West Coast Tasmania Travel Information

Wild and ruggedly beautiful the west coast of Tasmania has much to offer the backpacker in terms of nature and beautiful scenery. There are many wilderness areas and mining is the main industry apart from tourism.

Queenstown is the largest town in the area and is slightly inland as is the towns of Arthur River and Corinna. The only town directly on the wild coastline is Strahan. South of this there are no real settlements near the ocean. Queenstown has a population of around 3,500 is home to the Mount Lyell Gold Mine where tours are available. Queenstown is a good place to use as a base with good accommodation options and quite a bit to see including the Gallery Museum with a chair lift to view the mountains which were stripped of timber which was used for fuel. These mountains make for good photographs especially in the evening. You can visit the real ghost town of Linda and also see the Iron Blow open cut mine. Other Tasmania tours and places of interest are the Newall Creek Rainforest Reserve where signs point to the various native pines and there is a viewing platform where you can gaze out over the area and enjoy the scenery.

Travelling in this area is possible by coach to the major centres but you will need a car or book into a tour to see some of the more remote areas. One such tour is the Gordon River Tour in the Franklin –Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. On this tour you can see the Huon Pines that grow alongside the river, some of which are up to 2,000 years old. There are several different cruises as well as white water rafting, canoeing and bushwalking for all levels of walker with certain trails for experienced walkers only. Some walks can take up to several days.

The famous world heritage listed Franklin River is a great wilderness and all areas around it are uninhabited. Cruises on this river depart from Queesntown on a regular basis and bookings are essential. There are picnic areas and many rainforest walks and guided tours. One such walk is to Nelson Falls which takes 20 mins and viewing is by way of a platform. Although there is accommodation in the larger towns small of the smaller towns like Corinna have only limited accommodation and it is advisable to check ahead according to your requirements.