Tasmania is promoted as the Natural State and the
Island of Inspiration owing to its large and
relatively unspoiled natural environment. Formally,
almost 37% of Tasmania is in reserves, National
Parks and World Heritage Sites.
Tasmania has been volcanically inactive in recent
geological times. It has many mountain ranges,
making it the most mountainous state in Australia.
The most mountainous region is the Central Highlands
area, which covers most of the central western parts
of the state. The Midlands located in the central
east, is fairly flat, and is predominantly used for
agriculture, although farming activity is scattered
throughout the state.
Tasmania's tallest mountain is Mount Ossa at 1,614
metres. The mountain lies in the heart of the world
famous Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National
Park.[3][8] Much of Tasmania is still densely
forested, with the Southwest National Park and
neighbouring areas holding some of the last
temperate rain forests in the Southern Hemisphere...
Cradle Mountain:
Cradle Mountain is a distinctive mountain in the
Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park,
Tasmania, Australia. Rising to 1,545 metres above
sea level it is one of the principal tourist sites
in Tasmania, owing to its natural beauty.
The
mountain is composed of dolerite columns, similar to
many of the other mountains in the area. The area
around the mountain has a large number of day walks,
as well as being one terminus of the Overland Track.
The mountain is frequently climbed by tourists,
virtually year round. It is a strenuous (recommended
alotted time: 6.5 hours) return hike from the Dove
Lake car park.
The
climb up the rocky part of the mountain involves
scrambling over large boulders for several hundred
metres. The entire climb is exposed to any bad
weather that may arrive quickly and at any time.
From the summit, (where there was a trig point
tower) there are spectacular 360° views,
encompassing Dove Lake, Barn Bluff and Mount Ossa.
The
mountain rises above the glacially formed Dove Lake
(934m), Lake Wilks, and Crater Lake. The mountain
has four named summits. In order of height they are
Cradle Mountain (1,545 m (5,069 ft)[1]), Smithies
Peak (1,545 m (5,069 ft)[2]), Weindorfers Tower
(1,459 metres (4,787 ft) and Little Horn (1,355 m
(4,446 ft).
Mount
Wellington:
Mount
Wellington is a mountain on whose foothills is built
much of the city of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It
is often referred to simply as the Mountain
by the residents of Hobart, and it rises to 1271 m
AHD over the city. It is frequently snow covered,
sometimes even in summer and the lower slopes are
thickly forested, but criss-crossed by many walking
tracks and a few fire trails.
There
is also a sealed but narrow road to the summit,
about 22 km travel from the city. An enclosed
lookout near the summit provides spectacular views
of the city below and to the east, the Derwent
estuary, and also glimpses of the World Heritage
Area nearly 100 km to the west. From Hobart, the
most distinctive feature of Mt. Wellington is the
cliff of dolerite columns known as the Organ Pipes.
The
low-lying areas and foothills of Mount Wellington
were formed by slow geological upsurge when the
whole Hobart area was a low-lying cold shallow
seabed. The upper reaches of the mountain were
formed more violently, as a Sill with a tabular mass
of igneous rock that has been intruded laterally
between layers of older rock pushing upwards by
upsurges of molten rock as the Australian
continental shelf tore away from Antarctica, and
separated from Gondwana over 40 million years ago.
It is often incorrectly considered to be a dormant
volcano.
Port Arthur:
Port Arthur is a small town and
former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula,
in Tasmania, Australia. Port Arthur is one of
Australia's most significant heritage areas and the
open air museum is officially Tasmania's top tourist
attraction. Known for its harsh conditions, dark
history and stark beauty, it is located
approximately 60 km south east of the state capital,
Hobart. In 1996 it was the scene of the worst mass
murder event in post-colonial Australian history.
Port Arthur is located approximately 60 km south
east of the state capital, Hobart, on the Tasman
Peninsula.
The
scenic drive from Hobart, via the Tasman Highway to
Sorell and the Arthur Highway to Port Arthur, takes
around 90 minutes and covers approximately 80 km.
Transport from Hobart to the site is also available
via ferry or sea plane. At the 2006 census, Port
Arthur and the surrounding area had a population of
499. Port Arthur was named after Van Diemen's Land
lieutenant governor George Arthur.
The
settlement started as a timber station in 1830, but
it is best known for being a penal colony. From
1833, until the 1850s, it was the destination for
the hardest of convicted British and Irish
criminals, those who were secondary offenders having
re-offended after their arrival in Australia.
Rebellious personalities from other convict stations
were also sent here, a quite undesirable punishment.
In addition Port Arthur had some of the strictest
security measures of the British penal system.
This
article is licensed under the
GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia articles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cradle_Mountain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Wellington_(Tasmania)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Arthur,_Tasmania
