# Strathgordon, Tasmania

Strathgordon is a rural locality in the local government area (LGA) of Derwent Valley in the South-east LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about 121 kilometres (75 mi) west of the town of New Norfolk. The 2016 census recorded a population of 15 for the state suburb of Southwest, which includes Strathgordon. It is on the road to the Gordon River Dam the most south westerly road in the south west of Tasmania. It is a tourist destination for visitors wishing to visit the Southwest National Park and World Heritage listed wilderness.
It is remote by Tasmanian standards; however, fuel can be purchased at the Lake Pedder Wilderness Lodge which also provides accommodation and meals. The nearest basic services, otherwise, are 70 kilometres (43 mi) away along a winding road from Maydena. From Maydena, access can be made along the Gordon River Road to the major population centers of Tasmania. The road is maintained by Hydro Tasmania and has views of the South Western Wilderness.

## History

Strathgordon was gazetted as a locality in 1968. The town was the 'company' town for construction by the Hydro Tasmania of the hydro-electric structures that resulted in damming of Lake Pedder and Lake Gordon. Its post office opened on 16 July 1969.

## Geography

The locality is completely surrounded by the much larger locality of Southwest.

## Road infrastructure

Route B61 (Gordon River Road) runs through from south-east to south-west.

## Climate

Strathgordon has a cold oceanic climate (Cfb) with cool summers and cold winters with crisp nights year round. Rainfall is extremely heavy year round, some of the heaviest in all of Australia. Strathgordon as well as being very wet is also very cloudy for most of the year; it is the cloudiest site in Australia, with only 1,478 sun hours and 16.3 clear days annually.
Snow is a common occurrence in the winter and spring months, and can be heavy in amount, while sleet and wet snow can occur in the summer. On average there are 12.7 snowy days annually.
The station commenced record in 1968 and ceased on 19 March 2021.
Climate data for Strathgordon Village (1968–2021); 322 m AMSL; 42.77° S, 146.05° E :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 36.2 (97.2) | 36.3 (97.3) | 33.1 (91.6) | 27.5 (81.5) | 21.1 (70.0) | 16.1 (61.0) | 17.5 (63.5) | 20.8 (69.4) | 24.5 (76.1) | 27.9 (82.2) | 32.0 (89.6) | 35.0 (95.0) | 36.3 (97.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 19.3 (66.7) | 19.7 (67.5) | 17.4 (63.3) | 14.2 (57.6) | 11.5 (52.7) | 9.5 (49.1) | 9.0 (48.2) | 10.0 (50.0) | 11.6 (52.9) | 13.5 (56.3) | 16.3 (61.3) | 17.2 (63.0) | 14.1 (57.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 9.5 (49.1) | 9.7 (49.5) | 8.6 (47.5) | 6.9 (44.4) | 5.4 (41.7) | 3.8 (38.8) | 3.0 (37.4) | 3.6 (38.5) | 4.4 (39.9) | 5.4 (41.7) | 7.1 (44.8) | 8.2 (46.8) | 6.3 (43.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 2.8 (37.0) | 1.5 (34.7) | 1.3 (34.3) | 0.0 (32.0) | −1.1 (30.0) | −4.0 (24.8) | −2.5 (27.5) | −3.1 (26.4) | −1.5 (29.3) | −1.3 (29.7) | 0.6 (33.1) | 1.8 (35.2) | −4.0 (24.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 145.4 (5.72) | 107.3 (4.22) | 149.5 (5.89) | 201.6 (7.94) | 239.1 (9.41) | 213.4 (8.40) | 271.8 (10.70) | 292.1 (11.50) | 277.9 (10.94) | 247.2 (9.73) | 173.9 (6.85) | 198.4 (7.81) | 2,519.6 (99.20) |
| Average precipitation days | 17.3 | 14.1 | 18.2 | 20.0 | 23.0 | 22.5 | 25.0 | 25.3 | 24.4 | 22.9 | 19.3 | 20.1 | 252.1 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 201.5 | 178.0 | 145.7 | 105.0 | 68.2 | 51.0 | 62.0 | 83.7 | 102.0 | 139.5 | 165.0 | 176.7 | 1,478.3 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology ||||||||||||||