West Coast Wilderness Railway: an historic & scenic steam train journey into Tasmania's pioneering past on the rugged West Coast. Spectacular views of bridges, rivers, rainforests, & gorges make this a unique experience.
Corinna: an historic mining town, set in pristine rainforest of the Tarkine region on the banks of the majestic Pieman River. One of the most fascinating spots in Tasmania, Corinna is now popular as an area of spectacular wilderness scenery with short bush walks and good trout fishing in the Pieman River.
Lake St Clair: carved out by ice during several glaciations, Lake St Clair is the deepest lake in Australia and the headwaters of the Derwent River, upon which the capital city of Tasmania is located. he area around Lake St Clair offers a wealth of walks, ranging from leisurely strolls to overnight bushwalks, as well as beautiful forests to explore.
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Zeehan: a remote mining town in Tasmania's west that has gone from being the third largest town in Tasmania with a population of 10,000, to a deserted ghost town until the late 1960s, and back to a prosperous mining town again thanks to the Renison Bell tin mine (28 km north west). Points of interest include Mt. Heemskirk, Gaiety Theatre (1899) and West Coast Pioneer Memorial Museum. From Zeehan you can fish for trout in Lake Pieman, crayfish at Granville Harbour, or take in the views from the top of Mount Zeehan.
Teepookand Huon Pine Helicopter Flight: A breathtaking flight from Strahan over dense west coast rainforests before descending into King River Gorge and Teepookana Plateau, landing in the midst of a 2000 year old Huon Pine forest. It is a short walk to the viewing tower with 360-degree views to Macquarie Harbour and the rugged West Coast Ranges.
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Gormanston: High on the slopes of Mount Owen, above the town of Queenstown is the remnants of the mining town of Gormanston. It was built as a mining company town in 1881. Normanston was at its peak in 1901, when it had a population of 1,760 and had a local government authority based in its town. Today there are only a handful of families still living in this historic mining town.
Federation Peak and Lake Geeves, Arthur Ranges: Nestled deep in the heart of the South-West Tasmania World Heritage Area, Federation Peak is probably Australia's most recognisable and distinctive mountain. With sheer cliffs of solid quartzite dropping an impressive 600 metres (the biggest cliff in Australia) into the coffee coloured waters of Lake Geeves, 'Federation' is the major goal of many serious bushwalkers around Australia and the world.
Cox Bight: a coastal region in the south-west corner of Tasmania, that is deep in South West National Park in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Cox Bight is surrounded by the South West Wilderness national park, with its vast tracts of ancient rainforest, jagged mountain ranges, and beaches pounded by the Southern Ocean.
Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour: Accessible only by boat or on foot, this region must surely be one of the most magnificent landscapes on the planet. Gold-green ranges, with bony quartzite ridges, rise sharply from the southern ocean and the broad interior waterways of Port Davey. Four major rivers and numerous creeks cut through gorges and snake across open plains, draining their rust-coloured waters into the Port Davey Marine reserve.
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| Visiting The Region: The Facts |
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How To Get There: by car, from Melbourne - Spirit of Tasmania car and passenger ferry overnight from Melbourne to Devonport. A supplementary day travel services operates during summer months. Website.
From Devonport, follow Bass Highway west. At Somerset, take Murchison Highway. This highway approaches the region from the north.
From Hobart, take Brooker Highway almost to Bridgewater. At Granton, take Lyell Highway and approach the region from the south via New Norfolk Ouse and Derwent Bridge.
By coach, Tassielink Coaches services all major centres throughout Tasmania. A bus service operates to and from Strahan from most major Tasmanian centres, flights can also be charted as an all weather airstrip is located only 2 km from the town centre.
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The Best Time To Visit: One of the best times to visit the region is from April to June when the days are fine and still. This is possibly the best time of the year to see the magnificent mirror image reflections of the Gordon River, also at this time many activities and accommodation places offer special standby rates.
Most of the activities in places like Strahan operate for the whole year although, there are more in summer. Peak season is from November to late April and during this time it is essential to book everything ahead as for the majority of this time all accommodation, cruises etc are fully booked for weeks in advance.
Summer time in Strahan sees mild to warm days with an average of 22 degrees, in winter the days are cold with snow often restricting travel throughout Tasmania during July and August.
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| West Coast Wilderness Walk
 This is without doubt the greatest wilderness walk in Tasmania. This is because the route takes about one month to walk 165 km of coastline - the route is logical and difficult to escape from, there are no tracks or signs of people and the coastline keeps varying. It is not a trivial walk and takes considerable planning and walking experience to be successful. There aren't many places in the world where you can follow a coastline for a month and be nowhere near anybody or any civilisation for the entire walk. While there are places like Antarctica and Ellesmere Island, these are all icy wildernesses. Tasmania is a temperate wilderness and one of the few such places left in the world. The West Coast is a pure wilderness walk - no signs of other people or developments like tracks, campsites etc. For visitors from other countries, this will seem very rare and it is.
Frenchmans Cap
 This track leads to the summit of the magnificent white quartzite dome of Frenchmans Cap (1446 m), the most prominent mountain peak in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, a part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The track passes buttongrass plains, unusual rainforest where Huon pine grows alongside King Billy pine, and spectacular glacial valleys, up to Lake Tahune, perched under the huge and spectacular cliff face of Frenchmans Cap. The silvery Precambrian quartzite is some of Australia’s oldest exposed rock.
The track is considerably more arduous than many other Tasmanian walks, and should only be tackled by experienced cross-country hikers. The track is rough and muddy over extended sections, especially across the Loddon Plains, and is steep in places. To do the summit climb you must have good weather and a good head for heights and exposure. Most walkers spend between 3 and 5 days completing the return trip, a distance of about 23 km each way. Allow extra time for adverse weather.
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South Coast Walking Track
 The South Coast walking track passes through the Southwest National Park in Tasmania. The Park is an unforgettable, enormous area of World Heritage wilderness that is remote, ancient, and epic in its proportions. The Roaring Forties lash the park for much of the year, adding to the drama. This walk is recognised as one of the world's great wilderness walks and its reputation is justified. The track takes walkers through the heart of over 600,000 hectares of wild, untouched and challenging country into which, unlike the famous Overland Track, there are no roads. Most people take approximately 6 - 8 days to complete the South Coast Track.
The Port Davey Track
 Like the south Coast Walking Track, the Port Davey Walking Track lies within the Southwest National Park Tasmania and take walkers through the heart of over 600,000 hectares of wild, challenging country. They are more remote than many other walks in Tasmania, such as the famous Overland Track. The Port Davey Track is 70 km in length and used by walkers between Scotts Peak Road and Melaleuca. The Port Davey Track starts from the Huon Campsite, near the end of the Scotts Peak Road, approx. 2 - 3 hours drive west of Hobart. Approximately 200 people a year walk the Port Davey track. The walk may be combined with the South Coast Track as a long trek requiring as a long continuous trek requiring around 8-14 days.
Other Walks: Lake St Clair; Mt. Rufus; Shadow Lake Circuit; Echo Point; Franklin River Nature Trail; Donaghys Hill; Nelson Falls; Kelly Basin; Hogarth Falls; Montezuma Falls; Huon Pine Walk; Dove Lake Circuit; Enchanted Walk; Crater Lake Circuit; Cradle Mountain Summit; Tarkine Wilderness Walks; West Arthur Ranges; Federation Peak
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