West Coast Council

Tasmania's wild and majestic west coast, known for its rainforest, mining towns and Gordon River wilderness cruises.

The West Coast Council area lies in western Tasmania, and most of it is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, with abundant rainfall and dense temperate rainforest. From Strahan you can cruise into Macquarie Harbour and up the Gordon River, Queenstown preserves its mining history and the West Coast Wilderness Railway, and to the north you can reach the highland hiking country around Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park. Summer (Dec–Feb) is the best time to visit, though it is rainy throughout the year. Access is usually by car from Launceston, Devonport or Hobart.

Destinations

• Cradle Mountain
• Strahan

Itineraries

• Tasmania Clockwise Loop Self-Drive – From Hobart, head up the West Coast, passing through Cradle Mountain, the Bay of Fires, and Wineglass Bay, before retur…
• Tasmania In-Depth Loop via Melbourne Ferry – Bring your car across from Melbourne on an overnight ferry, completing a full island loop plus Bruny Island and Stanley
• Overland Track: Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair – Enter from Launceston and spend six days hiking about 65 km through the Wilderness World Heritage Area