Tooms Lake

Tooms Lake
Tasmania
Aerial photo from the east, the village is at the top of the lake
Tooms Lake is located in Tasmania
Tooms Lake
Tooms Lake
Coordinates42°14′S 147°48′E / 42.233°S 147.800°E / -42.233; 147.800
Populationnil (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)7209
Elevation464 m (1,522 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Northern Midlands, Southern Midlands, Glamorgan-Spring Bay
RegionCentral, South-east
State electorate(s)Lyons
Federal division(s)Lyons
Localities around Tooms Lake:
Ross Swansea Swansea, Lake Leake
Lemont, Ross Tooms Lake Little Swanport
Lemont Lemont Triabunna

Tooms Lake is a rural locality and a lake in the local government areas (LGA) of Northern Midlands, Southern Midlands, and Glamorgan-Spring Bay in the Central and South-east LGA regions of Tasmania. The locality is about 47 kilometres (29 mi) north of the town of Triabunna. The 2016 census has a population of nil for the state suburb of Tooms Lake.[1]

The lake is artificial and shallow,[2] covering 6.6 km2 (2.5 sq mi).[3]

The lake was once a wetland and was an Aboriginal meeting place.[4] The indigenous name for this place was moyantaliah (moy.en.tel.eea).[5]

The lake can hold 25.362 gigaliters of water.[6] The catchment area is 60.2 km2. It is drained by the Tooms River, which flows into the Macquarie River. The lake is reached by the gravel Tooms Lake Road,[7] 83 km from Hobart.[8] Seaplanes land on the lake several times per year.[9]

The lake is used for recreational fishing, for brown and rainbow trout.[10] Brown trout were introduced in 1904 and rainbow trout were released around 1908. Trout are usually 1 to 1+1⁄2 kg (2.2 to 3.3 lb) with the largest 2+1⁄2 kg (5.5 lb).[3] Kuth Energy is drilling a geothermal energy exploration borehole in the area called Tooms1.[11]

Other creatures found in Tooms Lake are Galaxias maculatus or jollytail.

Amenities

Amenities include a camping ground, boat ramp, public toilet and rubbish bin. There are no shops or public phone service.[12] The lake is 468 m above sea level.[13]

Water flowing from the Tooms Lake has an average electrical conductivity of 74 μS/cm.[14]

Tooms Lake
Tooms Lake is located in Tasmania
Tooms Lake
Tooms Lake
map with settlement
LocationTasmania
Coordinates42°13′55″S 147°47′46″E / 42.232°S 147.796°E / -42.232; 147.796 (Tooms Lake)
Lake typereservoir
Primary inflowsJimmys Creek
Primary outflowsTooms River
Catchment area60.2 km2 (23.2 sq mi)
Basin countriesAustralia
Surface area6.6 km2 (2.5 sq mi)
Water volume25.362 gigalitres (895,700,000 cu ft)
Surface elevation468 m (1,535 ft)
Frozenno
Islandsnone

History

On 6 December 1828 a massacre of Aboriginal Tasmanians occurred, in which ten were killed by nine soldiers from the 40th regiment.[15] [verification needed] John Danvers, the guide of the group, reported to the Oatlands police magistrate:

One of them getting up from a small fire to a large one, discovered us and gave the alarm to the rest, and the whole of them jumpt [sic] up immediately and attempted to take up their spears in defence, and seeing that, we immediately fired and repeated it because we saw they were on the defensive part, they were about twenty in Number and several of whom were killed, two only were, unfortunately taken alive.

A woman and a boy were captured and the rest of the group escaped.[16]

The dam on the lake was built by 40 men.

Tooms Lake is a confirmed locality.[17]

Geography

The Little Swanport River forms part of the southern boundary. The lake is fully contained within the locality.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b "2016 Census Quick Stats Tooms Lake (Tas.)". quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  2. ^ R L Croome and P A Tylor: Phytoplankton biomass and primary productivity of Lake Leake and Tooms Lake, Tasmania
  3. ^ a b "Archived". search.frdc.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2023.[dead link‍]
  4. ^ Plomley, Brian (2008). Friendly Mission (2 ed.). Hobart: Quintus. ISBN 9780977557226.
  5. ^ Plomley, Brian (1992). Tasmanian Aboriginal place names. Hobart: QVMAG. p. 40.
  6. ^ Lake Levels Database Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Tooms Lake suburb profile". www.domain.com.au. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Welcome to Tooms Lake(7209)". Archived from the original on 25 March 2012.
  9. ^ TAS Country Hour | ABC Rural (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  10. ^ Tooms Lake — IFS Portal
  11. ^ "Business | the Australian".
  12. ^ Facilities - Tooms Lake Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Tooms Lake daily rain summaries
  14. ^ "Macquarie Catchment" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2008. Retrieved 12 September 2008.
  15. ^ "The Country Post". The Hobart Town Courier. 13 December 1828.
  16. ^ "Abduction and Multiple Killings of Aborigines in Tasmania: 1804-1835" by Lyndall Ryan in Electronic Encyclopedia of Genocide and Massacre Archived 2009-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ "Placenames Tasmania – Tooms Lake". Placenames Tasmania. Select “Search”, enter "38090G", click “Search”, select row, map is displayed, click “Details”. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  18. ^ "Tooms Lake, Tasmania" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 13 September 2020.

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