THE WEST COAST GEOTRAIL UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE AND GEOLOGY OF WESTERN TASMANIA
Ralph BottrillMineral Resources TasmaniaDepartment of State Growth, 12/8/16
THE HISTORY OF TASMANIA
Arrival of Europeans - ~300yrs Arrival of Aborigines – 40,000
yrs? Arrival of Flora and Fauna –
Millions of years! But the rocks – some may date
back to over 1200 Million years!
The rocks are our foundation, they underlie all our spectacular landscapes and scenery!
UNDERSTANDING THE GEOLOGY AND LANDSCAPE OF WESTERN TASMANIA
The Living Earth Showing how the earth is a dynamic, ever-changing bodyTourists are increasingly interested in natural history, including geologyA Tas Govt initiative in 2015 to help the West Coast by designating a Geopark, which turned into GeotrailDirected by Dept. of State Growth, especially Mineral Resources Tasmania, assisted by the West Coast Council. Each site has a roadside sign either:• a large sign with information, • or a small sign with a QRCode weblink
to the Living Earth website The website (www.thelivingearth.com.au)
has both general and detailed information on all the sites, and downloadable pdfs
The West Coast GeoTrail
Sedgwick Bluff
Mt Lyell
West Lyell Open CutNorth Lyell MineCape Horn Mine
Sedgwick Bluff Mt Lyell Mt Owen
North Lyell FaultGreat Lyell Fault
Philosophers RidgeCape Horn
West Coast Range from Spion Kop
West Coast Range from Spion Kop
CHALLENGES!
Logistics Access Parking Phone coverage Sign visibility Different focus groups Coordination Money Advertising
THE FUTURE? A Tasmania- wide Geotrail??• Cradle coast trail
• Waratah-Corinna district
• Cradle Mtn - Sheffield area
• Bay of Fires
• Tamar Valley
• Freycinet
• Tasman Peninsula
• Cygnet
THE FUTURE? A Tasmania- wide Geotrail??• Cradle coast trail
• Waratah-Pieman district
• Cradle Mtn - Sheffield area
• Bay of Fires
• Tamar Valley
• Freycinet
• Tasman Peninsula
• Cygnet
Image by Faye Hulme
THE FUTURE? A Tasmania- wide Geotrail??• Cradle coast trail
• Waratah-Pieman district
• Cradle Mtn - Sheffield area
• Bay of Fires
• Tamar Valley
• Freycinet
• Tasman Peninsula
• Cygnet
THE FUTURE? A Tasmania- wide Geotrail??• Cradle coast trail
• Waratah-Pieman district
• Cradle Mtn - Sheffield area
• Bay of Fires
• Tamar Valley
• Freycinet
• Tasman Peninsula
• Cygnet
Image from the Mercury
THE FUTURE? A Tasmania- wide Geotrail??• Cradle coast trail
• Waratah-Corinna district
• Cradle Mtn - Sheffield area
• Bay of Fires
• Tamar Valley
• Freycinet
• Tasman Peninsula
• Cygnet
Image courtesy of Adam Plucinski
THE FUTURE? A Tasmania- wide Geotrail??• Cradle coast trail
• Waratah-Corinna district
• Cradle Mtn - Sheffield area
• Bay of Fires
• Tamar Valley
• Freycinet
• Tasman Peninsula
• Cygnet
Image courtesy of http://www.tamarvalley.com.au/
THE FUTURE? A Tasmania- wide Geotrail??• Cradle coast trail
• Waratah-Pieman district
• Cradle Mtn - Sheffield area
• Bay of Fires
• Tamar Valley
• Freycinet
• Tasman Peninsula
• Cygnet
Image courtesy of Rob Blakers
THE FUTURE? A Tasmania- wide Geotrail??• Cradle coast trail
• Waratah-Pieman district
• Cradle Mtn - Sheffield area
• Bay of Fires
• Tamar Valley
• Freycinet
• Tasman Peninsula
• Cygnet
Image courtesy of Stephen Kilburn
Image courtesy of Jeff Flueger