Wilkins Tourist Maps produce a map of this area. You can pick up a West Coast map from accommodation houses, attractions, businesses and the information centres in towns in this area.

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TOURING MAP

Exploring the West Coast

You can visit the West Coast touring region from the north via Tullah or Corinna, and the east from Derwent Bridge. This tour will describe a tour beginning through Tullah coming from either Burnie, Somerton, or Cradle Mountain.

Tullah is a small town on Lake Rosebery with a landscape dominated by Mt Murchison. There is a small shopping centre to the right after the Tullah Tavern and accommodation at the lake. The Wee Geordie Railway operates between its base at the northern end of town and the city. A short journey but well worth a ride if it is operating on your visit.
From Tullah you head south through the magnificent rainforest and over the ranges to Rosebery, a busy centre for the mining industry with a museum, caravan park and B&Bs. There is a small shopping centre with a bakery, takeaway food, a pub and newsagency. Just south of Rosebery is a turn off to the Montezuma Falls, Tasmania's tallest, and a walking track leads from the car park to the falls. There is an interesting cemetery near the start of the road in to the falls. As you leave Rosebery you will see a cable train across the road with suspended buckets. This was once used to transport ore from the mine at Williamsford to Rosebery. Another surprise a bit further south is a magnificent golf course beside the road in the middle of nowhere. You will also glimpse sections of the west coast railway to the right of the road.

Continue on to Zeehan past the Renison Bell mine and visit the museum in the main street and drive up the hill to the tower where there are views over the town. If you are arriving via the loose surface road from Arthur River and Corinna you will join this tour here.
Take the road south next to the motel and continue towards Strahan crossing the Little Henty River and stopping at the Ocean Beach Lookout on the left. Resume your journey along the road and into Strahan.

Strahan is rapidly becoming Tasmania's main touring centre. Besides being a very attractive town it offers a wide range of options for the visitor. Cruises to the Gordon River incorporating a stop at the infamous convict ruins of Sarah Island are a must while you are in the region. Scenic flights, sea plane flights and local tours all offer variety. The western terminus of the West Coast Scenic Railway is also here and operates to Queenstown along the King River. A spectacular journey through rainforest on an abt railway. There is plenty of accommodation in Strahan from resorts and motels to backpacker accommodation, villas and caravan parks.
Take the road east from Strahan to Queenstown. There is a lookout along the way and a monument to the construction of the road at the junction with the A10 and a short drive south will take you into the mining town of Queenstown.

Queenstown is the largest of the main towns of the west coast and there is a fair sized shopping centre, an airstrip, motels and backpacker accommodation, a museum, and the eastern terminus of the scenic railway. A walk to the top of the lookout gives extensive views over the town which is surrounded by sheer ranges creating a stark and natural amphitheatre. The mountains were denuded of foliage due to many years of mining operations but are beginning to recover. The effect is fantastic and offers great opportunities for photographs from the steep road east of the town. There is a waterfall visible from this road away to the right which is spectacular after rains.

Leaving Queenstown via this road you crest the mountain and pass through the tiny mining settlements of Gormanston and Laura before reaching Lake Burbury which straddles the road. A little further on is the Nelson Falls Nature Trail. A short walk will take you to the falls which are best seen after rain. Continue to Donaghys Hill Lookout and the Franklin River Nature Reserve where there is a walk along the river and a pleasant picnic spot. The next place to stop is the Mt King Lookout where the three peaks of Mt King are visible before continuing on to Derwent Bridge where there is accommodation and the beautiful Lake St Clair. You now join the Derwent Valley Touring Guide.

The west coast offers a sojourn with nature. Rainforests, magnificent mountain scenery, lakes, the beautiful Gordon River, walks and waterfalls, and the World Heritage listed Franklin Gordon National Park will astound you with variety and beauty. Mix this with a mining heritage which has been a large contributor to Tasmania's economy for nearly 200 years and you have an attractive and diverse part of the country to explore.