Doctors Rocks Explained

Type:town
Doctors Rocks
State:tas
Coordinates:-41°N 191°W
Pushpin Label Position:right
Lga:Waratah-Wynyard Council
Postcode:7325
Stategov:Braddon
Fedgov:Braddon
Pop:85
Pop Year:2016 census
Pop Footnotes:[1]
Region:North-west and west
Location1:Wynyard
Dist1:8
Dir1:E
Near-Nw:Wynyard
Near-N:Bass Strait
Near-Ne:Bass Strait
Near-E:Somerset
Near-W:Wynyard
Near-Sw:Wynyard
Near-S:Somerset
Near-Se:Somerset

Doctors Rocks is a rural locality in the local government area (LGA) of Waratah–Wynyard in the North-west and west LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about east of the town of Wynyard. The 2016 census has a population of 85 for the state suburb of Doctors Rocks.[1]

It is both a geographical feature and a district on the northwest coast of Tasmania between Somerset and Wynyard.The geographical feature is a basalt outcrop on the beachfront, behind which an escarpment rises to the northwest coast plateau. The terrain forced early road builders to construct a narrow roadway behind the rocks that was the scene of many serious accidents before modern vehicular traffic forced major earth-moving and re-siting of the main road further away from the rocks. This place is also known for the McDonald's ad that was shot there in 2007 to promote their 'Help the locals' campaign.

History

The area was formerly known as Bluff Point. A property owned by a medical practitioner became known as “Doctors Rocks”, and this is believed to be the source of the name. Doctors Rocks was gazetted as a locality in 1966.[2]

Geography

The waters of Bass Strait form the north-eastern boundary.

Road infrastructure

The Bass Highway (Route A2) passes through from north-east to north-west.[2] [3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2016 Census Quick Stats Doctors Rocks (Tas.) . . 23 October 2017 . quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au . Australian Bureau of Statistics . 13 September 2020 .
  2. Web site: Placenames Tasmania – Doctors Rocks . . Placenames Tasmania . 13 September 2020 . Select “Search”, enter "6265N", click “Search”, select row, map is displayed, click “Details”.
  3. Web site: Tasmanian Road Route Codes . https://web.archive.org/web/20170801112712/http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/Documents/Route%20Descriptions%20V3.6.pdf . dead . 2017-08-01 . . May 2017 . Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & Environment . 13 September 2020 .