Mount Read
{{Short description|Mountain in West Coast Range, Tasmania}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Read
| photo =
| photo_caption =
| elevation_m = 1123
| elevation_ref = {{cite peakbagger |pid=23626 |title=Mount Read, Australia |units=meters |access-date=16 June 2015 }}
| prominence_m =
| range = West Coast Range
| map = Australia Tasmania
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Location in Tasmania
| map_relief = 1
| map_size = 280
| location = West Coast, Tasmania, Australia
| coordinates = {{coord|41|50|24|S|145|32|24|E|type:mountain_region:AU-TAS|name=Mount Read|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref = {{Gazetteer of Australia |name=Mount Read (TAS) |feature=TAS19348 |access-date=16 June 2015 }}
| topo =
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route =
}}
Mount Read is a mountain located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia, and is at the north west edge of the West Coast Range.{{cite journal |url=http://eprints.utas.edu.au/15988/1/baillie-west-coast-range-2010.pdf |pages=1–13 |issn=0080-4703 |author=Baillie, Peter |title=The West Coast Range, Tasmania: Mountains and Geological Giants |journal=Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania |volume=144 |date=2010 |publisher=University of Tasmania |location=Hobart, Tasmania |doi=10.26749/rstpp.144.1 |s2cid=126902525 |edition=reprint |access-date=18 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616083904/http://eprints.utas.edu.au/15988/1/baillie-west-coast-range-2010.pdf |archive-date=16 June 2015 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}
With an elevation of {{convert|1123|m}} above sea level, Mount Read has had as colourful a history, similar to that of Mount Lyell, with mines, settlements and other activities on its slopes for over a hundred years.
Geology
The main copper and gold ore bearing deposits in the West Coast Range are known to occur in the Mount Read Volcanics relating to the complex geology of the area.{{Citation | author1=Corbett, K. D. | author2=McPhie, Jocelyn |title=Mount Read volcanics and associated ore deposits, Tasmania |work=IAVCEI, Canberra 1993 : excursion guide | year=1993 | publication-date=1993 | publisher=Australian Geological Survey Organisation | isbn=978-0-642-19664-4 }}{{Citation | author1=Corbett, K. D. | author2=Large, Ross R. | publisher=Geological Society of Australia | work=Australian Geological Convention |edition=10th |location=Hobart, Tas. | title=Excursion guide E1 : the Mount Read Volcanics and related ore deposits | publication-date=1990 | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/18052571 | access-date=10 June 2015 }}{{Citation | author1=Collins, P. L. F. |author2=Large, Ross R. |work=Department of Mines, Tasmania |author3=University of Tasmania | title=The Mount Read volcanics and associated ore deposits : a symposium, Burnie, November 1986 |year=1986 | publication-date=1986 | publisher=Geological Society of Australia, Tasmanian Division | isbn=978-0-7246-1955-9 }}
Mineralisation and deposits were being identified well beyond the life of the original mines utilised on Mount Read.{{Citation | author1=Large, R. R. | author2=Zaw, K. | title=The precious metal-rich South Hercules mineralization, Western Tasmania: a possible subsea-floor replacement volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposit | publication-date=May 1992 | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/3887974 | access-date=10 June 2015 }}
To the south east of Mount Read are many features of glaciation{{cite web |url=http://travelmedia.tourismtasmania.com.au/about/history/gondwana.html |title=Tourism Tasmania :: Media Site :: About :: Ancient Gondwana |access-date=2010-10-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216020954/http://travelmedia.tourismtasmania.com.au/about/history/gondwana.html |archive-date=16 February 2011 |df=dmy-all }} in the Tyndall Range as well as glacial lakes of Lake Westwood, Lake Selina, and Lake Julia.
Hercules Haulage
{{see also|Hercules Haulage}}
The Hercules Mine on Mount Read was connected by a {{convert|1642|ft|m|adj=on}} haulage incline to Williamsford and then to the North East Dundas Tramway. The haulage was self-acting and {{convert|1|mi|km|adj=on}} long and {{convert|1642|ft|m}} high with a maximum gradient of 1 in 5.{{cite journal |journal=Light Railways |number=35 |date=Autumn 1971 |page=22 |title=Hercules Mine }} Has the gradient average as 1 in 3.2, and a maximum of 1.5 with operating speed of 14 mph.{{cite journal |title=Hercules Mine |journal=Light Railways |number=27 |page=25 |author=Chynoweth, Wayne }}
The mine was in production in the late nineteenth century.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9444375 |title=MEETING. |newspaper=The Mercury |location=Hobart, Tas. |date=25 March 1899 |access-date=10 June 2015 |page=1 Supplement: The Mercury Supplement |via=National Library of Australia}} It had a major strike in 1906.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article151829080 |title=HERCULES MINE. |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=Launceston, Tas. |date=23 March 1906 |access-date=10 June 2015 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44488763 |title=STRIKE AT HERCULES MINE. |newspaper=The Barrier Miner |location=Broken Hill, NSW |date=5 January 1906 |access-date=10 June 2015 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}} The mine produced well into the mid twentieth century.{{Citation | author1=Electrolytic Zinc Co. of Australasia. West Coast Department | title=Operations of Rosebery and Hercules Mines, Tasmania | publication-date=1957 | publisher=[Launceston, Tas.] [Electrolytic Zinc Company of Australasia Limited, West Coast Department] | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/190068016 | access-date=10 June 2015 }} The mine site had ceased operation and was subject to cleanup processes in the early 2000s.{{Citation | author1=Environmental & Technical Services Pty. Ltd | author2=Pasminco Rosebery Mine | title=Progress report on the environmental improvement program for the Hercules minesite, Williamsfordd | publication-date=2000 | publisher=Pasminco | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/161119496 | access-date=10 June 2015 }}{{Citation | author1=Lockey, Jim | author2=Pitt & Sherry | author3=Zinifex Rosebery Mine | title=Hercules mine : decommissioning and rehabilitation plan – public discussion draft | publication-date=2005 | publisher=Pitt & Sherry | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/184366549 | access-date=10 June 2015 }}
The Hercules Gold and Silver Mining Company was an operating company that ceased in 1916.{{Citation | title=The Hercules Gold and Silver Mining Company NG3247 [Records] | publisher=State Library of Tasmania | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/189118212 | access-date=10 June 2015 }} The Mount Read and Rosebery Mines Limited started as an ex-Mount Lyell offshoot, absorbed by EZ by 1925.{{Citation | title=The Mount Read and Rosebery Mines Limited NG3248 [Records] | publisher=State Library of Tasmania | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/191630701 | access-date=10 June 2015 }}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59925851 |title=MOUNT READ ROSEBERRY MINES. |newspaper=The Register |location=Adelaide |date=25 September 1916 |access-date=10 June 2015 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}
Mount Read township
The community, mainly known in early sources as the Mount Read township surrounding the Hercules minesite had various struggles for services and facilities.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article84493009 |title=Mount Read. |newspaper=Zeehan and Dundas Herald |location=Tas. |date=17 June 1901 |access-date=10 June 2015 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article84521133 |title=Mount Read Post Office |newspaper=Zeehan and Dundas Herald |location=Tas. |date=27 March 1908 |access-date=10 June 2015 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}} The hotel is mentioned as early as 1898{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9430590 |title=Mount Read |newspaper=The Mercury |volume=LXXII |issue=8904 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=14 September 1898 |accessdate=24 October 2024 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}
Situated at 1000 metres Mount Read (township) was the most elevated town which has existed in Tasmaniapage 148, photo caption for image number 73, titled Mount Read township, circa 1897. noting photos of the township also at images 68, Mount Read township in 1898, and 67 A snowy day at Mount Read, 1896 the last from the Zeehan and Dundas Herald, 25th December 1896
Huon pine
Despite extensive historic mining and human activity on its slopes, Mount Read has unique and significant stands of Huon pine forests on its slopes.{{Cite web |title=Tasmania's Huon Pine: Stories From A Living Fossil {{!}} What to do near Gordon River Cruise |url=https://www.gordonrivercruises.com.au/news/tasmania-s-huon-pine-stories-from-a-living-fossil |access-date=2023-04-11 |website=Gordon River Cruise |language=en}} The southern slopes of Mount Read have been identified as a special habitat{{cite journal | doi=10.1006/qres.2001.2233 | volume=56 | title=Holocene Vegetation and Paleoclimatic and Paleomagnetic History from Lake Johnston, Tasmania | journal=Quaternary Research | year=2001 | pages=264–274| last1=Anker | first1=Sharon A. | last2=Colhoun | first2=Eric A. | last3=Barton | first3=Charles E. | last4=Peterson | first4=Mike | last5=Barbetti | first5=Mike | issue=2 | bibcode=2001QuRes..56..264A | s2cid=129934181 }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/file.aspx?id=6597 |title=Archived copy |access-date=9 June 2015 |archive-date=10 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150310224642/http://parks.tas.gov.au/file.aspx?id=6597 |url-status=dead }} enclosed in the Lake Johnston Nature Reserve.{{Cite web |title=Huon pine "in the flesh" |url=https://www.huonpine.com/huon-pine-in-the-flesh/ |access-date=2023-04-11 |website=Tasmania's Special Timbers}}
Climate
Mount Read has a subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfc), bordering on a tundra climate (Köppen climate classification: ET), heavily influenced by the Roaring Forties. It currently has a Bureau of Meteorology automatic weather station in place, and it scores well in extreme weather conditions. Its extreme rainfall records for Autumn 2006 put it on a par with the Lake Margaret rainfall – which was still apparently recorded till 30 June 2006 by Hydro employees, but not appearing on the BOM website. It has one of the highest annual rain day amount in the world at 282 days; topping Cherrapunji in India, but falling behind Mount Waialeale in Hawaii and López de Micay in Colombia, which have 335 and 315 rainy days respectively; and is especially concentrated in the winter months, with July featuring 27 days on which rain or snow falls.
Its monthly mean temperatures are comparable to those of Reykjavík in Iceland. Snowfalls are highly frequent and often very heavy, occurring at all times of the year. The mean afternoon relative humidity is the greatest anywhere in Australia, particularly in the cooler months.
{{Weather box
|location = Mount Read (1996–2022); 1,120 m AMSL; 41.84° S, 145.54° E
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm
|Jan record high C = 30.4
|Feb record high C = 29.5
|Mar record high C = 27.9
|Apr record high C = 20.6
|May record high C = 15.3
|Jun record high C = 11.4
|Jul record high C = 10.0
|Aug record high C = 12.5
|Sep record high C = 16.2
|Oct record high C = 22.6
|Nov record high C = 24.5
|Dec record high C = 27.6
|year record high C =
|Jan high C = 14.4
|Feb high C = 14.2
|Mar high C = 12.0
|Apr high C = 8.9
|May high C = 6.4
|Jun high C = 4.7
|Jul high C = 3.7
|Aug high C = 3.9
|Sep high C = 5.6
|Oct high C = 7.8
|Nov high C = 10.8
|Dec high C = 12.1
|year high C = 8.7
| Jan mean C = 10.1
| Feb mean C = 10.2
| Mar mean C = 8.6
| Apr mean C = 6.2
| May mean C = 4.3
| Jun mean C = 2.9
| Jul mean C = 2.0
| Aug mean C = 2.0
| Sep mean C = 3.0
| Oct mean C = 4.6
| Nov mean C = 7.0
| Dec mean C = 8.1
| year mean C =
|Jan low C = 5.8
|Feb low C = 6.2
|Mar low C = 5.1
|Apr low C = 3.4
|May low C = 2.2
|Jun low C = 1.0
|Jul low C = 0.2
|Aug low C = -0.1
|Sep low C = 0.4
|Oct low C = 1.4
|Nov low C = 3.2
|Dec low C = 4.1
|year low C = 2.7
|Jan record low C = -1.2
|Feb record low C = -0.8
|Mar record low C = -4.7
|Apr record low C = -4.5
|May record low C = -3.9
|Jun record low C = -5.2
|Jul record low C = -5.0
|Aug record low C = -5.5
|Sep record low C = -5.1
|Oct record low C = -5.0
|Nov record low C = -4.5
|Dec record low C = -2.3
|year record low C =
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 201.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 174.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 264.2
|Apr precipitation mm = 283.7
|May precipitation mm = 397.4
|Jun precipitation mm = 341.1
|Jul precipitation mm = 391.5
|Aug precipitation mm = 336.3
|Sep precipitation mm = 377.1
|Oct precipitation mm = 397.6
|Nov precipitation mm = 220.4
|Dec precipitation mm = 292.2
|year precipitation mm = 3628.1
|Jan precipitation days = 19.1
|Feb precipitation days = 17.4
|Mar precipitation days = 22.5
|Apr precipitation days = 24.0
|May precipitation days = 26.7
|Jun precipitation days = 25.9
|Jul precipitation days = 26.6
|Aug precipitation days = 25.6
|Sep precipitation days = 25.8
|Oct precipitation days = 25.9
|Nov precipitation days = 21.2
|Dec precipitation days = 21.7
|year precipitation days = 282.4
|Jan afthumidity = 76
|Feb afthumidity = 75
|Mar afthumidity = 84
|Apr afthumidity = 88
|May afthumidity = 94
|Jun afthumidity = 92
|Jul afthumidity = 95
|Aug afthumidity = 93
|Sep afthumidity = 91
|Oct afthumidity = 84
|Nov afthumidity = 77
|Dec afthumidity = 80
|year afthumidity = 86
|source 1 = Bureau of Meteorology{{cite web
| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_097085_All.shtml
| publisher = Bureau of Meteorology |title = Climate statistics for Mount Read |access-date = 26 January 2015}}
|date= 2015
}}
See also
{{stack|{{Portal|Australia|Mountains}}}}
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite book| author-link=Geoffrey Blainey|last=Blainey|first=Geoffrey| title= The Peaks of Lyell | edition=6th | publisher=St. David's Park Publishing | location=Hobart| year=2000| isbn=0-7246-2265-9}}
- Pink, Kerry. The west coast story : a history of Western Tasmania and its mining fields Rev. ed. Zeehan, Tasmania : West Coast Pioneers' Memorial Museum, 1984. {{ISBN|0-9598295-2-0}}
- {{cite book| author=Rae, Lou|title=The Abt Railway and Railways of the Lyell region | publisher=Lou Rae | location=Sandy Bay| year=2001| isbn=0-9592098-7-5}}
- {{cite book| author-link = Charles Whitham|last=Whitham|first= Charles| title=Western Tasmania – A land of riches and beauty| edition=Reprint 2003| publisher=Municipality of Queenstown| location=Queenstown| year = 2003}}
- {{cite book| author=Whitham, Lindsay| title=Railways, Mines, Pubs and People and other historical research| publisher=Tasmanian Historical Research Association| location=Sandy Bay| year=2002| isbn=0-909479-21-6}}
External links
- [http://www.bom.gov.au Bureau of Meteorology]
{{Tasmanian mountains |state=autocollapse}}
{{Western Tasmania |state=autocollapse}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Read, Mount}}