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| World Heritage Area of Western Tasmania |
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including Cradle Mountain |
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Scroll down for details on the following national parks Southwest, Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers, Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair, Walls of Jerusalem and Mount Field |
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World Heritage Area of Western Tasmania - Introduction |
| The western and south western coast of Tasmania is wild and unspoiled, frequently with little direct vehicular access. In 1981 the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park was created, joining the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair NP in the north with the Southwest NP in the south to form one continuous park which was later declared a World Heritage
Area. The nearby Walls of Jerusalem National Park, 110 km west of
Launceston, also forms part of the World Heritage Area. Virtually adjoining the World Heritage Area is Tasmania's oldest national park, Mount Field National Park, an easy and rewarding day trip from Hobart. |
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| The magnificent Southwest National Park
www.parks.tas.gov.au/natparks/southwest
covers over six hundred thousand hectares of wild, remote country and is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The park divides into the northern and southern sections from the point of view of access. The northern part is reached via the Lyell Highway and the Gordon River Road and the southern section is accessed from Cockle Creek via the Huon Highway to Southport. The park is subject to snow and ice during the winter months. Much of the park is remote and inaccessible to all but serious walkers but there are also some spectacular drives along the Gordon River Road and Scotts Peak Road where you can also access short walks from the road with 4-5 hours return time. The roads wind through a landscape of forest and moorland, with fabulous mountain views. 
From the coast near Cockle Bay in the southern section of the park, a 7 day long distance walking track goes to Melaleuca with wonderful walking along this very wild coast. There are no roads into Melaleuca and it is reached by boat and air only. Nearby are scenic Bathurst Harbour and Port
Davey (pictured), where a local operator offers upmarket cruises. The 82 km long South Coast Track www.parks.tas.gov.au/recreation/tracknotes/scoast
traverses the rugged and spectacular coastline of the Southwest National
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North of the Southwest National Park is the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National
Park www.parks.tas.gov.au/natparks/wild
, created after the environmental battle to prevent the Tasmanian Hydro Electric Commission from flooding the lower reaches of the two rivers was won. 
The park is about 180 km west of Hobart via the Lyell Highway and there is no vehicular access into the park apart from one 4WD track (originally made by the hydro electric company) although there are various walks that can be taken from the Lyell Highway. The rivers themselves are the main draw and for the adventurous, local tour operators offer a number of rafting trips on the Franklin. The Gordon River
(pictured) is more tranquil, having been dammed in its upper reaches to form Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder. The small, picturesque town of Strahan, set on Macquarie Harbour, is a good base from which to explore the park and is the departure point for various river cruises and adventure trips. Rough camping is allowed in the park and there are also one or two basic campsites, for example at Irenabyss and at the bridge over the Collingwood. Inland from Strahan is Queenstown a mining town now reinventing itself as a tourist centre. |
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Cradle Valley in the northern part of the
Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clare National Park www.parks.tas.gov.au/natparks/cradle
is about 85 km from Devonport or Burnie Airport. Lake St Clair in the southern part of the park is about 175 km from Hobart via the Lyell Highway. The
highest mountain in Tasmania, Mt Ossa (1617 metres) is within the park.
On the very edge of the park at Cradle Valley is a wilderness lodge which offers a range of accommodation from camping through to upmarket luxury. Nearby there are other good accommodation options available. The visitor centre is also in Cradle Valley and a selection of
way-marked walks of varying length and difficulty begin here, with something for everyone.
If you are walking independently, you should register with the Ranger’s Office since conditions in the area can change rapidly and become dangerous. Remember, rain falls on 275 days a year and snow on 54 days and the whole area is subject to snow and ice in winter.
There is a long distance footpath in the national park called the Overland Track, running 65 km from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair, which takes about 6 days to complete. The Overland Track walking season is from 1 November to 30 April and bookings are necessary and a fee payable.
There are a number of guided walks/walking tours on offer on various sections of the Overland
Track - one of the best is the guided 6
day World Heritage Walk
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The Walls of Jerusalem National Park www.parks.tas.gov.au/natparks/walls
is roughly 110 km west of Launceston via the Bass Highway or via Lake Ada.
This wild and beautiful park, a part of the World Heritage Area, is for the seriously fit looking for bushwalking, rock climbing and cross country skiing. There is no vehicular access into the park and although
there are no facilities, bush camping is allowed.
Like all the World Heritage Area parks, wildlife is profuse. In this park the most likely to be seen are wombats, pademelons and wallabies. |
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The Mount Field National Park
www.parks.tas.gov.au/natparks/mtfield is 75 km northwest of Hobart via New Norfolk. It was Tasmania's first national park and originally it was simply called 'National Park'.Mount Field is very pretty and has lots of walks to suit all abilities, a variety of scenery with mountains, lakes and waterfalls such as Russell Falls (pictured). There are also lots of picnic opportunities plus cross country skiing in winter. In the park there is good, unsealed vehicle access during summer but 4WD would be needed in winter. Mount Field makes a good and very manageable day trip from Hobart. |
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| Truly Australia have attempted to give an honest and objective description of the topics covered on this page and have deliberately avoided regurgitating tourist office media releases. The information shown has been compiled from a variety of reputable sources and our own experiences. We check and review this information from time to time, but we assume no responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the details given. |
