Trial Harbour

About 3 kilometres north of Zeehan take the left turn to Trial Harbour. The road in is quite good, gravel, and in two distinct sections. The first section is very wide and well maintained, taking you about half way to your destination. After the last mine entrance you enter the Trial Harbour road proper. This section is very narrow, with restricted views of oncoming traffic. Take it slowly and keep an eye on the road ahead when you have the chance. Do not race down this road as you are likely to meet traffic at any point, with very limited passing availability. This road, in itself will provide you with some of the most spectacular scenery and vistas.

20 kilometres along you will find the beautiful settlement of Trial Harbour. As you reach the bottom of the hill, a sign will point you towards the camping area to the right. There is a mixed bag of sites here, some open, some protected, and one exceptionally well protected site with open space beside it to enjoy the scenery with. This one, our favourite, is two sites along on the right, just after the (well maintained) toilet. (See the photograph below).

If you have a 4WD you may like to explore potentials for camping further down the beach, or alongside Little Henty River. To reach these areas, follow the road through the township, and around to the left. Keep going along here and you will, after a couple of kilometres, notice a small pile of bricks to your right. Turn onto the beach here and keep following it south until you reach the river. Follow the bank around to the left to discover numerous places along the shore to camp.

The west coast belongs to the Southern Ocean, a wild and untamed stretch of water that can be very dangerous under the wrong conditions. Exercise common sense and caution before using the waters here. Waves can reach very large sizes, and conditions can change rapidly. There are some safe and sheletered areas for swimming inside the harbour and down along the river.

It is well worth taking any of the many walks around this location. The geology of the region can be fascinating, as this area was formed through glacial activity, proving a wide variety of geological structures. There are an abundance of minerals throughout the region, you may even discover the unique opalised asbestos. Gold can also be discovered in the west coast creeks. For more information regarding the walks, 4WD tracks, minerals, and history of the area, drop into the History Room at the far end of town. You can't miss this place due to its most unique garden.

It was the time that we spent at this location that eventually forced our hand in deciding to move to the nearby town of Zeehan. The entire west coast is a spectacular and beautiful area. You will enjoy spending time here, if you take the time to explore the well kept secrets of the region.

If you are passing through and looking to explore, drop into the log cabin in Zeehan for a cuppa and say hi.

for Trial Harbour. Definitely include this one.

Warning: Although we have been told one large Winnabago made it down to Trial Harbour, (with some difficulty) the road is not suited to large campervans or caravans. It is very narrow, with some extremely tight corners. Take large vehicles down here at your own risk.

Trial Harbour Site

Location map

Map supplied by Tasmap, for more mapping information
please see www.tasmap.tas.gov.au

Trial Harbour is like no other place I have seen before in Tasmania. The Southern Ocean sometimes pounds her mighty waves along the shore and at other times is very calm and quiet. It was spectacular to watch the different moods of the ocean on different days.

The beach here is made of very course sand and it is also very soft at times. We walked along it a few times and found ourselves sinking into it, filling our shoes with large granules of sand. It is a total contrast to the east coast's white, fine sand. I love the rugged look of the rocks.

The campground here is well maintained. The ground is surprisingly soft, letting the tent pegs go in fairly easily. There is a lot of birds and wildlife including pademelons and wombats. There are also a lot of flies here. This is the only problem that I found with this campground. Take your bug repellant with you to this site.

This is a good spot to sit back and relax while watching mother nature do her thing. We did a couple of the walks around the area and discovered some nice little waterfalls tucked away behind and between the hills.

for this site. But remember to bring the repellant.

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