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    Southwest National Park

    Australia

    Southwest National Park

    National Park

    The Southwest National Park, at around 6,000 km², is Tasmania's largest national park and is almost entirely roadless. Button grass plains, rugged quartzite ranges, rainforest, and an uninhabited coast characterize the area.

    by Felix Gillen

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    3. Destinations
    5. Australia
    7. Tasmanian Wilderness
    9. Southwest National Park
    The Southwest National Park, at around 6,000 km², is Tasmania's largest national park and is almost entirely roadless. Button grass plains, rugged quartzite ranges, rainforest, and an uninhabited coast characterize the area.By car, you can only reach the fringes: Lake Pedder and Gordon Dam in the north, Cockle Creek in the east. The rest is accessed via long-distance hiking trails, boats, and small planes.

    Sehenswürdigkeiten

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Melaleuca and Bathurst Harbour

    Melaleuca and Bathurst Harbour

    Melaleuca's gravel airstrip offers the only access to the park's remote south without a multi-day hike. Scenic flights from Hobart land here, often combined with a boat trip on Bathurst Harbour. In Melaleuca, the Port Davey Track ends and the South Coast Track begins.
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    Gordon Dam

    Gordon Dam

    The approximately 140-meter-high arch dam at the end of Gordon River Road impounds Lake Gordon. From a platform, you look out onto the curved wall; the road there leads past Lake Pedder through the highlands.
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    Cockle Creek

    Cockle Creek

    Australia's southernmost road ends at this bay in the east of the park. The South Coast Track begins here, while shorter paths lead to a right whale sculpture and Fishers Point. Simple campsites are located on the shore.
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    Restaurants in Southwest National Park

    Heritage & Culture

    Palawa lived on the southwest coast and in the highlands since the last Ice Age, as evidenced by shell middens and caves. In the 19th century, whalers, loggers, and tin prospectors arrived, but the region was never permanently settled. In Melaleuca, tin prospector Win Fischer lived until 2011; the gravel track there owes its existence to her husband Deny King.The flooding of the original Lake Pedder in 1972 for a hydroelectric power plant triggered fierce protests and is considered the beginning of the organized environmental movement in Australia.

    Exploring locally

    By Car: The Gordon River Road runs from Hobart via Maydena to Strathgordon, approximately two and a half hours. Cockle Creek is reached via Geeveston and Dover.By Plane: Small planes fly from Hobart to Melaleuca, as a day tour or as a transfer for hikers.On Foot: The South Coast Track and Port Davey Track are challenging multi-day hikes without provisions en route.Weather: Strong westerly winds and rain are possible at any time, register before any multi-day tour.

    Accommodations in Southwest National Park

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    Nearby

    Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park

    Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park

    The Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park in Western Tasmania protects the catchments of two wild rivers, dense rainforests with Huon Pines, and limestone caves with traces of Ice Age settlement. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Tasmanian Wilderness.Access to the park is primarily via short walks off the Lyell Highway, by boat from Strahan, or on multi-day rafting tours on the Franklin River.
    Walls of Jerusalem National Park

    Walls of Jerusalem National Park

    The Walls of Jerusalem National Park is located on Tasmania's Central Plateau, east of Cradle Mountain. Here, dolerite walls enclose a high plateau featuring glacial lakes, cushion plants, and ancient pencil pines.No roads lead into the park. From the Mersey River car park, a steep ascent takes you up to the plateau. Most visitors stay for two to three days and camp.
    Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park

    Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park

    The Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in the Tasmanian Highlands stretches from the distinctive dolerite peak of Cradle Mountain in the north to Lake St Clair, Australia's deepest lake, in the south. In between runs the Overland Track, one of the country's most famous multi-day hikes.The park is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tasmanian Wilderness. The weather changes rapidly; even in summer, it can snow.
    Tasmanian Wilderness

    Tasmanian Wilderness

    The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area covers approximately one fifth of Tasmania and is one of the largest protected wilderness areas in the temperate latitudes. It comprises several national parks, including Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair, Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers, Southwest, and Walls of Jerusalem.Rainforests with Myrtle Beech and Huon Pines, glacial lakes, high-altitude moors, and wild rivers define the landscape. Vast areas are only accessible on foot, by boat, or from the air.
    Otway Coast & Hinterland

    Otway Coast & Hinterland

    Between Lorne and Princetown, the Great Ocean Road leaves the coast and leads through the Great Otway National Park: cool rainforest, waterfalls, koalas, and Apollo Bay, a good base.

    Sources & method

    • Photos: Wikimedia Commons, Unsplash. Each photo carries its credit.
    • Place data such as addresses and ratings comes from Google Maps.
    • The content is based on web research from public, traceable sources. How the content is made · The role of AI