| City of Clarence Tasmania |
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 The City of Clarence |
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| Population: | 50,599 (est., June 05)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Mayor: | Jock Campbell | ||||||||||||
| Council Seat: | Rosny Park | ||||||||||||
| Region: | Hobart eastern shore | ||||||||||||
| State District: | Franklin | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division: | Franklin | ||||||||||||
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The City of Clarence is a Local Government Area in Tasmania, Australia. It is located on the eastern shore of the Derwent River, opposite the City of Hobart and City of Glenorchy. It is run by the Clarence City Council. The city has large areas of residential property interspersed with natural bushland. It has a long range of hills known as the Meehan Range which runs parallel to the river, and housing is only built to a certain height, preserving the natural skyline along the hills. There is large areas of farmland, and many vineyards, particularly in the Coal River valley. It also includes some rural and non-urban areas, such as the South Arm peninsula. The city of Clarence, along with Glenorchy, Hobart, and Kingborough form Greater Hobart. In terms of area, Clarence is one of the largest cities in Australia, covering over 386 square kilometres, with 191 kilometres of coastline. Clarence was the site of the first European settlement in Tasmania (then Van Diemen's Land) in 1803 at Risdon Cove. It became a municipality in 1860, and a city on the 24th of November, 1988. As of the 2004 census, the population of the City of Clarence was 50,257. Clarence is connected to Glenorchy via the Bowen Bridge, and Hobart via the Tasman Bridge, both over the Derwent River. It is connected to Sorell at Midway Point by the 19th century historic convict built Sorell Causeway. The Hobart International Airport and Bellerive Oval are both located in the City of Clarence. Rosny Park is the main commercial district (featuring Eastlands Shopping Centre) and also the administrative centre of Clarence.
Recent history
Clarence suffered terrible damage and many homes were lost within the city during the infamous 1967 Tasmanian fires. A second disaster occurred in the city in 1975 when the bulk carrier, Lake Illawarra collided with the Tasman Bridge collapsing a section of roadway in the Tasman Bridge Disaster. Ironically, this event, which severed 'The Eastern Shore' from Hobart for nearly three years, was responsible for considerable infrastructure growth on 'The Eastern Shore', leading to it being largely self-sustaining, and being declared a city in its own right.
