There are many tales to be told of Tasmania’s Wild West. Lose yourself in its stories of ancient peoples whose voices echo displacement and loss, stories of men who were determined to find a way or make a way, of rivers that refused to be tamed, a terrain that took no prisoners and a forest that promised to return.
The Wall
We could think of no better introduction to the Wild West than The Wall. Located in Tasmania’s Central Highlands at Derwent Bridge, 85km from Queenstown, The Wall in the Wilderness is a 3 metre high and 100 metre long relief sculpture, mostly in Huon pine. It is the lifelong work of sculptor Greg Duncan, who began his carving in 2005.
The Wall beautifully represents the history of the region, the piners who came to log forest, the miners who came to mine ore, and the wildlife that is now either rare or extinct. The detail in this rare piece of art is stunning, showing veins in the hands of workers, hardship chiselled into the faces of women who battled alongside their men, the blinking eyes of newly born thylacine. Through its beauty we see a representation of history and an echo of voices long stilled. This is an experience not to be missed!
‘Where is the thylacine that his voice may be heard, or the communities of Tasmanian Aboriginals that their understanding might be sought? Too long have we played the role of conqueror and not of steward.’ – Tarkine
Queenstown
The Queenstown we enter on our journey is very different to the one I remember from thirty-five years ago. Then, it was a moonscape of barren hills, trees logged to fuel smelters, the earth charred by sulphur fumes, and topsoil eroded to Ground Zero. Even more alarming, at that time, was the pride many townspeople took in the surrounding bleakness. So, it’s a pleasant surprise to see the regeneration taking place, the wilderness returning to clothe the hills.
Queenstown itself is a ghostly presence in the early morning mist, atmospheric enough to be a movie set. There’s been obvious wealth and community spirit here, yet its edges speak of poverty and hardship still. It’s a place with divided opinions about both its history and future. Perhaps some are not as pleased as we are about the wilderness’s return.
We have pre-booked seats with the historic West Coast Wilderness Railway on the half day Rack and Gorge tour. It’s a 4 ½ hour return journey into the rainforest and past the plunging hills of the King River Gorge to Dubbil Barril, halfway to Strahan. We travel by steam train up inclines up to 1: 12. To do this, the train uses an Abt rack and pinion track in the middle of the rail (like cog railways we’ve seen in the Swiss Alps), the only working cog railway in the Southern Hemisphere.
‘Labor Omnia Vincit. We find a way or make it.’ – Anthony Edwin Bowes Kelly, founder of the railway between Queenstown and Strahan
Meanwhile, our carriage hostess tells us the story of how and why the rail was built during the region’s mining boom, settlers battling terrain, vegetation and weather to build the track. Five hundred men worked on the line digging every cutting by hand, as shale made tunnels impractical. Conditions were horrific. Leeches covered the ground, and the wood was always too wet to light a fire. In total, early settlers cut 460 km of track to make 36km of rail, which opened up and transformed the West Coast. We hear many tales of those who made and lost fortunes as we travel their tracks with an ease and comfort they could only have dreamed of.
Though the railway was restored in the 1990s by volunteers funded by government and private investment, it’s pleasing to learn that the government took over operation of the railway in 2014, ensuring that the tourist attraction remains operational.
Strahan
The atmospheric village of Strahan may be small, however it is historically significant as the port that opened up Tasmania’s west coast. Today it is our gateway to Macquarie Harbour, joined by the Franklin and Gordon Rivers, which flow out to the ocean through the infamous Hell’s Gates.
In an area inhabited by the Toogee Aboriginal people for around 35,000 years, Strahan was founded in 1877. When the rail connecting Queenstown to Strahan was completed, Strahan became the second busiest port in Tasmania, shipping out minerals from mines in the local area. The Gordon and Franklin rivers were the site of huge environmental struggles in the 1980s, resulting in the area being declared a UNESCO Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area in 1982.
On a perfect day, we journey out into Macquarie Harbour with Gordon River Cruises on the ‘Spirit of the Wild’. The scenery is magnificent, looking across the harbour to mountains beyond. At the Gordon River mouth the hybrid engine switches to electric mode, and we journey in silence past mirror reflections of pristine rainforest in the water.
‘Breath seems suspended in this place.’ – Tarkine
As it is a calm day, we travel out past Cape Sorell lighthouse through Hell’s Gates. While travelling on the boat, a potted history of the area featuring actors as historic characters plays on televisions in the cabin.
The treacherous Hell’s Gates were not only the entrance to Macquarie Harbour and Strahan, they were also the route for most hardened criminals journeying to Sarah Island. We are amazed to learn about how, in 1897, convicts formed rock harbour walls by hand to keep the channels open and make the harbour entrance safer to navigate. These walls are still visible today, fulfilling their purpose .
Returning, we stop at Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour. Despite its beauty on the day we visit, we learn about the terrible conditions suffered by prisoners, their brutal treatment and the escape attempts, most notably Alexander Pearce, the ‘last man standing’ until he was hanged for cannibalism in 1824.
Zeehan
We journey north from Strahan, stopping at the mining town of Zeehan to check out the West Coast Heritage Centre and the Spray Tunnel, a 100metre abandoned railway tunnel carved through the hill so that ore could be transported out of the Spray Silver Mine.
Corinna
Corinna Wilderness Experience is a small settlement of cottages and a hotel located on the banks of the Pieman River. To reach it, we navigate dirt roads before crossing the river on the ‘Fatman’ barge.
There are few places in Tasmania more suited to immersing yourself in the remote wilderness than Corinna. Without phone, internet or television, this is the place to get away from it all, relax and walk in wonder.
While others choose to kayak and camp in the wilderness, we take a more civilised approach, staying in one of the cottages overnight and eating lunch and dinner at the excellent Tannin Restaurant at the Tarkine Hotel.
We walk for hours on bush trails and boardwalks enjoying the brooding darkness of the river, wildlife seemingly undisturbed by our presence, awed by the majesty of giant Huon pines bending over the river.
Next morning, we take a river cruise on the historic Arcadia II, the only Huon pine river cruiser operating anywhere in the world. There is no one around, save kayakers who set off downriver earlier that morning.
We travel past wilderness that has survived since its Gondwana heritage and Huon pines up to 1,000 years old. A white-breasted sea eagle watches our progress as we journey out to Pieman’s Heads. The skipper tells us that Huon pine was once shipped out through these heads. Prospectors also panned for gold in tributaries off this river, one finding Tasmania’s largest nugget here which weighed in at 7.5 kilograms.
Known as ‘The Edge of the World’, the area around Pieman’s Heads attracts fishermen and campers to its shores, waves crashing relentlessly, even on a fine day. Despite its remoteness, there’s a settlement of shacks just inside the heads which we skirt around on our way to the beach.
‘The Tarkine rations nothing. It gives us all in a fury of excess that is raw coast, mountain ranges, dark gashes of gullies and the benediction of unbroken tracts of old-man rainforest.’ – Tarkine
This rugged corner of Tasmania’s Wild West is recognised as one of the world’s last temperate rainforests. Looking west, there is nothing but sea until we reach South America. After such an uplifting, restorative experience, where to from here? Travel back the way you came, or continue the short journey north to Cradle Mountain. Your choice.
Notes and credits
There are many bush walks in the Wild West, graded according to their level of difficulty. Pick up the leaflet ‘West Coast: The official guide to getting lost’ from an Visitor Information Centre. It’s your guide to ‘the raw, the untouched, and the untamed’.
Corinna Wilderness Experience has its own walking track guide, available from the Information Desk in the Tarkine Hotel.
Corinna Wilderness Experience, 1 Corinna Rd, Corinna TAS, Ph: 03 6446 1170 Email: [email protected]
Gordon River Cruises, 24 The Esplanade, Strahan TAS Ph: 03 6471 4300 Email: [email protected]
The Wall in the Wilderness, 15352 Lyell Hwy, Derwent Bridge TAS, Ph: 03 6289 1134
Wild West Wilderness Railway, Queenstown Station, 1 Driffield St, Queenstown TAS, Ph: 03 6471 0100
NOTE: Good Food Gold Coast was hosted by Corinna Wilderness Experience. The Wall in the Wilderness photo was supplied.