Mount Murchison | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 1,275 m (4,183 ft) [1] |
Prominence | 760 m (2,490 ft) [1] |
Isolation | 19.96 km (12.40 mi) [1] |
Coordinates | 41°48′00″S145°36′36″E / 41.80000°S 145.61000°E |
Geography | |
Location in Tasmania | |
Location | Western Tasmania, Australia |
Parent range | West Coast Range |
Geology | |
Age of rock | Jurassic |
Mount Murchison is a mountain on the West Coast Range, located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
At 1,275 metres (4,183 ft) above sea level, it is the highest mountain in the range and within the top thirty highest mountains in Tasmania. [1]
Lying close to the Williamsford and Tullah mining areas, the mountain is often found referred to in early photographs. [2] It is located in the Mount Murchison Regional Reserve [3] and lies east of Zeehan, and Mount Read, [4] and north of Mount Tyndall. The track to the summit takes approximately 2.5 hours to complete with infrequent rests. The total walk to time to the summit and return is approximately 5.5 to 6 hrs.
From the trig point the nearby Towns of Tullah, Rosebery and Zeehan can be seen on a clear day. Mount Murchison is for moderately experienced climbers and contains sections that includes loose and sometimes slippery rock.
The first part of the track winds through dense bush and involves stepping over a lot of tree roots. The track breaks from the bush straight into a view of the surrounding area. Navigation from this point onwards involves moving between rock cairns and bits of tape to ensure you are on the track. At one point on the track about a third from the top requires an ascent up a 2-metre rise. As of June 2018 [update] , the rope attached to assist at that point is still in serviceable condition.
Water is available from about two thirds up the track from snow runoff which forms a little spring.
The last third of the track across the top to get to the trig point is quite narrow and has a fall off to the right. There is also a 1.5 metre ledge to climb up on to as part of the last section of the track.
The geology of the ground around the mountain relates to the range of mining activities nearby. [5]
On the south eastern side there a number of lakes, some unnamed. From the north, they are Shaded Lake, Little Sister, Lake Gaye and Lake Sandra lying to the east of the southernmost part of the main mountain, and below a very steep cliff.
According to local tradition, it is considered good luck to throw a sausage off the top of the mountain to ward off animals on the descent. [6]
It was named by Charles Gould in the early 1860s. [7]
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.
Mount Lyell is a mountain in the West Coast Range of Western 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.
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.
Mount Huxley is a mountain located on the West Coast Range in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. With an elevation of 926 metres (3,038 ft) above sea level, the mountain was named by Charles Gould in 1863 in honour of Professor Thomas Henry Huxley.
Mount Jukes is a mountain located on the Jukes Range, a spur off the West Coast Range, in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
Mount Sedgwick is a mountain located within the West Coast Range, in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
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.
The Montezuma Falls, a horsetail waterfall on a minor tributary to the Pieman River, is located on the West Coast Range of Tasmania, Australia.
Mount Tyndall is a mountain that is part of the Tyndall Range, a spur off the West Coast Range, located in the Western region of Tasmania, Australia.
The Henty River is a perennial river in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The river generally lies north of Queenstown and south of Zeehan.
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.
Mount Geikie is a mountain in the West Coast Range of Western Tasmania, Australia.
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 160 people.
The Tyndall Range, commonly called The Tyndalls, is a mountain range that is part of the West Coast Range located in the Western region of Tasmania, Australia.
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.