Queenstown Strahan West Coast 

In the West Coast’s mountains and Wilderness World Heritage Area, you’ll see millions of years captured in ancient rocks. In towns and villages you’ll feel the spirit of men and women who carved a boom-and-bust living from the mountains, forests and seas. In the faces of today’s west-coasters you’ll see a friendly welcome.

Follow the dark Gordon River into the rainforest. See trees up to 2,000 years old and discover how modern piners conserve the Huon pine. Ask your cruise boat skipper about the heritage of the piners. Watch a turner work the pine and sniff the scent as the shavings fly. Taste a west-coast crayfish or Macquarie Harbour salmon, fresh from the sea.

Cross the restless waters of Macquarie Harbour to Sarah Island. Feel the cold stones dressed by convicts, and ponder the chain of mountain peaks that imprisoned them.

In the jaunty old streets of Zeehan you’ll feel the west coast’s rich mining heritage - deep below nearby Rosebery the drilling goes on. In Tullah the work is over and fishers and boaters enjoy the scenic hydro-storage lakes. In Waratah pioneers once mined a mountain of tin - now they bottle pure west-coast rainwater there.

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.

Things to do

• Discover 100 years of mining and community history at the Eric Thomas Galley Museum in Queenstown
• Enjoy a boat cruise on the harbour in the beautifully quiet village of Strahan
• Gem fossicking in search of your fortune in the rich lands around Zeehan
• Hop on board the Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway at Tullah for a steam train experience
• Deep flowing and wild rivers of the Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers park
• Taste a west-coast crayfish or Macquarie Harbour salmon, fresh from the sea at Granville or Maquarie Harbour