Tamar River

Location and features

Formed by the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers at Launceston, kanamaluka / River Tamar flows generally north towards its mouth at Low Head, north of the settlement George Town and into the Bass Strait via Port Dalrymple. kanamaluka / River Tamar has several minor tributaries including the Supply River.

Low Head Lighthouse is located at the tip of a peninsula, on the east side of the mouth of the river. The only full crossing of the river is the Batman Bridge in the relatively remote area of Sidmouth, around halfway up the river.

The Tamar river is complicated in that it silts up frequently, a contributing factor to its slow decline in use. Over time dredging operations have been required. A scheme enacted between the 1920s and 1970s planned to partially dam the river and slow the flow around the western side of Tamar Island and speed up the flow around the eastern side (the main channel), by sinking 14 boats to disrupt water flow. The success or not of this scheme is debated.

Although the Port of Launceston is now used very little in comparison to the past and the SeaCat Tasmania ferry no longer docks at George Town, the river still is used for shipping, with light and heavy industries at George Town including aluminium smelters as well as commercial boat cruises.