West Coast Range

The West Coast Range is a mountain range located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.

This article is about the Tasmanian mountains. For other uses, see Western Range (disambiguation) and Coast Range (disambiguation).

West Coast Range
Location in Tasmania
Highest point
PeakMount Murchison
Elevation1,275 m (4,183 ft) [1]
AHD 
Coordinates41°48′00″S 145°36′36″E [2]
Geography
CountryAustralia
StateTasmania
Range coordinates42°05′24″S 145°36′00″E [3]
Geology
Type of rockDolerite

The range lies to the west and north of the main parts of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.

The range has had a significant number of mines utilising the geologically rich zone of Mount Read Volcanics. A number of adjacent ranges lie to the east: the Engineer Range, the Raglan Range, the Eldon Range, and the Sticht Range but in most cases these are on a west–east alignment, while the West Coast Range runs in a north–south direction, following the Mount Read volcanic arc.

The range has encompassed multiple land uses including the catchment area for Hydro Tasmania dams, mines, transport routes and historical sites. Of the communities that have existed actually in the range itself, Gormanston, is probably the last to remain.

Geographical features

These are determined by a number of factors - the southerly direction of glaciation in the King River Valley[4] and around the Tyndalls;[5] as well as the general north -south orientation of the West Coast Range itself.

Mountains

The following mountains are contained within the West Coast Range, including sub-ranges without a specifically named peak and also including subsidiary peaks.[6]

RankNameHeightLocationProminenceNotes
1Mount Murchison1,275 metres (4,183 ft)41°48′00″S 145°36′36″E760 metres (2,493 ft)[1][2]
2Mount Geikie (Tyndall Range)1,191 metres (3,907 ft)41°58′12″S 145°34′12″E[7][8]
3Mount Tyndall (Tyndall Range)1,179 metres (3,868 ft)41°55′48″S 145°35′24″E[9]
4Mount Jukes1,168 metres (3,832 ft)42°10′12″S 145°34′48″E911 metres (2,989 ft)[10][11]
5Mount Sedgwick1,147 metres (3,763 ft)42°00′00″S 145°36′36″E[12]
6Mount Owen1,146 metres (3,760 ft)42°05′24″S 145°36′00″E774 metres (2,539 ft)[13][14]
7Mount Sorell1,144 metres (3,753 ft)42°16′12″S 145°32′24″E673 metres (2,208 ft)[15][16]
8Mount Dundas1,143 metres (3,750 ft)41°53′24″S 145°28′12″E[17][18]
9Mount Read1,124 metres (3,688 ft)41°50′24″S 145°32′24″E[19][20]
10Proprietary Peak1,103 metres (3,619 ft)42°09′36″S 145°34′38″E[21]
11Pyramid Peak1,080 metres (3,543 ft)42°11′24″S 145°34′48″E[22]
11Sticht Range (unnamed peak)1,080 metres (3,543 ft)41°54′S 145°39′E[23][24]
13West Jukes Peak1,062 metres (3,484 ft)42°10′48″S 145°34′12″E[25]
14Mount Darwin1,033 metres (3,389 ft)42°15′00″S 145°35′48″E[26]
15South Jukes Peak1,014 metres (3,327 ft)42°11′24″S 145°34′38″E[27]
16Mount Hamilton1,005 metres (3,297 ft)41°50′24″S 145°30′36″E[28][29]
17Mount Black950 metres (3,117 ft)41°45′36″S 145°33′36″E[30]
18Victoria Peak949 metres (3,114 ft)41°47′24″S 145°40′12″E[24][31]
19Mount Huxley926 metres (3,038 ft)42°08′24″S 145°35′24″E[32]
20Mount Lyell920 metres (3,018 ft)42°03′00″S 145°36′36″E[33]
21Mount Strahan855 metres (2,805 ft)42°14′24″S 145°30′36″E[34]
22Mount Julia843 metres (2,766 ft)41°52′48″S 145°33′36″E[24][35]
23South Darwin Peak780 metres (2,559 ft)42°17′24″S 145°34′48″E[24][36]
24Mount Selina760 metres (2,493 ft)41°52′12″S 145°37′12″E[24][37]
25Mount Farrell711 metres (2,333 ft)41°45′00″S 145°37′48″E[24][38]

Smaller hills and features
  • Darwin Crater - a probable meteorite impact crater associated with Darwin glass
  • Gooseneck Hill
  • Henty Glacial Moraine
  • Marble Bluff - adjacent to the confluence of the Eldon and South Eldon rivers and the northern edge of Lake Burbury
  • Teepookana Plateau[39]
  • Thureau Hills - adjacent to the eastern slopes of Mount Owen and Mount Huxley[40]
  • Walford Peak - adjacent to Lake Dora

Rivers
  • Anthony River on the northern part of the range
  • Bird River at the southern end of the range
  • Eldon River on the eastern side of the range
  • Governor River on the eastern side of the range
  • Henty River on the western side of the range
  • King River starting in the Eldon Range and passing between Mount Huxley and Mount Jukes, dammed by The Hydro
  • Mackintosh River
  • Murchison River
  • Pieman River
  • Queen River runs through Queenstown, then to join with the King River to the west of Mount Huxley
  • Sophia River
  • South Eldon River
  • Tofft River runs between the Thureau hills and Mount Owen and Mount Huxley
  • Yolande River between Lake Margaret and the Henty River

Lakes
  • Basin Lake - on the western side of the range
  • Lake Adam - a tributary lake for Lake Margaret
  • Lake Barnabas
  • Lake Beatrice - on the eastern edge of Mount Sedgwick
  • Lake Burbury - created by the damming of the King River by The Hydro
  • Lake Dora
  • Lake Dorothy
  • Lake Huntley - on the eastern side of Mount Tyndall
  • Lake Julia - in the area of the range known as 'The Tyndalls'
  • Lake Mackintosh - created by damming the Mackintosh River
  • Lake Magdala - a tributary lake for Lake Margaret
  • Lake Martha - tributary lake for Lake Margaret
  • Lake Mary, Tasmania - a tributary lake for Lake Margaret
  • Lake Margaret on the northern side of Mount Sedgwick
  • Lake Monica - tributary lake for Lake Margaret
  • Lake Murchison - created by the damming of the Murchison River
  • Lake Myra - tributary lake for Lake Margaret
  • Lake Paul - tributary lake for Lake Margaret
  • Lake Peter - tributary lake for Lake Margaret
  • Lake Philip - a tributary lake for Lake Margaret
  • Lake Plimsoll
  • Lake Polycarp - a tributary lake for Lake Margaret
  • Lake Rolleston - between the Tyndall Range and the Sticht Range
  • Lake Selina - just west of Lake Plimsoll
  • Lake Spicer - just west of Eldon Peak
  • Lake Tyndall - south of Mount Tyndall
  • Lake Westwood - next to Mount Julia

Reserves
  • Mount Farrell Regional Reserve
  • Mount Murchison Regional Reserve
  • Tyndall Regional Reserve
  • Lake Beatrice Conservation Area
  • Princess River Conservation Area
  • Crotty Conservation Area
  • West Coast Range Regional Reserve (Clark River Valley)

Vegetation

The slopes of Mount Owen, Mount Lyell and Mount Sedgwick are covered in stumps of forest trees killed by fires and smelter fumes from the earlier part of the twentieth century. The devastation of forests close to the mining operations at Queenstown was substantial as early as the 1890s and continued late into the twentieth century.

Some Huon Pine on the slopes of Mount Read have been found that show considerable age.

Due to fire, mining and a range of human activities the vegetation zones along the West Coast range can be considered to be mainly modified, and few pockets of vegetation could be considered unchanged since European presence.

The eastern side of the range is on the western boundary of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, and at these points the forests are in better condition.

Forestry conservation zones exist along its length in accordance with the Regional Forestry Agreement (RFA).

Climate

In the average winter the "1,000 metre snowline" sees most of the mountains with snow. In previous decades, Lake Margaret was the main long-term weather-reporting location, however the Mount Read automatic weather station now maintains extremes regularly reported on the Bureau of Meteorology website for extreme conditions. The rainfall records of Lake Margaret were on a par with Tully in Queensland for the highest rainfall in Australia. Approximations for the West Coast Range are made at 2800–3000 mm precipitation per year.

The prevailing weather is due to the location of the West Coast. It has no landmass shielding it from the Southern Ocean or Antarctic weather, and being in the Roaring Forties cold fronts and extreme weather are regular occurrences on the West Coast. The Cape Sorell Waverider Buoy which was initiated by the BOM in 1998 (there had been earlier testing buoys in the early 1990s) has given good indications of the behaviour of ocean swells to correlate with weather conditions.

Earlier weather records were kept for Queenstown and Zeehan. Due to change in population distribution and resources in the west coast, the main weather data is currently from Strahan Airport and Mount Read.

The following BOM recorded locations are relevant to West Coast Range:[41]

BOM number Location name Start record End record Southings Eastings Height Comments
097035 97 Crotty 1917 1929 -42.2000 145.6000 (Compare with Princess River and Lake Burbury Park)
097058 97 DUNDAS 1896 1917 -41.8833 145.4333
097002 97 FARRELL SIDING 1934 1948 -41.7000 145.5500
097003 97 GORMANSTON 1895 2000 -42.0747 145.5986 380.0 (Compare with West Lyell)
097088 97 LAKE BURBURY PARK 1995 1996 -42.0983 145.6733 245.0
097006 97 LAKE MARGARET DAM 1912 .. -41.9939 145.5706 665.0
097020 97 LAKE MARGARET POWER STATION 1945 .. -42.0056 145.5419 320.0
097040 97 MAGNET 1906 1936 -41.5000 145.4500
097085 97 MOUNT READ 1996 .. -41.8444 145.5419 1119.5 (Current Automatic Weather Station)
097039 97 MOUNT READ (MOUNT LYELL M.&R.) 1901 1920 -41.9000 145.5500
097057 97 PILLINGER 1907 1924 -42.3333 145.5333
097033 97 PRINCESS RIVER 1948 1976 -42.0833 145.6667 215.0 (Compare with Crotty |and Lake Burbury Park)
097034 97 QUEENSTOWN (7XS) 1964 1995 -42.0967 145.5447 129.0
097008 97 QUEENSTOWN (COPPER MINE) 1906 2005 -42.0661 145.5681 191.0
097068 97 QUEENSTOWN AERODROME 1968 1988 -42.0769 145.5294 262.0
097086 97 QUEENSTOWN (UPPER PRINCESS CREEK) 1995 1999 -42.0833 145.5286 250.0
097091 97 QUEENSTOWN (SOUTH QUEENSTOWN) 1996 .. -42.0972 145.5439 118.0
097087 97 TULLAH (MEREDITH STREET) 1995 .. -41.7383 145.6108 167.0
097056 97 TULLAH MINE SITE 1969 1978 -41.7167 145.6333 183.0
097046 97 WILLIAMSFORD (LEVEL 5) 1965 1971 -41.8333 145.5167 853.0
097015 97 WEST LYELL 1945 2003 -42.0622 145.5794 421.0 (On south west slope of Mount Lyell

History and exploration

Early European exploration of the range was made by explorers, and by convicts escaping from Macquarie Harbour Penal Station on Sarah Island. Most occurred in the late nineteenth century, but as late as the 1940s some government maps had "unexplored" or "insufficient survey" or words to that effect.

Of the mountains that are viewable from Macquarie Harbour - most were names associated with the proponents for and against the ideas that Charles Darwin was putting forward in the late 19th century.

Thomas Bather Moore named Darwin, Geikie and Read and the Tyndall Range. Charles Gould named 1860 between 1862 Murchison, Sedgwick, Lyell and Owen; Huxley and Jukes were named later.[42]

There were very small mining settlements in the Tyndalls, on Mount Darwin and Mount Jukes, and possibly very small camps of short duration in other locations. Linda in the Linda Valley is probably the only other remaining named location with population in a valley in the range. Queenstown lies in the Queen River valley on the western slopes of Mount Owen, or south western slopes of Mount Lyell, and is in effect 'out' of the range.

Mining

The Tasmanian Mines Department (in its various names over the last hundred years) has had guides to the minerals found in Tasmania - most are found in the West Coast region, these include Barium, Copper, Gold, Pyrites, Silver, Zinc.

Mining sites, in most cases short-lived exist on the upper regions of Mount Darwin, and Mount Jukes. Longer lasting mines existed on the middle slopes of Mount Lyell (North, West and South sides), and on the middle and upper slopes of Mount Read. Mineral exploration has occurred on the slopes of almost all of the named mountains over time. Conservation measures in recent decades have put special restrictions on the activity so as to not replicate the damage of the Mount Lyell operation. A good example of the capacity to mine in a sensitive area is the Henty Gold Mine, at the northern end of the range.

See also West Coast Tasmania Mines for mines that occur on the West Coast Range - and in the West Coast region.

Hydro Dams

The West Coast of Tasmania was always attractive to plans for dams for hydro electricity. The King River was surveyed for this at the time of the First World War.

Then in the 1950s and early 1960s the early HEC surveys were conducted.[43] The upper part of the Pieman scheme dammed parts of the West Coast Range, and the final major projects of the HEC dam making project were the Henty and King River Schemes.

Pieman River Scheme

The Pieman River Power Scheme involved the damming of rivers that start in the West Coast Range. It was the scheme that followed the Gordon River Scheme - and was to be followed by the Franklin River Scheme - but in reality was followed by the King River and Henty River schemes instead.

Construction commenced in 1974 and the scheme was completed by 1987. It involved dams on the Murchison and Macintosh rivers, as well as the Pieman River. The main construction town and administrative centre for the Hydro was at Tullah.

The Mackintosh Dam and power station were north of Tullah, while the Murchsion Dam and Lake were south. A third dam - the Bastyan Dam was just north of Rosebery, while the Reece Dam was a long way to the west - close to the town of Corinna.

King River Scheme

The Crotty Dam is an 82 metre high Hydro Tasmania dam on the King River between Mount Huxley and Mount Jukes. The Darwin Dam is a saddle dam at the foot of Mount Darwin. Both of the dams contain the 54 square kilometre Lake Burbury water storage area.

Transport

Initial access to the west coast region was by foot or by access from the sea - railways progressed further into the region much earlier than roads - the road from Hobart was not connected until the 1930s and the north coast until the 1960s.

Railways
See also:Railways on the West Coast of Tasmania

To support the Mount Lyell and North Mount Lyell mines, railways were built from ports on Macquarie Harbour and travelled to the edge of the Range. They did not traverse the range.

Similarly the lines that connected with the Emu Bay Railway - the North East Dundas Tramway for example, did not traverse the range, but travelled to the foot of the mountains where the mines were active.

Roads

The Lyell Highway connection running through the West Coast range at the Linda Valley was not constructed until the 1930s.

The road to Crotty from Queenstown (or more correctly the locality of Lynchford), built as the Mount Jukes Road by the Hydro as part of the King River dam scheme in the 1980s passed high above the King River Gorge on the northern side of Mount Jukes.

The Anthony Road constructed by the Hydro during the construction of the Anthony Power Scheme also cuts through the northern part of the range, as well as access to the glacial lakes in The Tyndalls - Lake Westwood, Lake Selina and Lake Julia.

Landing grounds

Although not currently serviced as a registered aerodrome the Queenstown airport (in operation in the 1960s and 1970s) just west of the townsite is the closest air service facility. Strahan Airport is the closest registered airport.[44]

There have been a significant number of temporary helicopter landing sites throughout the range used by Hydro Tasmania and mineral exploration activities - but no inventory is known of these locations.

Historical features and recent sites

Tramways and Railways

through the Crotty and Darwin townsites to Pillinger and Kelly Basin.

Townsites

Mine sites

Hydro sites

Main Roads

  • Lyell Highway [A10] in the Linda Valley between Mounts Owen and Lyell
  • The Henty River Rd [B24] From Henty Glacial Moraine to the Lake Murchison Dam (Anthony Power Station) and Tullah
  • Walking Tracks
Numerous historic walking tracks blazed in the nineteenth century, and the twentieth century exist throughout the Range - some survive, some are overgrown.
C.J. Binks Explorers of Western Tasmania,[45] has an Appendix 'The exploration tracks 1880-1910' which is a thorough examination of the record.
The most famous of the track makers was Thomas Bather Moore. He named many features including Mount Strahan, the Thureau Hills and the Tofft River.

Geological mapping

A major mapping of the region of the range was conducted between 1986 and 1993[46]

  • Map 1. Geology of the Mt. Charter-Hellyer area.[47]
  • Map 2. Geology of Rosebery-Mt. Black area.
  • Map 3. Geology of the Henty River-Mt. Read area
  • Map 4. Geology of the Mt. Murchison area
  • Map 5. Geology of the Tyndall Range area
  • Map 6. Geological compilation map of the Mount Read volcanics & associated rocks, Hellyer to south Darwin Peak
  • Map 7. Geology of the Back Peak-Cradle Mountain Link Road area (not West Coast Range area)
  • Map 8. Geology of the Mt. Cattley-Mt. Tor area (not West Coast Range area)
  • Map 9. Geology of the Winterbrook-Moina area (not West Coast Range area)
  • Map 10. Geology of the Elliott Bay-Mt. Osmund area (not West Coast Range area)
  • Map 11. Geology of the Wanderer River-Moores Valley area (not West Coast Range area)
  • Map 12. Geology of the D'Aguilar Range area (not West Coast Range area)
  • Map 13. Geology of the Mt. Jukes-Mt. Darwin area.

See also

References
  1. "Mount Murchison, Australia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  2. "Mount Murchison (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  3. "West Coast Range (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  4. Fitzsimons, Sean J.; Colhoun, Eric A. (September 1991). "Pleistocene glaciation of the King Valley, Western Tasmania, Australia". Quaternary Research. 36 (2): 135–156. doi:10.1016/0033-5894(91)90022-w.
  5. Colhoun, Eric A. (July 1985). "Glaciations of the West Coast Range, Tasmania". Quaternary Research. 24 (1): 39–59. doi:10.1016/0033-5894(85)90082-1.
  6. Baillie, Peter (2010). "The West Coast Range, Tasmania: Mountains and Geological Giants" (PDF). Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania (reprint ed.). Hobart, Tasmania: University of Tasmania. 144: 1–13. ISSN 0080-4703. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  7. "Mount Geikie, Australia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  8. "Mount Geikie (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  9. "Mount Tyndall (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  10. "Mount Jukes (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  11. "Mount Jukes, Australia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  12. "Mount Sedgwick (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  13. "Mount Owen (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  14. "Mount Owen, Australia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  15. "Mount Sorell (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  16. "Mount Sorell, Australia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  17. "Mount Dundas, Australia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  18. "Mount Dundas (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  19. "Mount Read, Australia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  20. "Mount Read (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  21. "Proprietary Peak (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  22. "Pyramid Peak (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  23. "Sticht Range (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  24. "Tasmanian Peak-Baggers' Guide". Hobart Walking Club Inc. 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  25. "West Jukes Peak (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  26. "Mount Darwin (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  27. "South Jukes Peak (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  28. "Mount Hamilton, Australia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  29. "Mount Hamilton (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  30. "Mount Black (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  31. "Victoria Peak (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  32. "Mount Huxley (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  33. "Mount Lyell (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  34. "Mount Strahan (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  35. "Mount Julia (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  36. "South Darwin Peak (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  37. "Mount Selina (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  38. "Mount Farrell (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  39. Cooper, Ian; Mitchell, Ross; Tomlin, John (2008), "Rail Extinguishes Road - a Wilderness Railway Freight/Passenger Railway", CORE 2008: Rail; The Core of Integrated Transport, Engineers Australia: 681–689, ISBN 978-0-85825-783-2
  40. Named after Thureau -http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10700/20010618-0000/www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P002688b.htm
  41. http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/how/sitedat.shtml
  42. Baillie, PW (2010), The West Coast range, Tasmania: mountains and geological giants, retrieved 23 February 2015
  43. Russ Ashtons photos are a good example of the locations they were investigating, some very close to the West Coast Range
  44. http://www.westcoast.tas.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=238
  45. Binks, C. J. (1980). Explorers of Western Tasmania. Launceston: Mary Fisher Bookshop. ISBN 0-908291-16-7.
  46. [Geological maps of Tasmania] : [Mount Read Volcanics Project], Geological Survey of Tasmania, Division of Mines and Mineral Resources, Mount Read Volcanics Project, 1986, retrieved 24 May 2018
  47. Corbett, K. D; Komyshan, P; Tasmania. Department of Mines; Mt. Read Volcanics Project (1989), Geology of the Hellyer - Mt Charter area, Dept. of Mines, ISBN 978-0-7246-2019-7

Further reading
  • Banks, M. R.; Kirkpatrick, J. B., eds. (1977). Landscape and Man, the interaction between man and environment in Western Tasmania. Royal Society of Tasmania, Tasmania.
  • Blainey, Geoffrey (2000). The Peaks of Lyell (6th ed.). Hobart: St. David's Park Publishing. ISBN 0-7246-2265-9.
  • Crawford, Patsy (2000). King: Story of a River. Montpelier Press. ISBN 1-876597-02-X.
  • Rae, Lou (2001). The Abt Railway and Railways of the Lyell region. Sandy Bay: Lou Rae. ISBN 0-9592098-7-5.
  • Stoddart, D. Michael, ed. (1993). Walk to the West. Hobart: The Royal Society of Tasmania. ISBN 0-9598679-9-6.
  • Stringer, I. (2001). The West Coast Range: a photographic odyssey. Queenstown, Tas.: I. Stringer, J. Perkins.
  • Whitham, Charles (2003). Western Tasmania - A land of riches and beauty (Reprint 2003 ed.). Queenstown: Municipality of Queenstown.
  • Whitham, Lindsay (2002). Railways, Mines, Pubs and People and other historical research. Sandy Bay: Tasmanian Historical Research Association. ISBN 0-909479-21-6.
  • Wilkinson, Bill (1994). The Abels: Tasmania's Mountains over 1100m High. Launceston: Regal Publications. ISBN 0-949457-67-1.
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