Originally known as Great Swanport, Swansea is a quiet paced town of 600 located on the northwest shore of Great Oyster Bay and is ideally placed midway - approximately 135 kms (85 miles) - from both Hobart and Launceston.

The area was settled by Europeans in the early 1820's and included a convict station at Rocky Hills of some 400 prisoners. A small contingent of the 40th Regiment Of Foot under the command of Captain George Hibbert was also garrisoned at Waterloo Point. The town remained under military control until the Glamorgan Municipality, the first rural municipality in Australia, was established in 1860. It eventually became the primary service centre on the lower eastern coast of Tasmania and, in recent times, has proved to be a popular holiday destination.

There are several historic buildings in the town including the Glamorgan Community Centre built in 1860 and now housing a museum of local history, and the Bark Mill - the only restored working Wattle Bark Mill in Australia. Located on the southern approach to the town, Kate's Berry Farm has a well established reputation for jams, ice-cream, wine and country produce.

In addition to the various shops and numerous places of interest in and around the town there are a range of restaurants and cafés to suit all budgets.

THE WEATHER

At latitude 42.13 south and longitude 148.08 east Swansea enjoys ideal holiday weather patterns for all seasonal activities including lazing on the beach in summer or luxuriating at night in front of a log fire in winter.

The following table shows the average range of temperatures
(in °C) for the period 1884 to 1996.