87 km from Burnie (1 hr 7 mins drive)

In contrast to Stanley, its sleepy neighbour, Smithton is a busy little place, being the regional centre of one of Tasmania's most productive fishing, beef, dairying and potato growing areas. It is home to timber mills, the state's largest dairy produce factory, Duck River oysters. The Apex Lookout (Massey Street) on Tier Hill, behind the town, gives a full panorama of the Duck River estuary and offshore islands.



Don't be put off by some of the names in the area - like Cape Grim and Dismal Swamp. There is nothing grim or dismal about the extreme north west corner of Tasmania, which can be explored with ease when using Smithton as your base. The Bureau of Meteorology has measured the air here as the cleanest the world and you d can help believing the local farmers when they say the grass their cows feed on is the greenest in the country.

The area's famed dairy industry can be inspected at the Lacrum Dairy at Mella (6 km). It is possible to watch the afternoon milking session and to taste some of the cheeses produced. Contact (03) 6452 2322 for more details. Visitor Centre: Tarkine Forest Adventures, Bass Hwy, Smithton. Ph (03) 6456 7199



The Apex Lookout (Massey Street) on Tier Hill, behind the town, gives a full panorama of the Duck River estuary and offshore islands.

Duck Bay

Duck Bay is the large bay on which the town of Smithton stands. Duck River flows through the town of Smithton, before discharging into Duck Bay and then into Bass Strait. Duck Bay has a reputation for providing high quality oysters in November to April when supply is usually scarce throughout Australia. Tasmanian oysters were introduced from Japan in 1946.

Smithton is a busy little place, being the regional centre of one of Tasmania's most productive timber, fishing, beef, dairying and potato growing areas. It is home to timber mills and the state's largest dairy produce factory.

TARKINE FRESH OYSTERS
Award winning oysters direct from the pristine waters of the Tarkine Coast. Sales from our onsite café. Open hours online.
21-25 West Esplanade, Smithton 7330
Ph: (03) 6452 2262

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Beyond Smithton

Montagu Park/Campground

20 km north west via West Montagu Road

The Montagu Park Recreational Reserve is located near the Robbins Island Passage. It has an excellent campground, is spacious and offers excellent opportunities for fishing or simply relaxing. The camping area is only open from 1 November to 30 April. Caretaker on-site to collect fees. Phone: (03) 6452 1181. Location: 380 Old Port Rd, Montagu.

Woolnorth

30.5 km west via West Montagu Road

Woolnorth (40 km) is located near the northwest extremity of Tasmania on Cape Grim. It is still owned by the Van Diemen's Land Company which acquired the land in 1825. It is the last Royal Charter Company in the world. Visitors can explore the 22,000 hectare property on full day and half day guided tours, taking in the old farm buildings, the wind farm and Cape Grim, where large turbines harness energy from the Roaring Forty winds.

Woolnorth Point

The name is taken from the property of the historic Van Diemen's Land Company of which it is a part. Woolnorth Point is the extreme tip of Cape Grim, the northwestern point of Tasmania. The Peerapper name for the cape is recorded as Kennaook. It is the location of the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station which is operated by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology in a joint programme with the CSIRO. Two small beaches occupy the western side of the point. A vehicle track crosses the point to reach the southern end of the beach. Both beaches are backed by generally dense scrub.

Cape Grim

What makes Cape Grim unique is its isolated geographic location. Being the extreme tip of the north-west corner of Tasmania, the next land mass directly west of Cape Grim is not Africa (it's too far south), but the southern tip of Argentina. As a result, Cape Grim is believed to have the cleanest air in the world. Cape Grim is home to Woolnorth, the dairy farm operated by one of Australia’s oldest companies, The Van Diemen’s Land Company (VDL). The property is still under Royal Charter. VDL was established by royal charter in 1825, encouraged by Tasmania’s ability to raise fine-wool sheep in the 20 years since its settlement.
Cape Grim and the Doughboys were the site of intraplate basaltic volcanism about 24 million years ago. Exceptionally well preserved examples of submarine pillow lavas, sills, lobate lavas, volcanic breccia and tuff are exposed in rock platforms and steep coastal cliffs. Please note there is no private access to this site. Please contact the Stanley Visitor Information Centre for tour options.

Suicide Bay

The mis-named Suicide Bay at Cape Grim was the scene of the events of 10 February 1828 in which a group of Aboriginal Tasmanians were ambushed and shot by four Van Diemen's Land Company (VDLC) workers, with the bodies of some of the victims then thrown from a 60-metre cliff. About 30 men are thought to have been killed in the attack, which was a reprisal action for an earlier Aboriginal raid on a flock of Van Diemen's Land Company sheep. The escalating spiral of violence was probably triggered by the abduction and rape of Aboriginal women in the area. The massacre was part of the "Black War", a period of violent conflict between British colonists and Aboriginal Australians in Tasmania from the mid-1820s to 1832.

• The Cape Grim Massacre





Hunter Island Group

The Hunter Group of Islands lie in Bass Strait off the north-west tip of Tasmania due south of Geelong, Victoria. The island and the island group were named in December 1798 by British navigator Matthew Flinders after John Hunter, Governor, of the Colony of New South Wales, during the first recorded circumnavigation of Tasmania. The currents here are swift and the tides repeatedly empty much of the area to an expansive desert wasteland. Adding to the beauty of the islands are the muttonbirds, the pelicans and albatross along with the myriad of other wild life. The islands are small, but crammed with individual characteristics identifying each in its own very special way.



Hunter Island (Muttonbird Reserve), Three Hummock Island, Robbins Island, Albatross Island (Wildlife Sanctuary) and Walker Island are the most visited of the Hunter Island Group, which is offshore from Smithton. Hunter Island shows evidence of 23 000 years of continuous occupation by Aboriginal people and has been inhabited by non-Aboriginal people for approximately 170 years.

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Tarkine Wilderness

South of Smithton via Trowutta Road

The Tarkine Wilderness is Tasmania's largest unprotected wilderness area. It is hugely diverse extending from thundering west coast beaches, through giant sand dunes, across rolling button grass plains, to towering eucalypt forests. It hosts the only wilderness landscape dominated by rainforest in Australia. Its rainforests form the largest continuous tract of rainforest in Australia, they being the largest temperate rainforests in Australia.



There is a rich pioneer/exploring history of the Tarkine region, which was regarded as one of Tasmania's toughest and most impenetrable regions. Prospecting and Mining was one of the biggest drawcards to the region for early settlers, with tin mining set up at Balfour, Gold at Corinna, and Tin at Waratah also. Prospectors often searched the rivers in years between 1850 and 1950 quite unsuccessfully.





Trowutta Arch and Caves

31.5 km south via Trowutta Road

The Tarkine region of North West Tasmania contains a number of unique cave systems. There are a series of extraordinary magnesite karst systems, including unique cave and pinnacle formations at Lyons River and the Arthur River-Victory Springs area, including warm springs. These cave systems are not only unique in themselves, but are also home to extraordinary cave dwelling creatures, such as the bizarretroglodyte (cave dwelling spider) and other fascinating creatures.



Trowutta Caves are located south of Smithton, beyond the beautiful Allendale Gardens, Trowutta and Milkshake Hills. The Trowutta Arch track begins soon after the Trowutta Caves State Reserve is reached. A short 10 minute easy well defined walk leads to the park s most interesting geological feature - the Trowutta Arch. The reserve protects an area of sinkholes covered in temperate rainforest full of myrtles, sassafrass, blackwoods, massive manferns and a variety of other ferns.



The Circular Head region boasts Tasmania's finest Blackwood swamp forests. Viewing these forests from above and below the canopy of the trees is possible through the construction of a Visitor Centre and Maze at Dismal Swamp, located 20 km west of Smithton on the Bass Highway.

Enjoy a coffee or light snack at the Visitor Centre where tickets may be purchased for entry to the maze. Either slide or stroll to the maze entrance and lose  yourself in the blackwood forest. Try and spot the homes of the small burrowing crayfish. Free picnic and barbecue amenities will be available at the entrance to the Visitor Centre. Opening Autumn 2003, please call 6434 6345 to confirm operating hours.





Lake Chisholm

52.4 km south west via Trowutta Road

A hidden gem, Lake Chisholm is a flooded limestone sinkhole, one of the many sinkholes in the area, but one of only two filled with water. A gentle half hour return walk meanders through a majestic old myrtle forest to the tranquil waters of the lake. This can be a fantastic photo opportunity, especially in the early morning, so remember to bring your camera.





Milkshakes Hills Forest Reserve

South of Smithton via Rapid River Road

Milkshakes is a magical picnic spot. Picnic facilities are nestled among the eucalypt and rainforest trees. There are two walks, a basic 10 minute nature walk through the forest which is relatively flat, or you can climb to the top of one of the Milkshake Hills (45 minutes return). Shelters, picnic area and barbecues are available at the car park. A signposted track leads to the lookout on the Milkshakes Hills; a worthwhile climb.

The Milkshakes Forest Reserve free campsite is located app. 26 kilometres to the north of the Julius River campground, some 6 kilomtres south of the Tayatea Bridge. Turn off, follow the well signposted area for just over 3.5 kilometres where you will find this very appealing free camping ground. Make sure you walk through the rainforests on the tracks provided. Please note, this site is not ideally suited for tent-based camping; recommended for campervans, campers, motorhomes and caravans. For further information please contactForesty Tasmania - 03 6452 4900.

How to get there: Travel south from Smithton on the B22 to Edith Creek through excellent, fertile, dairy country. Take the C218 to Kanunnah Bridge over the Arthur River. Travel east via Julius River and the Rapid River Road and follow the signage to the Milkshakes Forest Reserve. Total distance is 80km.





Julius River Forest Reserve

43.8 km south via Trowutta Road

This site has recently been upgraded and has excellent picnic facilities. A half hour return walk winds through the cool temperate rainforest. Interpretive signs provide an insight into the nature of this forest.

Julius River Rainforest Walk: From Milkshakes Hills, continue on to the 30 minute Julius River Rainforest Walk, situated in a beautiful reserve, set in sinkhole country. There are two easy walks into the mossy, myrtle forests, found throughout the Tarkine. BBQ facilities, picnic shelter and a toilet are provided.





South Arthur Forest Drive

The South Arthur Forest Drive is a safe and easy way to have a taste of the Tarkine region of Tasmania s north west with a minimum of fuss and without having to do the whole 4-wheel drive thing. The drive begins at Smithton and is an easy 130 km round trip. A mix of sealed and gravel roads give access to a number forest reserves on the way. To begin, take the turnoff which indicates South Arthur Forest Drive from the road between Stanley to Smithton. The following features are visited on the South Arthur Forest Drive.


Dodds Creek Falls

Dodds Creek Falls are in the Wes Beckett Reserve, 61 kms south of Smithton. The walk is short and the 1.2 kms return track is barely definable in has steep rocky sections and is sometimes close to the edge of the ravine. The falls are small, but pretty and the walk takes 30 - 35 minutes. It is not suitable for small children. Wes Beckett Reserve is 61 kms south of Smithton. After turning left at Kanunnah Bridge onto Sumac Road, drive 16 km before branching left onto Mount Bertha Road. There are five more signed intersections in the final 10 km. Take a left turn at each one.