Ouse, Tasmania
| Ouse Tasmania | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Ouse | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°29′S 146°43′E / 42.483°S 146.717°E | ||||||||
| Population | 303 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1842 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 7140 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 150 m (492 ft) | ||||||||
| Location |
| ||||||||
| LGA(s) | Central Highlands Council | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Lyons | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Lyons | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Ouse (/uːz/) is a small town in the Central Highlands local government area of Tasmania, Australia, on the Lyell Highway. At the 2016 census, Ouse had a population of 303.
History
Ouse is the settlement where convicts James Goodwin and Thomas Connolly broke out of the South West Wilderness four weeks after their escape from Sarah Island. Ouse Post Office opened on 1 October 1835.[2]
The town briefly made national headlines in August 2006 when the Ouse District Hospital, originally established as a Bush Nursing Centre and reconstituted in its present form in 1956,[3] was downgraded to a community health centre.
Education
Ouse District School is a public school which caters for students from Kindergarten to grade 6.
Climate
Ouse has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb), with mild, dry summers and cool, somewhat damp winters. Average maxima vary from 25.6 °C (78.1 °F) in January to 11.7 °C (53.1 °F) in July while average minima fluctuate between 10.4 °C (50.7 °F) in January and 1.2 °C (34.2 °F) in July. Due to its inland location and being downwind of the Central Highlands, midsummer freezes have been recorded, while foehn winds occur (primarily in summer). Mean annual precipitation is quite low, 511.1 mm (20.12 in) spread on 148.4 days, and is concentrated in winter. Snow is not uncommon.
Extreme temperatures have ranged from −7.8 °C (18.0 °F) on 24 June 2013 to 40.7 °C (105.3 °F) on 11 January 2010.[4] Climate data are sourced from the local Fire Station.
| Climate data for Ouse Fire Station (42º28'48"S, 146º42'36"E, 90 m AMSL) (1998–2024) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 40.7 (105.3) |
39.0 (102.2) |
37.9 (100.2) |
31.4 (88.5) |
26.0 (78.8) |
19.3 (66.7) |
19.6 (67.3) |
22.5 (72.5) |
27.1 (80.8) |
32.0 (89.6) |
35.0 (95.0) |
40.0 (104.0) |
40.7 (105.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25.6 (78.1) |
24.9 (76.8) |
22.3 (72.1) |
18.4 (65.1) |
14.8 (58.6) |
11.9 (53.4) |
11.7 (53.1) |
13.5 (56.3) |
15.8 (60.4) |
18.0 (64.4) |
21.0 (69.8) |
23.1 (73.6) |
18.4 (65.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10.4 (50.7) |
9.8 (49.6) |
8.1 (46.6) |
5.3 (41.5) |
3.6 (38.5) |
1.5 (34.7) |
1.2 (34.2) |
2.0 (35.6) |
3.9 (39.0) |
5.3 (41.5) |
7.3 (45.1) |
8.8 (47.8) |
5.6 (42.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −0.4 (31.3) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 29.6 (1.17) |
27.7 (1.09) |
31.3 (1.23) |
31.5 (1.24) |
38.5 (1.52) |
43.4 (1.71) |
51.6 (2.03) |
61.2 (2.41) |
63.4 (2.50) |
55.3 (2.18) |
38.8 (1.53) |
36.2 (1.43) |
511.1 (20.12) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 7.7 | 7.6 | 9.0 | 9.9 | 13.0 | 14.5 | 16.7 | 17.0 | 15.6 | 14.7 | 11.9 | 10.8 | 148.4 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 39 | 41 | 47 | 55 | 63 | 71 | 68 | 61 | 57 | 54 | 49 | 43 | 54 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
8.4 (47.1) |
8.3 (46.9) |
7.2 (45.0) |
6.3 (43.3) |
5.3 (41.5) |
4.8 (40.6) |
4.7 (40.5) |
5.2 (41.4) |
6.3 (43.3) |
7.6 (45.7) |
7.0 (44.6) |
6.6 (43.8) |
| Source: [5] | |||||||||||||
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Ouse (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ^ Archives Office of Tasmania. "Agency Details - TA455 Ouse District Hospital". Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ "Ouse Fire Station Climate (1973-2024)". FarmOnline Weather. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Climate statistics for Ouse". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
