George Town, Tasmania

George Town is one of the larger towns in north-east Tasmania, on the eastern bank of the mouth of the Tamar River. At the 2006 census, George Town had a population of 4,266. It is the regional centre of the George Town Council Local Government Area.

George Town is one of the oldest European settlements in Australia. It was first settled in 1804, two years before the now much more important city of Launceston.

George Town was well known as the Tasmanian port for the now-defunct SeaCat Tasmania fast passenger ferry. Basslink, the 400 kV high-voltage direct current submarine cable connecting Tasmania to the National Electricity Market, terminates in George Town. The municipal area had a population of 6,728 (2001 census).

Geography and landmarks

 * Mount George
 * Low Head and Low Head Lighthouse
 * Batman Bridge - Joining the George Town Municipality to the West Tamar
 * Tamar River

Bell Bay Pulp Mill
Gunns Limited have recently proposed a pulp mill to be built in the George Town area, the largest industrial complex of its kind in Australia. The Tasmanian community is divided on its merits, due to environmental concerns and the proponent getting the development 'fast-tracked' through parliament, sidestepping Tasmania's established planning and environmental regulations. It was approved recently by a parliamentary vote.

The mill is expected to create 280 permanent jobs, and 1,000 during the construction phase, boosting the population of the George Town area.

Windmill Point Hotel
A four-level hotel was proposed by a Queensland company; it would have also included a 20-storey look-out. The project designs showed a lighthouse-style tower, that would glow in the dark, and its developers claimed it would be "Tasmania's Sydney Opera House". The George Town Council at first supported the project, but many in the community disagreed with the proposal, which led to council scrapping the idea and not allowing the necessary subdivision to occur. On 20 April 2007 the plans were officially abandoned. The project was expected to cost around $20 million.

Gas power station
Alinta propose to build a 200 MW gas-fired power station in the vicinity of George Town. It would create 200 direct and 100 indirect jobs during construction, proposed to begin in 2007 and to be generating electricity from 2009.

Tourism
George Town is a popular tourist destination in the summer because of its history and fishing locations.

George Town has clubs or associations in many different sports, most notably the George Town Football Club, and the George Town Cricket Club.

Media
George Town has its own radio station, Tamar FM which is a community radio station generally playing music and advertising local businesses. George Town also had its own fortnightly newspaper, The George Town Journal, which operated in 2007.

Events
Some main events that happen annually in George Town include:
 * George Town on Show
 * Targa Tasmania Prologue