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41-589: The West Coast Range is a mountain range located in the West Coast region of Tasmania , Australia . 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 ,

82-401: A boat from Port Davey where they had travelled in the schooner Henrietta Packet . Kelly gave evidence before the commission, and did not mention any discoveries. In a letter dated 11 April 1816, preserved in the record office, London, T.W. Birch transmitted an account of this voyage, which records the discovery of Macquarie Harbour on 26 December 1815. Charles Whitham notes variations on

123-463: A marked reduction in the waste material entering the rivers and harbour. The Islands are regularly surveyed. The first settlement at Macquarie Harbour was on Sarah Island , a small island in the harbour, named after the wife of Thomas William Birch. This island was used as a prison for recalcitrant prisoners from other settlements in Tasmania , due to its extreme isolation and extreme climate. Later

164-572: A place of "extreme physical and mental torture". It was built for British convicts including Irish patriots but many Aboriginal Tasmanians were also detained there. The King River which cuts through the West Coast Range and the Gordon River empty into Macquarie Harbour. The narrow entrance to Macquarie Harbour has hazardous tidal currents and is called Hell's Gates . Outside of the Harbour

205-510: 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. 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. Numerous historic walking tracks were started in

246-492: A small open five-oared whaleboat to discover Macquarie Harbour on 28 December 1815. However, different accounts of the journey have indicated different methods and dates of the discovery. In the commentary to the Historical Records of Australia , the editor notes that T.W. Birch stated before the commission of inquiry into the state of the colony in 1820 that Kelly had discovered Macquarie Harbour after proceeding along in

287-556: Is a saddle dam at the foot of Mount Darwin. Both of the dams contain the 54 square kilometre Lake Burbury water storage area. 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. To support the Mount Lyell and North Mount Lyell mines, railways were built from ports on Macquarie Harbour and travelled to

328-429: Is a shallow fjord in the West Coast region of Tasmania , Australia. It is approximately 315 square kilometres (122 sq mi), and has an average depth of 15 metres (49 ft), with deeper places up to 50 metres (160 ft). It is navigable by shallow-draft vessels. The main channel is kept clear by the presence of a rock wall on the outside of the channel's curve. This man-made wall prevents erosion and keeps

369-525: Is at work while the mountains are being uplifted until the mountains are reduced to low hills and plains. The early Cenozoic uplift of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado provides an example. As the uplift was occurring some 10,000 feet (3,000 m) of mostly Mesozoic sedimentary strata were removed by erosion over the core of the mountain range and spread as sand and clays across the Great Plains to

410-823: The Alpide belt . The Pacific Ring of Fire includes the Andes of South America, extends through the North American Cordillera , the Aleutian Range , on through Kamchatka Peninsula , Japan , Taiwan , the Philippines , Papua New Guinea , to New Zealand . The Andes is 7,000 kilometres (4,350 mi) long and is often considered the world's longest mountain system. The Alpide belt stretches 15,000 km across southern Eurasia , from Java in Maritime Southeast Asia to

451-538: The Annamite Range . If the definition of a mountain range is stretched to include underwater mountains, then the Ocean Ridge forms the longest continuous mountain system on Earth, with a length of 65,000 kilometres (40,400 mi). The position of mountain ranges influences climate, such as rain or snow. When air masses move up and over mountains, the air cools, producing orographic precipitation (rain or snow). As

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492-772: The Iberian Peninsula in Western Europe , including the ranges of the Himalayas , Karakoram , Hindu Kush , Alborz , Caucasus , and the Alps . The Himalayas contain the highest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest , which is 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) high. Mountain ranges outside these two systems include the Arctic Cordillera , Appalachians , Great Dividing Range , East Siberians , Altais , Scandinavians , Qinling , Western Ghats , Vindhyas , Byrrangas , and

533-564: The Mithrim Montes and Doom Mons on Titan, and Tenzing Montes and Hillary Montes on Pluto. Some terrestrial planets other than Earth also exhibit rocky mountain ranges, such as Maxwell Montes on Venus taller than any on Earth and Tartarus Montes on Mars . Jupiter's moon Io has mountain ranges formed from tectonic processes including the Boösaule , Dorian, Hi'iaka and Euboea Montes . Macquarie Harbour Macquarie Harbour

574-583: The Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company until its closing in 1994. It is estimated that 100 million tonnes of tailings were disposed of into the Queen River. The Mount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program was carried out by the office of Supervising Scientist and the Tasmanian Department of Environment and Land Management over the following two years. The result of the program

615-676: 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

656-589: 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

697-517: The 21st century. Tassal established farms there in 2003, Huon Aquaculture in 2008 and Petuna around 2011. A range of associated environmental issues in Macquarie Harbour have followed the harbour's industrialisation. Problems include the creation of de-oxygenated "dead zones" beneath pens and massive stock mortalities occurred as stocking and pollution loads increased. Management practices have been questioned and challenged, after which

738-717: 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. The Crotty Dam is an 82 metre high Hydro Tasmania dam on the King River between Mount Huxley and Mount Jukes . The Darwin Dam

779-624: 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. The Tasmanian Mines Department (in its various names over

820-771: 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

861-623: The air descends on the leeward side, it warms again (following the adiabatic lapse rate ) and is drier, having been stripped of much of its moisture. Often, a rain shadow will affect the leeward side of a range. As a consequence, large mountain ranges, such as the Andes, compartmentalize continents into distinct climate regions . Mountain ranges are constantly subjected to erosional forces which work to tear them down. The basins adjacent to an eroding mountain range are then filled with sediments that are buried and turned into sedimentary rock . Erosion

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902-413: The channel deep and narrow, rather than allowing the channel to become wide and shallow. A reported Aboriginal name for the harbour is Parralaongatek . The harbour was named in honour of Scottish Major General Lachlan Macquarie , the fifth Colonial Governor of New South Wales . James Kelly wrote in his narrative First Discovery of Port Davey and Macquarie Harbour how he sailed from Hobart in

943-447: The date. Surveyor-General Oxley of New South Wales in March 1820 battled with the seas around the heads and Hells Gates. Surveyor-General Evans travelled in the area in 1821–22. In September 2020, almost 100 pilot whales were rescued from the harbour after becoming stranded. An estimated 350 whales which were unable to be rescued died. The harbour was established as a prison which was

984-543: 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

1025-485: The east. This mass of rock was removed as the range was actively undergoing uplift. The removal of such a mass from the core of the range most likely caused further uplift as the region adjusted isostatically in response to the removed weight. Rivers are traditionally believed to be the principal cause of mountain range erosion, by cutting into bedrock and transporting sediment. Computer simulation has shown that as mountain belts change from tectonically active to inactive,

1066-677: 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. 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

1107-474: The entrance area is known as Macquarie Heads, and the most western point is Cape Sorell. The sheer volume of fresh water that pours into the Harbour through the rivers, combined with the narrow exit result in barometric tides. When there is rain in the mountains surrounding the Harbour, the tide rises, and it falls when the atmospheric pressure reverses and results in less rain. The Queen River , King River and Macquarie Harbour were all polluted by mine waste from

1148-522: 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

1189-825: 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. Although not currently serviced as

1230-490: 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. There were very small mining settlements in

1271-557: The nineteenth and twentieth century; some survive, some are overgrown. 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. A major mapping of the region of the range was conducted between 1986 and 1993 Mountain range Mountain ranges are usually segmented by highlands or mountain passes and valleys . Individual mountains within

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1312-476: The northeastern shore of the Harbour, before turning inland at the mouth of the King River. Boats take tourists from Strahan to Hell's Gates and Macquarie Heads, Sarah Island and up the lower reaches of the Gordon River. Charter flights using helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft launch from Strahan Airport . Salmon farms were first established in Macquarie Harbour in the 1980s. Production increased significantly in

1353-510: 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). 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

1394-637: The range itself, Gormanston is probably the last to remain. These are determined by a number of factors - the southerly direction of glaciation in the King River Valley and around the Tyndalls; as well as the general north -south orientation of the West Coast Range itself. The following mountains are contained within the West Coast Range, including sub-ranges without a specifically named peak and also including subsidiary peaks. The slopes of Mount Owen, Mount Lyell and Mount Sedgwick are covered in stumps of forest trees killed by fires and smelter fumes from

1435-617: The rate of erosion drops because there are fewer abrasive particles in the water and fewer landslides. Mountains on other planets and natural satellites of the Solar System, including the Moon , are often isolated and formed mainly by processes such as impacts, though there are examples of mountain ranges (or "Montes") somewhat similar to those on Earth. Saturn 's moon Titan and Pluto , in particular, exhibit large mountain ranges in chains composed mainly of ices rather than rock. Examples include

1476-521: The same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geologic structure or petrology . They may be a mix of different orogenic expressions and terranes , for example thrust sheets , uplifted blocks , fold mountains, and volcanic landforms resulting in a variety of rock types . Most geologically young mountain ranges on the Earth's land surface are associated with either the Pacific Ring of Fire or

1517-491: 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. The West Coast of Tasmania was always attractive to plans for dams for hydro electricity. The King River

1558-604: The small port of Strahan was developed on the shores of Macquarie Harbour to support the nearby mining settlements, mainly Queenstown . Another port was developed on the south east section of the harbour in Kelly Basin along with townsite of Pillinger . The settlement and port were short lived as was the North Mount Lyell company that developed the facilities. Strahan is the departure point for tourism on Tasmania's west coast. The West Coast Wilderness Railway takes part of

1599-476: 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: 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

1640-609: 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. 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. The Pieman River Power Scheme involved the damming of rivers that start in the West Coast Range. It

1681-640: 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

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