The Arthur-Pieman Conservation Area stretches along the north-west coast of Tasmania, covering over 100,000 hectares between Arthur River to the north, the Pieman River to the south and the Franklin and Donaldson Rivers to the east. As you begin to journey through the Tarkine wilderness of tall eucalypt forests and rainforests, you start to appreciate how dynamic this landscape is - continually reshaped by wind, fire and water.
A good, all weather road that does not require four wheel drive vehicles connects Arthur River to Corinna. This is known as the Western Explorer, which has just been reopened after a 6 month closure (August 2013 - April 2014), due a major landslip. The road remains unsealed for the most part and is narrow with some tight bends and steep climbs, although many steeper sections have been sealed.
Arthur River - being the starting point of this trek, is a small coastal town renown for its beautiful river cruises and nature walks - and not to mention - its famous ‘The Edge of the World’ beaches. Slightly south of Arthur River are potential side trips (not featured in this trek) that extends coastward towards attractions such as: Sundown Point, and the fishing villages of Sarah Anne Rocks and Couta Rocks. Beyond Arthur River is the Western Explorer route, an adventurous journey on gravel roads to reach Corinna on the Pieman River. The gravel road for the remainder of this route can at times get somewhat deteriorated, so drive carefully especially approaching the narrow, steep and winding sections of the road.
Corinna is a picturesque town on the northern side of the Pieman River. It offers a unique and intimate rainforest experience. Being surrounded by thousands of hectares of pristine Tarkine wilderness, most of which has been untouched by fire. Corinna seems to have its own microclimate and it tends to be a couple of degrees warmer than Strahan. There are a range of walks near Corinna, from a 20 minute Huon Pine walk, the Whyte River walk and a more challenging four hour walk to Mount Donaldson.
How to Use this Trek Note
- To download this information and the route file for offline use on a phone, tablet, headunit or laptop, go to the app store and purchase ExplorOz Traveller. This app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage and the EOTopo webpage.
Environment
The northern section of the Arthur–Pieman Conservation Area has a very rich Aboriginal heritage which has left markers in the landscape, such as middens, hut depressions, artefact scatters and rock art. If you stumble across any Aboriginal heritage sites, please appreciate and respect the area. These special places and their associated cultural landscapes show that Aboriginal people in the past had a special relationship with the land - a relationship which continues with Aboriginal people today.
The coastline along the conservation area is known to be among the most scenic and wild in Tasmania. The ‘Roaring 40s’ often pound the west coast, creating an almost lunar-type landscape of sand dunes and lichen-painted rocks. Vegetation near the coast consists of heath and scrublands, whilst buttongrass dominates the poorly drained moorlands. Numerous wildflowers and orchid species dot the coast and plains during specific times of the year. The closer you get towards Corinna, eucalypt forests and thick rainforests start to dominate the landscape.
As for fauna species, the extensive grasslands allow for nature spotters to find Bennetts wallabies, Tasmanian pademelons and wombats. During dusk, you may be lucky to see Tasmanian devils, brushtail possums and spotted-tailed quolls. The conservation area is home to a rich variety of birds including the yellow-tailed black cockatoo, white-breasted sea eagle, currawong, blue-winged parrot, striated pardalote, superb blue wren, swallows and honeyeaters. Along the coast, you may see the red-capped plover, fairy tern, pacific gull, ruddy turnstone, raptors, and pied and sooty oyster catchers. In the plateau country, bird watchers will be thrilled to find ground parrots, hooded plovers and the rare orange-bellied parrot.
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