THE WEST t e n a l 271 P y l e n o L

The Overland Track © Cap Wild Rivers National Park Frenchmans Franklin-Gordon ( p286 ) West Coast Wilderness Railway Queenstown Teepookana Plateau & Forest Ocean Beach Strahan Frenchmans Cap ( p288 ), Cap Frenchmans one of Henty Dunes www .tasmaniaswestcoast.com.au www  West Coast Wilderness Railway visitor will find a vast outdoor playground: multiday hikes,visitor will find a vast outdoor ( p290 ) ( p278 ) ( p281 ) ( p288 ) Ocean Beach Overland Track Overland ( p279 ) to reflections so perfect, they’ll so perfect,) to reflections they’ll p279 ( Henty Dunes ( p278 ) between Strahan and Queenstown on the and feeling the awesome power of the waves of the waves the awesome power and feeling on 33km-long scenic helicopter flight scenic helicopter off-the-beaten-track bushwalks more Tasmania’s have you puzzling which way is up you puzzling which way is up have on a 10-day rafting journey down the wild Franklin River River breathtaking alpine through Tasmania’s heart on the at

Climbing from the mud to the quartzite peak of remote on a Plateau Teepookana the King landing on the forested and River Swooping low over Getting some full wilderness immersion Waking Gordon up on a sailboat on the Shouldering a backpack and striding out Sand-boarding on the towering sand dunes Riding the rails through the rainforest Watching the sun sink towards South America TELEPHONE CODE: 03

       HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS 

There’s a rugged human side to this part of Tasmania too. The first inhabitants braved the first inhabitants braved The too. a rugged human side to this part of Tasmania There’s

 on a restored heritage railway or being driven to the heart heritage railway or being driven of it all in a comfortable 4WD. on a restored chasing the reflections on a mirror-calm Gordon River cruise, riding through the rainforests cruise, riding through the rainforests Gordon River on a mirror-calm chasing the reflections sailing, jet-boating, sandboarding and helicopter flights, or more gentle outdoor pleasures like gentle outdoor pleasures more flights, or and helicopter sandboarding sailing, jet-boating, such as the Overland Track, to tackle and river rafting on the incredible Franklin River. There’s There’s Franklin River. on the incredible rafting such as the Overland Track, to tackle and river edges, no-nonsense charm. The hydroelectric dam. Even today, west-coasters are different: they have a certain they have rough-at-the- different: are west-coasters today, hydroelectric dam. Even most intense environmental protest, the battle to save the Gordon and Franklin Rivers from a Gordon and Franklin Rivers the save the battle to environmental protest, most intense to feel the lure of the wild west. Their depictions of this region’s beauty helped win Australia’s beauty helped win Australia’s depictions of this region’s of the wild west. Their the lure to feel Later piners and miners ventured into rivers and forests here. Outdoor adventurers were the next were Outdoor adventurers here. and forests into rivers miners ventured piners and Later Island suffered extreme privations, leaving behind desperate legends of mutiny and cannibalism. legends of leaving behind desperate privations, extreme Island suffered west’s ferocious weather indomitably; but convicts weather transported Sarah into aching isolation on west’s ferocious untamed horizons that make you feel you’re the only soul in the world. you’re makeuntamed horizons that you feel dripping emerald green, whisky-tinted rivers, glacier-sculpted mountain peaks and boundless glacier-sculpted rivers, whisky-tinted dripping emerald green, ocean beaches where the surf ocean beaches where rainforests in from the Southern Ocean, ancient mossy pounds There are no two ways about it: Tasmania’s west truly is its wilder side. We’re talking We’re endless side. west truly is its wilder ways about it: Tasmania’s no two are There The West The West THE WEST a rollicking time:with800 hardworking men workers dams.Itwas buildinghydroelectric Tullah wasa‘hydro-town’ accommodating only in1962,aroad. Inthe1970sand1980s, cameanarrowgauge train and on foot.Later or accessible totheoutsideworldby horse and thewaters of Rosebery Lake lap close. the napeof majestic MtsFarrell andMurchison, damsinthevicinity.Thetownshelters seven in bridge crossings toenter andleave town,and Tullahisalmost an island:thereindeed, are ofword meaning‘meeting tworivers’, and in closed the 1970s. Farrell thetownuntilmine sustained copper-silver-ore bearingbodyinnearbyMt were discovered here in1887.Thelead-zinc- of whenmineralrichesTullah wasestablished tannin-brown rivers,by deep, thelittletown andwrappedaround the WestCoastRange, Long isolated inthedreaming rainforests of % River or Corinna. asthere’sor Waratah, nofuelateitherSavage Tullah Explorer RdshouldfillupatZeehan, Track, walkingtheOverland those see p297 . and the busstation vice versa. to from theferry dockinDevonport service andincludesaconnection ing ontheseason, covered depend- daysaweek, three toseven hours).Strahan ($73.90,eight Thisroute is hours), ($64.70,6½hours) Queenstown and ($55.80,six ($48.10, 5¼hours), Zeehan hours), Tullah($46.10,five hours), Rosebery 2½ hours), ($53.30,3¼ CradleMountain hours 10minutes), GowriePark ($35.60, ($10.60, 40minutes), ($27,two Sheffield Tassielink toDeloraine offers areturn service stopover); andreturn. FromLaunceston, 8½ hours, timesvaryingduetoQueenstown six hours) andStrahan($67.70oneway,6½to hours), ($58.50oneway,5½to Queenstown Frenchmans walk($48.20oneway,four Cap one way,three to3½hours), of thestart the Bridge StClair($46.40 ($39.90oneway),Lake ($33.40 oneway,2¼to2¾hours), Derwent ter/summer fromHobart toBronte Junction .com.au) Tassielink 272 Getting There&Around TULLAH For mostof itshistory,Tullahwasonly The nameTullahcomesfromanAboriginal Drivers headingnorthuptheWestern for For informationabout additionalservices 03 /pop270 H ET • ulh THE WEST••Tullah operates two/five inwin- timesaweek

( % 6230 8900,1300300

520; www.tassielink road westfor55kmto kilometres northof townyoucanfollow a major damsandlakes. hydroelectric Three range of colourfulwooden genie’s bottles! clocks andotherwoodware, includingawide some smoothgrains,andbuyqualitylamps, the woodyaromasof Tassie timbers, stroke most days) At Sights &Activities issue mining weighty is here. whata bearing rockstofindoutforyourself and hydrotimes.Pickupsomeof themineral- running aninformative displayonmining dole outinformationonthearea, aswell and Café The friendlyfolksatthe Information trout fishing,boatingand horseback riding. offering visitors accommodationaswell timism about. It’sstillaquietplacethough, mines are reopening andthere’s anairof op- prices.Old again, driven inmetal bytherise it’s currently experiencingaminingboom nolent backwater, like much of thewestcoast kegsbeer in one week. 3818-gallon in townthepubregularly served provides aperfect way todiscover theback Track) Mackintosh 0409-809 441;www.tullahhorseback.com.au; rainforest, onpartof the original track. take 20-minute thehillsand rides through 10amand4pm, passengersally between can to earlyApril,onSaturdaysorSundays, usu- town’s originalrailway.Fromlate September gauge steam locomotives thatoperated on the child/pensioner/family $6/2/3/12) Wood Georgie by train,localresidents have restored Tullah’s onlylinktotheoutsideworldwas return). hours hours return) and to From town,ascenicminorroadalsoleads theWestCoastRange. views asitcrosses –providingtowards Queenstown good and headsover theflanksof MtMurchison road, the Anotherscenic a further29kmtoZeehan. There are scenicdrives alongside several asom- posthydroTullahhasbeen Though Tullah Horse-Back &BoatTours Horse-Back Tullah To commemorate thedaysof steam when The area’s best Murchison Dam Murchison Radford Woodcrafts Radford galleryandworkshop youcanbreathe

( % Anthony Rd

6473 4141;Farrell St; ( % . 0417-142 724; Murchison Hwy;adult/ 0417-142 724;Murchison walks , starts 5kmsouthof, starts town Mt Murchison

( % include , oneof thenarrow- Reece Dam Reece Tullah Tavern Tullah Museum 6473 4344; lonelyplanet.com h

Mt Farrell (1275m;six ( 9am-5pm; % h andthen 6473 4289, 9am-4pm (three Wee i )