Zeehan is the turnoff
The Tarkine
The Tarkine is one of the largest tracts of temperate rainforest left on earth, and Zeehan is the turnoff for it. That is not marketing, it is just the road layout.
- From the hotel40 minutes
- Zeehan isThe turnoff for the Tarkine Coast
It covers a huge area of Tasmania's north west: rainforest, coastal heathland and sand dunes, roughly bounded by the coast to the west, the Arthur River to the north, the Pieman River to the south and the Murchison Highway to the east. It has deep and continuing significance to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.
What surprises most first-time visitors is the quiet. The forest is dense enough that sound stops carrying, and on a still day the loudest thing is water moving somewhere you cannot see.
Zeehan sits at the junction for Corinna and the Tarkine Coast, which makes it a practical base rather than a scenic detour. You can be in the forest inside 40 minutes and back for dinner.
Practical
Before you go
- Some roads into the Tarkine are unsealed. Check conditions before you set off, particularly after rain.
- Mobile coverage is patchy to non-existent once you are in.
- Tell someone where you are going, and take more water than you think you need.
- Corinna and the Pieman River are the usual way in from this side.
Stay the night at the Heemskirk
Zeehan is the last town with a bed, a bistro and a bottle shop before the forest.
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