Whitemark

Whitemark has a population of around 150 and is the administrative centre for Flinders Island and overlooks Parrys Bay on the west coast. The historic Interstate Hotel, built in 1912, is one of the earliest buildings and you will find a good supermarket and bakery, petrol station, post office, cafe, general store, hairdresser, rural retail outlets, hospital, golf club, pub, internet facilities, and Service Tasmania. The town is about 10 ten minutes' drive from the airport. Most of the island roads are unsealed. The other major centre is Lady Barron, at the southern end of the island. It has a supermarket, tennis courts, wharf, and restaurant. In the northwest is Killiecrankie where you will find a small general store. Flinders Island sits in the path of the mighty Roaring Forties winds and the climate is maritime. The annual rainfall ranges from about 600mm in the south west to over 800mm in the central hills on Flinders Island, and rainfall is the greatest during winter months (June to August). The average minimum temperature in winter is 6.0 degrees Celcius (43 degrees Fahrenheit) and the average maximum temperature in summer is 22.5 degrees Celcius (72.5 degrees Fahrenheit). For the summer months it is not uncommon for the temperature to hover around the low 30s Celcius.