Zeehan, Tasmania

Rich in mining history and a great base for fishing, the main street is a reminder of a bygone era and the local museum is outstanding. Hidden in a valley of rugged hills and rainforest, Zeehan was established in the late 1800s after tin, silver and lead discoveries sparked the largest mining boom in Tasmania’s West.

Nicknamed Silver City, the town was once Tasmania’s third largest town and a social hub for the entire West Coast. Its restored Gaiety Theatre and Grand Hotel (1899) has a capacity of 1,000 and in its day was the largest and most modern theatre in Australia and one of only three theatre-hotel complexes in the country.

Today, the unique geological structures of the region attract geologists from around the world. Each year the Zeehan Gem and Mineral Fair includes over 40 tables of crystals, minerals, opals, gold, fossils, jewellery and beads.

The Zeehan Museum is also of considerable interest with one of the finest collections of minerals in the world. Its displays include aboriginal, explorer, convict and pioneering history as well as fauna, flora, geology and mining. Zeehan is a great base for West Coast fishing with trout caught at nearby Lake Pieman, while Trial Harbour, 23 km west of Zeehan, is also a popular saltwater fishing destination for locals. Once the port for Zeehan, today it’s little more than a holiday destination.

Zeehan is a 1 hr 50-min drive (150 km) south-west of Burnie and a 40-min drive (50 km) north-east of Strahan.