But the late twentieth century also saw two terrible disasters occur with Clarence . Much of the municipality suffered terrible damage and many homes were lost during the infamous 1967 Tasmanian fires . A second disaster occurred in the city in 1975 when the bulk carrier , '' Lake Illawarra '' collided with the Tasman Bridge collapsing a section of roadway in the Tasman Bridge Disaster . Ironically , this event , which severed ' The Eastern Shore ' from Hobart for nearly three years , was responsible for considerable infrastructure growth on ' The Eastern Shore ' , leading to it being largely self-sustaining , and being declared a city in its own right by 1988
1967 Tasmanian fires
1967 Tasmanian fires
City of Clarence