Plan Book Travel Australia

In an island of unique experiences, the West Coast of Tasmania is a land apart. Through its craggy mountains and World Heritage Area wilderness, you’ll see thousands of millions of years captured in the ancient rocks, wrought in volcanic fire and scraped clean by ice. In West Coast towns and villages, you’ll feel the presence of tough men and bold women who carved a boom-and- bust living from the mountains, forests and seas.

Your Gordon River cruise boat skipper will tell you about the heritage of the piners - chances are his grandfather once worked the rivers. A wood turner in Strahan or Tullah will show you what makes the mellow Huon pine so special - as the fragrant shavings fly, you’ll understand. Sample a West Coast crayfish or Macquarie Harbour salmon, fresh from the sea.

Put on a miner’s helmet and light, and go deep underground in Queenstown’s Mt Lyell mine – they mined a fortune there in copper, silver and gold. Ride the newly restored Abt railway, now called the West Coast Wilderness Railway. In the fine historic streetscapes of Zeehan, you’ll feel more of the West Coast’s rich mining heritage.

Nearby, Rosebery is a true mining town - far below, the drilling goes on. In Tullah enjoy the scenic lakes that create hydroelectricity. In Waratah, the pioneers once mined a mountain of tin - these days, it’s where pure rainwater is bottled.

From Strahan, follow the tannin-dark Gordon River into the rainforest, or climb to the Teepookana Plateau. You can see trees that took root many centuries ago, and discover how today’s piners are carefully working the precious Huon pine reserves for the future. Cross the restless waters of Macquarie Harbour and step ashore on Sarah Island. Touch cold stones chiseled by convicts, and gaze towards the chain of mountain peaks that imprisoned them.

Catch Australia’s highest-altitude ferry from Cynthia Bay, then watch the waters of the nation’s deepest lake curl away from the bow - the glaciers that dug Lake St Clair ’s bed and shaped the nearby crags melted 10,000 years ago.