| Montezuma Falls | |
|---|---|
 Montezuma Falls | |
  | |
 | |
| Location | West Coast Range, Tasmania, Australia |
| Coordinates | 41°49′48″S145°28′12″E / 41.83000°S 145.47000°E [1] |
| Type | Tiered |
| Elevation | 449 metres (1,473 ft) [2] AHD |
| Total height | 103–110 m (338–361 ft) [3] [4] |
| Number of drops | 2 |
| Watercourse | A tributary to the Pieman River |
The Montezuma Falls (formerly Osbourne Falls), a horsetail waterfall on a minor tributary to the Pieman River, is located on the West Coast Range of Tasmania, Australia.
The falls draws its name from Montezuma (1466-1520), an Aztec emperor of Mexico. A mining company called the Montezuma Silver Mining Company, formed in 1891, held leases in the area surrounding the falls. [5]
The Montezuma Falls are situated north-east of Zeehan, near the village of Rosebery, accessible via the Murchison Highway. The falls commence at an elevation of 449 metres (1,473 ft) above sea level and descend in the range of 103–110 metres (338–361 ft), [2] [3] making the falls one of the highest in Tasmania. [4]
The 8-kilometre (5.0 mi) three-hour return walking track from the trackhead at the foot of Mount Read near Williamsford. [6]
The track follows much of the route of the former 2-foot (61 cm) narrow gauge North East Dundas Tramway and earlier views of the falls include the passing railway line. [7] [8] [9] [10]
The falls location was a stopping point on the North East Dundas tram
The proximity of the line to the falls was described in 1926:
This little railway is a "show" line of the highest order, for it dives quickly amongst the mountains, brushing the fringe of immense forests, and at one point giving a near view, of the hand- some Montezuma Falls-so near that the spray actually dashes at times against the carriage win- dows. From Williamsford one can take a motor for the five miles to Rosebery. [11]
The railway alignment, after closing of the operation, was used for trips to view the falls. [12]
Rosebery is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is at the northern end of the West Coast Range, in the shadow of Mount Black and adjacent to the Pieman River now Lake Pieman.
The West Coast Range is a mountain range located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
The West Coast of Tasmania is mainly isolated rough country, associated with wilderness, mining and tourism. It served as the location of an early convict settlement in the early history of Van Diemen's Land, and contrasts sharply with the more developed and populous northern and eastern parts of the island state.
Regatta Point is the location of a port and rail terminus on Macquarie Harbour.
The Melba Line is a 1,067 mm narrow-gauge railway on the West Coast of Tasmania. The line was originally constructed as a private railway line named the Emu Bay Railway and was one of the longest-lasting and most successful private railway companies in Australia. While at present the line travels from Burnie to Melba Flats, it previously ran through to Zeehan carrying minerals and passengers as an essential service for the West Coast community.
The North East Dundas Tramway was a 2 ft narrow gauge tramway, that ran between Zeehan and Deep Lead on the West Coast of Tasmania. Opening in 1896 and closing in 1932, it was part of the Tasmanian Government Railways network. The world's first Garratt locomotives, the K class, were used on the line.
Mount Read is a mountain located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia, and is at the north west edge of the West Coast Range.
Mount Owen is a mountain directly east of the town of Queenstown on the West Coast Range in Western Tasmania, Australia.
The Mount Jukes mine sites were a series of short-lived, small mine workings high on the upper regions of Mount Jukes in the West Coast Range on the West Coast of Tasmania.
North Mount Lyell was the name of a mine, mining company, locality and former railway north of Gormanston on the southern slopes of Mount Lyell in the West Coast Range on the West Coast of Tasmania, and on to the ridge between Mount Lyell and Mount Owen.
The mines of the West Coast of Tasmania have a rich historical heritage as well as an important mineralogical value in containing or having had found, specimens of rare and unusual minerals. Also, the various mining fields have important roles in the understanding of the mineralization of the Mount Read Volcanics, and the occurrence of economic minerals.
The history of the Railways on the West Coast of Tasmania has fascinated enthusiasts from around the world, because of the combination of the harsh terrain in which the railways were created, and the unique nature of most of the lines.
Mount Murchison is a mountain on the West Coast Range, located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
Mount Dundas is a mountain located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The mountain is situated at the north west edge of the West Coast Range.
Tullah is a town in the northern part of the West Coast Range, on the west coast of Tasmania, about 111 km south of Burnie. The town has a population of approximately 202 people.
Melba Flats is a railway siding on the Emu Bay Railway east of Zeehan that served as a terminus for trains carrying copper ore from the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company in west coast Tasmania, once the Emu Bay Railway ceased services into the Zeehan townsite.
Dundas was a historical mining locality, mineral field and railway location on the western foothills of the West Coast Range in Western Tasmania. It is now part of the locality of Zeehan.
Zeehan railway station in Tasmania, was a major junction and railway yard for numerous different railway and tramway systems in western Tasmania in the town of Zeehan.
Williamsford, Tasmania is the location of a former mining community, south of Rosebery, Tasmania and on the western lower reaches of Mount Read.
The Hercules Haulage, also known as the Mount Read Haulage, the Hercules Tram and the Williamsford Haulage Line, was a self-acting 2 ft narrow gauge tramway on the side of Mount Read in Western Tasmania, that connected the Hercules Mine with Williamsford and then to the North East Dundas Tramway.
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