This Itinerary starts in Stanley and heads south west to Marawah then south to Arthur River- Corrina -Zeehan-Strahan, then east along to Queenstown and Derwent River.

The West coast of Tasmania is often overlooked for its more shiny, accessible and populated East coast. But if you’re prepared to travel on good condition unsealed, packed limestone roads you’ll be rewarded with some pretty special pristine rivers, untouched wilderness and very tall trees! We started at Stanley on the North-West tip and headed south to Marwallah then took the Western Explorer (75km unsealed but reasonably smooth) road from just below Arthur River to Corinna. Back on the bitumen we continued  South to Zeehan and Strahan, before heading east to Queenstown and Derwent Bridge.   Highlights and tips for each place, below.

A cracking time at The Nut, Stanley

We lucked it with stunning weather in March and enjoyed staying at the waterfront  Stanley Tourist park which has a killer café at the IGA next door. Highlights of Stanley are: 1. The food – gourmet take home treats, fresh bread and cheese from The Providore, best ever steak sandwich from the supermarket next to the campground (even do GF fish ‘n chips) and delicious dinner down in the cellar at The Stanley Pub (must book) 2. The Historic Village with beautifully restored cottages – most available for rent and 3. The Nut – also known as Circular head this xm high headland is accessed via a short but v steep path then there’s a loop walk around the top. We hiked early morning and the views were spectacular. There’s a chairlift  too – but why would you!

A Moo-ving time at Marrawah

This little gem of a place is really just a picnic and playground on Ann Bay which allows free camping up in the gravel carpark which is surrounded by a cow paddock. The farmer (accidentally?) lost control of his cows after milking and they stampeded through the campground at 6am much to the dismay of the campers! The highlights here are: 1. The long stretch of Ann Bay beach for walking, running, swimming – there’s even a rock pool – but watch out for the bubbling bore water (and sinkholes) dotted along the beach. 2. The picnic ground on the beach with sheltered gas BBQs, clean loos and playground. 3. The sunset from the playground or the freecamp up in the carpark.

Ambling along at Arthur River

This little town has a general store and a cute community that centres around the river. Highlights include: 1.The Arthur river red boat cruise run by the delightful Emma and Lee which winds 16km down river for a BBQ lunch in the untouched Huon Pine forests 2. The End of the World lookout with its great boardwalk and fabulous sunsets and 3.The Arthur River cabin park – small but sweet with great BBQ and camp kitchen.

Cruising in rustic Corinna

After 3 hours negotiating 80km of the silica Western explorer road we pulled in to the tiny hamlet of Corrina which has relics of an old mining town and a wilderness lodge/camp on the Pieman river. There’s cabins, a tavern and campsite and we rented a little wooden platform on the river’s edge and enjoyed a delicious meal in the gorgeous high ceilinged, timber tavern.  The Pieman river with its walks and waterfalls and myrtle-beech rainforest are the highlights here so three things to tick on a trip to Corrina are: 1. Dinner at the Tannin Restaurant in the Tarkine Tavern 2. The 1hr Sweetwater Cruise along the Pieman river to Lover’s Falls and 3. The 90 min Whyte river loop walk

Barging into Zeehan

The only way onwards from Corrina is on the Fatman barge, a one-car barge that takes you across the Pieman river and on to Zeehan. It’s only 48km to Zeehan which is a small bush town with an abandoned air to it. We stayed at the Zeehan bush camp which has a rustic, cosy camp lounge and kitchen complete with glowing Cunara fire.  Three things to tick on a trip to Zeehan are: 1. Stay at the Zeehan bush camp (they also have glamping tents) 2. Check out the Zeehan museum 3. Walk through the long spread out town reading up on the history

Slipping into Strahan

Its only 48km from Zeehan to Strahan along a good bitumen road This town thrives on two big tourist attractions – the Hell’s Gates Gordon River Cruise and the old steam train that goes up to xxx. There’s a nice walkway along the river through town, a small historic village, parklands and waterfalls and a couple of restaurants, cafes. Three things to tick on a trip to Strahan are: 1. Walk (2.4km return) through People’s Park to Hogarth falls 2. Lunch at the Railway Café and if you can take the rail trip but need to book 6 weeks in advance 3.  Take the Hell’s Gate Cruise (we did this on an earlier trip a few years back) or go for a long walk along Ocean Beach, Tasmania’s longest beach (30km) and stay for sunset dinner at the lookout!

Curious Queenstown, Horsetail Falls and Sapphire Sinkholes

We took the windy, meandering Lyell Highway 42 kms across to the old mining town of Queenstown.  The scars from the open cut mines make this a pretty harsh landscape but there’s still a few things worth ticking on a trip around here and they include: 1. The Spion Kopf lookout walk with its funny story of the stolen cannon, views over the gravel footy ground and town 2. Horsetail falls 5km past Queenstown on the Lyell highway has a fabulous boardwalk that hugs the mountainside and takes you to a viewing platform of the falls. There’s also a great deep blue sinkhole, The Iron Blow Lookout, opposite.3. A little further on the Lyell highway is Nelson Falls which has a great 1.4 km return walk to the falls.

Derwent Bridge storytelling

Our last stop on this leg of our Tasmania trip was at Derwent Bridge which is another 114km along the Lyell Highway. There is a large Hotel/roadhouse at Derwent Bridge and a few kms down the road is the Lake St Clair Resort and Visitor Centre plus the amazing timber sculpture exhibition called the Wall in the Wilderness.  Three things to tick on a trip to this area are: 1. Dinner in the old timber Derwent Bridge tavern 2. Drive 6km down the road to the Lake St Clair lodge for a beer on the lake or one of the many lovely walks and 3. Visit the Wall in the Wilderness (must book – no photos allowed!!) to view the incredible carved Huon pine panels depicting indigenous and settlers lives in Australia.