York Town is a rural locality in the local government areas (LGA) of West Tamar and Latrobe in the Launceston and North-west and west LGA regions of

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. The locality is about north-west of the town of

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, northwest of central London and southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High Wycombe. The ...

. It was the first attempt to establish a British presence in northern Tasmania, in 1804. It was a "bustling village" until 1808.

History

York Town was gazetted as a locality in 1967. All the original buildings have now gone, but the landscape and natural setting remain largely unchanged. The site is preserved as the York Town Historic Site and provided with interpretive signage. Extensive deposits of rich iron ore were discovered in the nearby hills by the settlers during the time of the York Town settlement. Later - in the 1870s - these iron deposits led to the establishment of a short-lived iron mining and smelting industry on the western side of the Tamar estuary at Redbill Point and at Ilfracombe (now known as Beauty Point). The 2016 census had a population of 72 for the state suburb of York Town. At the , the population had increased to 78.

Geography

The waters of the west arm of the

Tamar River The Tamar River, officially kanamaluka / River Tamar, is a estuary located in northern Tasmania, Australia. Despite being named a river, the waterway is a brackish and tidal estuary over its entire length. Etymology The Tamar River was named ...

estuary form most of the eastern boundary.

Road infrastructure

Greens Beach Road (Route A7) passes through from south-east to north-east. Route C741 (Bowens Road) starts at an intersection with A7 and runs south-west until it exits.

References

{{authority control Localities of West Tamar Council Localities of Latrobe Council Towns in Tasmania