Mount Murchison (Tasmania)

Mount Murchison
A view over Shaded Lake near the peak of Mount Murchison
Highest point
Elevation	1,275 m (4,183 ft) [1]
Prominence	760 m (2,490 ft) [1]
Isolation	19.96 km (12.40 mi) [1]
Coordinates	41°48′00″S145°36′36″E / 41.80000°S 145.61000°E / -41.80000; 145.61000
Geography
Mount Murchison Location in Tasmania
Location	Western Tasmania, Australia
Parent range	West Coast Range
Geology
Age of rock	Jurassic

Mount Murchison is a mountain on the West Coast Range, located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.

Contents

• Location and features
• See also
• References
• Bibliography

At 1,275 metres (4,183 ft) above sea level, it is the highest mountain in the range and within the top thirty highest mountains in Tasmania. ^[1]

Location and features

Lying close to the Williamsford and Tullah mining areas, the mountain is often found referred to in early photographs. ^[2] It is located in the Mount Murchison Regional Reserve ^[3] and lies east of Zeehan, and Mount Read, ^[4] and north of Mount Tyndall. The track to the summit takes approximately 2.5 hours to complete with infrequent rests. The total walk to time to the summit and return is approximately 5.5 to 6 hrs.

From the trig point the nearby Towns of Tullah, Rosebery and Zeehan can be seen on a clear day. Mount Murchison is for moderately experienced climbers and contains sections that includes loose and sometimes slippery rock.

The first part of the track winds through dense bush and involves stepping over a lot of tree roots. The track breaks from the bush straight into a view of the surrounding area. Navigation from this point onwards involves moving between rock cairns and bits of tape to ensure you are on the track. At one point on the track about a third from the top requires an ascent up a 2-metre rise. As of June 2018 ^[update] , the rope attached to assist at that point is still in serviceable condition.

Water is available from about two thirds up the track from snow runoff which forms a little spring.

The last third of the track across the top to get to the trig point is quite narrow and has a fall off to the right. There is also a 1.5 metre ledge to climb up on to as part of the last section of the track.

The geology of the ground around the mountain relates to the range of mining activities nearby. ^[5]

On the south eastern side there a number of lakes, some unnamed. From the north, they are Shaded Lake, Little Sister, Lake Gaye and Lake Sandra lying to the east of the southernmost part of the main mountain, and below a very steep cliff.

It was named by Charles Gould in the early 1860s. ^[6]

See also

• List of highest mountains of Tasmania
• Lake Murchison
• Murchison River
• Murchison Highway

Related Research Articles

Rosebery is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is at the northern end of the West Coast Range, in the shadow of Mount Black and adjacent to the Pieman River, now Lake Pieman.

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

The West Coast of Tasmania is one of the regions of Tasmania in Australia. It is mainly isolated rough country and is associated with wilderness, mining and tourism. It served as the location of an early convict settlement in the early history of Van Diemen's Land, and contrasts sharply with the more developed and populous northern and eastern parts of the island state.

The Melba Line is a 1,067 mm narrow-gauge railway on the West Coast of Tasmania. The line was originally constructed as a private railway line named the Emu Bay Railway and was one of the longest-lasting and most successful private railway companies in Australia. While at present the line travels from Burnie to Melba Flats, it previously ran through to Zeehan carrying minerals and passengers as an essential service for the West Coast community.

Mount Read is a mountain located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia, and is at the north west edge of the West Coast Range.

Mount Owen is a mountain directly east of the town of Queenstown on the West Coast Range in Western Tasmania, Australia.

The Mount Jukes mine sites were a series of short-lived, small mine workings high on the upper regions of Mount Jukes in the West Coast Range on the West Coast of Tasmania.

Mount Huxley is a mountain located on the West Coast Range in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. With an elevation of 926 metres (3,038 ft) above sea level, the mountain was named by Charles Gould in 1863 in honour of Professor Thomas Henry Huxley.

Mount Jukes is a mountain located on the Jukes Range, a spur off the West Coast Range, in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.

Mount Sedgwick is a mountain located within the West Coast Range, in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.

The history of the railways on the West Coast of Tasmania has fascinated enthusiasts from around the world, because of the combination of the harsh terrain in which the railways were created, and the unique nature of most of the lines.

The Montezuma Falls, a horsetail waterfall on a minor tributary to the Pieman River, is located on the West Coast Range of Tasmania, Australia.

Mount Tyndall is a mountain that is part of the Tyndall Range, a spur off the West Coast Range, located in the Western region of Tasmania, Australia.

Mount Dundas is a mountain located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The mountain is situated at the north west edge of the West Coast Range.

Mount Geikie is a mountain in the West Coast Range of Western Tasmania, Australia.

Tullah is a town in the northern part of the West Coast Range, on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia, about 111 km south of Burnie. The town has a population of approximately 202 people.

The Anthony Road is a major B Route in Western Tasmania, running from the Murchison Highway (A10) at Tullah to the Zeehan Highway (A10) north of Queenstown.

The Tyndall Range, commonly called The Tyndalls, is a mountain range that is part of the West Coast Range located in the Western region of Tasmania, Australia.

The Hercules Haulage, also known as the Mount Read Haulage, the Hercules Tram and the Williamsford Haulage Line, was a self-acting 2 ft narrow gauge tramway on the side of Mount Read in Western Tasmania, that connected the Hercules Mine with Williamsford and then to the North East Dundas Tramway.

References

Bibliography

• Banks, M. R.; Kirkpatrick, J. B., eds. (1977). Landscape and Man, the interaction between man and environment in Western Tasmania. Royal Society of Tasmania. ISBN   978-0959867923.
• Binks, C.J. (1980). Explorers of Western Tasmania. Launceston: Mary Fisher Bookshop. ISBN   0-908291-16-7.
• Blainey, Geoffrey (2000). The Peaks of Lyell (6th ed.). Hobart: St. David's Park Publishing. ISBN   0-7246-2265-9.
• Whitham, Charles (2003). Western Tasmania - A land of riches and beauty (Reprint 2003 ed.). Queenstown: Municipality of Queenstown.
• Whitham, Lindsay (2002). Railways, Mines, Pubs and People and other historical research. Sandy Bay: Tasmanian Historical Research Association. ISBN   0-909479-21-6.