Scottsdale, formerly known as Ellesmere, is a town in the north-east of Tasmania, Australia. It lies on the Tasman Highway, around north-east of Launceston and south-east of the coastal town of Bridport. It is part of the Dorset Council. History The area was first surveyed in 1855 and was described as, "the best soil on the island ... well watered, with a mild climate" by the surveyor James Reid Scott, for whom the town is named. This rings true today as the town, as well as being the regional centre for other north-east towns, is a major agricultural centre. The first land was selected in 1859 and the hamlet of Ellesmere grew up. Ellesmere Post Office opened on 29 November 1865, and was renamed Scottsdale in 1893. Industry Potato farming, dairy farming, pine plantations, poppy cultivation and mining are all major industries in the area. Hops were previously an important crop, however large hop farms have over the last few years been sold and/or turned into dairy farms and eucalypt and pine plantations. The setting of the town, surrounded by green fields and blue mountains, as well as increasing infrastructure and improved promotion for visitors, is giving the local tourism industry a boost. The Barnbougle Dunes and Lost Farm Golf Links and the Bridestowe Estate Lavender Farm are key local attractions. Since 1958 Scottsdale has been the location of the Defence Nutrition Research Centre and its predecessor laboratories and production facilities. In 2014 these were redeveloped by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO). The Forest EcoCentre, operated by Forestry Tasmania, was built in Scottsdale in the late 1990s, as an educational visitor centre designed to inform the public about the forestry industry in Tasmania. The Visitor Centre has since closed. Scottsdale is an important service centre for north-east Tasmania, with shops catering for most residents' needs, however the town's retail sector is suffering, with increasing vacancies in the town's main street of King Street. The town has also suffered from the closure of the North-East Tasmania Rail Line, which increased the number of trucks on local roads. The rails were removed from the section between Scottsdale and Herrick and were used for the Abt Wilderness Railway on Tasmania's west coast, despite local attempts to run a tourist railway. The local Rotary Club has now developed part of this section of old railway line as a bike trail through to