Derwent
The Derwent River, from which the division takes its name, is a major geographical feature of central and southern Tasmania.
The Derwent begins its 182-kilometre journey at Lake St Clair high in Tasmania's World Heritage wilderness region.
It passes through mountain gorges, farmlands and hopfields, Hobart, its suburbs and port, and on to its mouth where it meets the Southern Ocean at the Iron Pot.
On the way, the waters of the Derwent have turned turbines to generate electricity, provided drinking, irrigation and industrial water for farms, towns and cities, opened up sea lanes to the world and given Tasmanian residents and visitors a major recreational asset. In earlier times it was a favourite playground of southern right whales—so much so that the noise of their mating kept residents awake.
The Derwent was probably first sighted by the French explorer La Perouse in 1788.
The Derwent was named by the explorer Sir John Hayes, who led a private expedition to southern Van Diemen's Land between April and June 1793 with two ships, the Duke of Clarence and the Duchess of Bengal.
He explored the lower reaches of the Derwent, probably as far upstream as New Norfolk, naming features that still retain the names he gave them, including Risdon Cove and Cornelian Bay.
Unknown to him at the time, Hayes was not the actual discoverer of the Derwent. Hayes was later to learn that the French explorer Admiral Bruni D'Entrecasteaux had discovered the river shortly before him, naming it the Riviere du Nord (because it flowed from the north).
Hayes named the Derwent after two geographical features in the Lake District in his native Cumberland in England—Derwentwater and the Derwent River, which passes through the lake.
This page was last modified on
You are directed to a disclaimer and copyright notice governing the information provided.