- September 18, 2026
A self-guided stroll through Australia's largest collection of Georgian sandstone buildings, including the working Callington Mill and the old Oatlands…
Tasmania’s West Coast doesn’t get the same foot traffic as Freycinet or Cradle Mountain, and that’s part of the appeal. Between the old mining towns of Queenstown and Zeehan, the fishing-village-turned-tourist-town of Strahan, and the wild, rain-soaked forests of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, this region packs in waterfalls, rainforest, historic mining relics and some of the biggest coastal dunes in the state — all reachable on walks well under a few hours. It’s also one of the wetter corners of Tasmania, so a good raincoat matters more here than a fitness level.
Here are six short walks that give a good spread of what the West Coast does best, plus where to pitch a tent or park the van nearby.
A gentle rainforest stroll from Strahan’s Peoples Park, following a burbling creek through myrtle and sassafras to a modest cascade. It’s an easy one to squeeze in before or after a Gordon River cruise, and platypus are sometimes spotted in the creek at dawn or dusk.
Distance: 2.6km return • Time: 40–50 min • Difficulty: Easy • Dogs: On leash
Nearest campground: Strahan Beach Tourist Park, a short walk from the track and right on West Strahan Beach. See also RV Friendly Strahan, Camping Macquarie Heads.
A short, wheelchair-friendly boardwalk through cool temperate rainforest to a 30-metre cascade, just off the Lyell Highway between Derwent Bridge and Queenstown. It’s one of the easiest “big waterfall for minimal effort” walks in the state, and the mossy, fern-choked gully alone is worth the stop.
Distance: 1.4km return • Time: 20–30 min • Difficulty: Easy • Dogs: Not permitted (national park)
Nearest campground: Franklin River camping area, a free roadside site on the Lyell Highway within the park.
Tasmania’s tallest waterfall at 104 metres, reached via an old tramway track that’s flat, wide and easy underfoot for most of its length. The final approach brings you right to the base of the falls, where the spray reaches the viewing platform on a good flow day. Trailhead is at Williamsford, a few minutes south of Rosebery.
Distance: 11.5km return • Time: 3–3.5 hrs • Difficulty: Moderate (long but gentle grade) • Dogs: On leash
Nearest campground: Zeehan Bush Camp & Caravan Park, about a 30-minute drive away.
Some of the tallest coastal dunes in Tasmania, rising up to 30 metres and stretching along the coast north of Strahan. The walk from the picnic area over the dunes to Ocean Beach is sandy, exposed and surprisingly good exercise — bring water, as there’s none on site. Ocean Beach itself is one of the state’s longest and wildest beaches.
Distance: Approx. 5km return (picnic area to beach and back) • Time: 1.5 hrs • Difficulty: Moderate (soft sand) • Dogs: Permitted, check current signage
Nearest campground: Macquarie Heads Camping Ground, on the coast a short drive south.
An easy loop out of Zeehan along an old mining tramway, through a 100-metre disused rail tunnel to the remains of the Spray Silver Mine. The tunnel is home to glow worms, so it’s worth timing part of the walk for dusk if you have a torch handy.
Distance: 6km return • Time: Around 1 hr • Difficulty: Easy • Dogs: On leash
Nearest campground: Zeehan Bush Camp & Caravan Park, a few minutes’ walk from town.
Barely a walk at all, but too good to leave off the list: a short, flat path from the car park to a cantilevered viewing platform that juts out over a flooded, technicolour open-cut mine pit. The moonscape hills around Queenstown make this one of the more striking short outings on the West Coast.
Distance: Under 500m return • Time: 15–20 min • Difficulty: Very easy • Dogs: Permitted
Nearest campground: Lake Burbury Camping Ground, about 15 minutes’ drive from Queenstown on the Lyell Highway.
Nelson Falls is the only walk on this list inside a national park, so a Tasmania Parks Pass is needed there (day passes are available at the Nelson Falls car park or online via parks.tas.gov.au); none of the other walks require one. Dog policies vary more than usual on the West Coast — leashed dogs are fine on most of these tracks, but Nelson Falls sits inside Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, where dogs aren’t permitted at all, so plan around that one if you’re travelling with a pet. Weather-wise, this is the wettest part of Tasmania: check the forecast before setting out, pack a proper rain jacket even on a clear morning, and note that the longer walks (Montezuma Falls, Henty Dunes) cross open or exposed ground where conditions can change fast.
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