which was erected in 1836 and has the corps crest carved above the door. In 1951 this building was officially opened as the Ross War Memorial Building. It was extended to house the Ross Memorial Library, a large Reading Room and a Recreation Room for use by World War Two Servicemen.
The Council Clerk's cottage, situated on the south-west corner of Church and Bridge Streets is a single storey Georgian building. The western wing of this building incorporates the former police buildings. A jail also stood on this site.
Near the Ross Bridge stands the former militarybarracks, a single-storey Colonial building which has been recently restored.[14]
DuringWorld War II, Ross was the location ofRAAF No.30 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD), built in 1942 and closed on 14 June 1944. It was situated on Tooms Lake Road. Usually consisting of 4 tanks, 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supply of aircraft fuel for theRAAF and theUS Army Air Forces at a total cost of £900,000 ($1,800,000).[15]
The convict site dates back to the 1840s. Usually referred to as theFemale Factory, it was one of only a few female convict compounds in Australia. There is one remaining building on the site, the Assistant Superintendent's Quarters, which currently houses a display relating to the site.[16]
The town of Ross has threechurches, all located onelm-lined Church Street. TheUniting Church, situated prominently on the hilltop, was built in 1885 and is noted for itsblackwood pews and carvedbaptismal font. TheRoman Catholic Church building was originally a store and was converted in the 1920s inGothic revival style. St John'sAnglican Church, on the corner of Badajos Street, was built in 1868 and contains a 100-year-oldpipe organ, an oaklectern and a stonepulpit.[6]
The Man O' Ross Hotel was built in 1831 by William Sadler. It was originally a two-storeyGeorgian building, but was later converted to a Victorian Style.[17] Two former inns, The Scotch Thistle Inn (licensed 1840) and the Sherwood Castle Inn, no longer function as hotels,[6] the former is now a private residence and the latter has been renamed and operates as the Ross Bakery Inn.
The well-known sandstoneRoss Bridge was constructed by convict labour in 1836, and is the third oldest bridge still in use in Australia. Commissioned byLieutenant-Governor Arthur, the bridge was designed by architectJohn Lee Archer, with the convict work team including twostonemasons,James Colbeck andDaniel Herbert, the latter being credited with the intricate carvings along both sides of the bridge.[6]
The maincemetery, located to the south-east of the town centre, is divided into two sections – a Roman Catholic section and aChurch of England section which is enclosed by a stone wall. The old military burial ground is located on a nearby hilltop.
The Town Hall is a neo-classical style late-Victorian building. The adjoining Council Chambers is a timber building with a stone façade. The Post Office was completed in 1889[18] and has a verandah with twin cast-iron columns. The schoolhouse is aVictorian Rustic Gothic building with random rubble sandstone walls.[19]
Within the central township area, there are a number of other buildings including private residences and two formerSunday Schools that are also listed on the register.[20][21] In addition, a number of listedindigenous and other sites are located in nearby areas.
The ruined remains of the formerHorton College (1855–1894) near Ross were also listed.
The Tasmanian Wool Centre is a building which houses a museum, a wool exhibition, a wool and craft area and acts as thetourist information centre.[6]
Tooms Lake was built as a water supply dam for Ross.
The Ross Village Bakery in Ross has become a point of interest foranime fans, as it has long been said to be the real bakery that inspired the bakery depicted in the 1989Studio Ghibli animated filmKiki's Delivery Service.[22] An attic room above the bakery has been modified to look like the title character's bedroom.[23]
Fans of the anime, many from Japan and around the world, come to the bakery as an almost pilgrimage.[24] Bakery staff allow the visitors to see the oven and the character's bedroom.[25]
The Bakery is the original bakery for the town of Ross, and was built in 1860, with the original wood-fired oven.[26]
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