Zeehan
Architecture fans, get ready to swoon.
Zeehan, once known as Silver City and Tasmania’s third-largest settlement during its mining heyday, features several grand historic buildings clustered on Main Street.
Admire the chocolate-box facades of the 1898 Gaiety Theatre, which could seat an audience of 1000, and the post office.
Then dive into the town’s history by visiting the West Coast Heritage Centre, where the entry fee includes access to the Gaiety Theatre (it screens two historic films throughout the day). See also a mineral collection from the Zeehan School of Mines and Metallurgy, a blacksmith shop and, in the grounds, inspect classic locomotives and mining equipment.
On Zeehan’s outskirts, just past the golf club, is the Spray Tunnel, a 100m-long abandoned railway tunnel. The keyhole-shaped tunnel was used to shift ore from what was the Spray Silver Mine.
About 32km south-west of Zeehan, on the way to Strahan, is Henty Dunes, a series of giant sand dunes – some up to 30m high - shaped by the wild winds known as the Roaring Forties.
Blacksmith Shop - West Coast Heritage Centre
Tourism Tasmania & Adrian Cook
Tobogganing at Henty Dunes
Jason Futrill
Riding through the Spray Tunnel
Stu Gibson
Where
Zeehan is a 2hr 20min drive (183km) from Devonport and a 4hr 15min drive (298km) from Hobart.
Insider tips
- Montezuma Falls, the state’s highest waterfall, is located roughly halfway between Zeehan and Rosebery.
- Head to Hotel Cecil for an old-fashioned mixed grill; it also rents out old miners' cottages.
- Rock-hounds can scour souvenir shops for the likes of peacock ore and galena.
