Area Hotlist — West Coast TAS
20 lifestyle anchors proven to sell property across the West Coast area
Area Hotlist — West Coast
Strahan
645 votesOnce a bustling 1890s port, Strahan now charms visitors with heritage cottages, artisan bakeries and sunset harbour cruises. Wilderness flights, ocean-beach quad tours and the nightly penguin parade keep the town buzzing, while waterfront cottages command premium short-stay rates year-round.
Queenstown
522 votesRinged by moonscape hills stripped bare by historic copper smelters, Queenstown offers eerie beauty, bold street art and Tasmania’s wildest football oval. Mine-site mountain-bike trails and boutique distilleries are rejuvenating the rugged frontier town, drawing adventurous investors and creatives alike.
Macquarie Harbour
341 votesSix times the size of Sydney Harbour, this tannin-dark expanse hosts salmon farms, Gordon River cruise boats and jet-boat eco-tours. Calm anchorage and dramatic narrow entrance “Hell’s Gates” make Macquarie Harbour a photographer’s dream and a boating playground for seasoned skippers.
Gordon River
286 votesMirror-flat waters, thousand-year-old Huon pines and silent reflections characterise the Gordon, best experienced on glass-hulled catamarans that depart Strahan each dawn. Guided boardwalks explain fragile temperate rainforests, while upper-river kayaking trips satisfy wilderness purists seeking deep tranquillity.
West Coast Wilderness Railway
275 votesRestored steam locos climb rainforest ranges between Queenstown and Strahan, tackling historic ABT rack sections at 1-in-16 gradients. Open-air balcony cars, Huon-pine platters and gold-rush storytelling turn the half-day journey into a must-do heritage adventure for families and rail buffs.
Zeehan
198 votesThe “Silver City” still wears grand 1890s façades housing the excellent West Coast Heritage Centre and Gaiety Theatre. Low-cost cottages, BMX tracks and nearby spray-painted rock climbs attract artists and young families chasing affordable wilderness lifestyles with rich industrial history.
Ocean Beach
165 votesThirty-five kilometres of wild surf, roaring Roaring Forties winds and dramatic sunsets make Tasmania’s longest beach a spectacular sight. Four-wheel-drive tours tackle shifting sands, while keen anglers brave the swell for salmon and gummy shark in pristine solitude.
Cradle Mountain
152 votesJust over an hour’s drive inland, Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park delivers wombat-lined boardwalks, alpine tarns and the famed Overland Track. Visitors base in Strahan or Tullah, boosting accommodation demand across the coast during peak hiking season.
Montezuma Falls
110 votesTasmania’s tallest waterfall plunges 104 metres through lush myrtle rainforest near Zeehan. A gentle 9 km return walk follows an old tramway, crossing a swinging suspension bridge that thrills kids and delivers postcard-perfect photo angles of the roaring cascade.
Lake Burbury
98 votesThis vast hydro lake east of Queenstown offers mirror-calm mornings ideal for trout trolling, kayaking or waterskiing beneath brooding quartzite peaks. Free lakeside campgrounds and boat ramps lure caravans, while sunset reflections rival those of Cradle’s famed Dove Lake.
Henty Dunes
91 votesForty-metre wind-sculpted dunes shift metres each year, creating a Sahara-like playground for sand-boarding thrill-seekers and quad-bike tours. At dusk, photographers capture gold-tinged ripples against distant sea spray, while adventurous hikers traverse the dunes to wild Ocean Beach.
Mount Lyell
85 votesDominating Queenstown’s skyline, Mount Lyell’s copper-scarred slopes tell a century-long mining saga still unfolding. Lookouts at Iron Blow reveal vivid mineral colours, and guided 4WD tours explore ghost towns, haulage tunnels and gritty stories of Australia’s toughest industrial frontier.
Strahan Wharf
72 votesHistoric Huon-pine fishing boats, cray-pots and scallop shacks line Strahan’s sheltered wharf. Evening boardwalk strolls end with whisky tastings or locally caught fish-and-chips, while daytime cruise vessels depart for Gordon River wilderness adventures backed by live convict theatre shows.
Nelson Falls
69 votesA gentle 20-minute boardwalk through ancient rainforest reveals this 30-metre fan cascade off the Lyell Highway. Interpretive signs explain Gondwanan plant relics, making Nelson Falls the perfect leg-stretch between Queenstown and Derwent Bridge road journeys.
Sarah Island
66 votesAccessible only by cruise, Sarah Island’s windswept ruins housed Van Diemen’s Land’s harshest convict settlement. Guided walks enliven tales of daring escapes and ship-building ingenuity, providing a sobering yet fascinating window into Australia’s penal past amid dramatic harbour scenery.
Lake St Clair
60 votesAustralia’s deepest lake marks the southern terminus of the Overland Track. Mirror-calm dawns reflect snow-capped peaks, while eco-cruises reveal submerged pencil-pine forests. Lakeside lodges offer fireside luxury for anglers and hikers exploring the World Heritage-listed wilderness.
Trial Harbour
57 votesAccessible via a winding gravel road, tiny Trial Harbour clings to Tasmania’s wildest coastline. Weathered fisherman’s shacks, roaring surf and zero light pollution make it a magnet for astro-photographers and hardy beach-combers chasing raw, untamed beauty.
Iron Blow Lookout
55 votesPerched above the original 1883 open-cut, the cantilevered Iron Blow platform delivers dizzying views into turquoise mineral waters and Queenstown’s colourful ridges beyond. Interpretive panels chart copper’s boom-and-bust cycles and the dramatic environmental recovery programs now under way.
Savage River
50 votesHome to one of the world’s largest magnetite mines, remote Savage River pairs striking red-lichen rocks with creamy whitewater rapids popular for expert kayaking. The surrounding Tarkine rainforest offers challenging 4WD tracks, giant myrtle trees and elusive Tasmanian devils.
King River
49 votesTwisting through steep gorges before spilling into Macquarie Harbour, the King River hosts thrilling white-water raft trips beneath fluted quartzite cliffs. Its hauntingly stained waters tell stories of historical mining pollution—now a living case study in wilderness rehabilitation and adventure-tourism diversification.