The Tasmanian

Part of the Western Police District.

Fly into Wynyard where the Burnie Airport is located, or drive along the coastline to this picturesque town edged by riverside gardens. Rising from Bass Strait, Table Cape is crowned with tulips in the spring. By late summer fields of poppies sweep the hills overlooking some of the most stunning coastal views in Tasmania.

Below the farmlands is Boat Harbour Beach, with seaside bungalows, turquoise water and a holiday feel that spans the generations. Around the bays and linked by walking trails are Sisters Beach and Rocky Cape, where thousands of years of Aboriginal history are layered in cave middens. In spring and summer the hills are splashed with wildflowers. Turn inland to a very different world of mountains, gorges and forests and the purest rainwater in the world. Visit the historic mining village of Waratah where a waterfall spills over a 100 metre drop, in the middle of the town. Keep an eye out for the `Beware Platypus Crossing' sign. Spend a half day cruising the magnificent Pieman River at Corinna, then take the ferry across the river and continue your journey down the West Coast. Hire a boat and cast your line for wild brown trout. Fossick for gemstones, pan for gold in nearby streams or follow the trails and fortunes of West Coast pioneers on a guided mining tour.

An Historical Note:

In 1871 the richest tin deposit in the world was discovered at Waratah, and the West Coast mining boom began. The biggest gold nugget, weighing 243 ounces, was found in 1883 near Corinna, which once had a population of 2,500.