The west coast is a wilderness rich in convict heritage, national parks and historic mining towns; gateway to Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage Area of rugged mountains, ancient rain forests and heath.
The cosseted and less adventurous, the lazy and the old can still readily access wild parts through comfortable wilderness lodges, and from Strachan a MacQuarie Harbour, Hell's Gates, Sarah Island, Gordon River & King River Gorge catamaran service and the vintage steam trains of the West Coast Wilderness Railway.
Lemonthyme Wilderness Retreat is well in amongst the bush, being a fair diversion into the wilds north of the Lake St Clair Cradle Mountain National Park, although it's not part of the Park. This place markets itself as being a "wilderness experience". Don't get me wrong, I thought the place was terrific - but driving up to reception in your air-conditioned vehicle, entering your self-contained cottage, cracking one of the nice wines while pressing a button to get the gas heater going and relieving an hour's worth of bladder pressure in a spa-equipped bathroom while leaning on a heated towel railing is not, in my book, a wilderness experience just because there's lots of trees about. It's great - but this aint a Bear Grylls survivalist camp.
Pump House Point on Lake St Clair. Built in the 1940s as a pump house by the Tasmanian Hydro Electic Commission but never used for that purpose as it was never needed. The HEC was responsible for the drowning of Lake Pedder and it was determined to dam the Franklin River before widespread protests stopped the bastards. "The long term vision of those within the HEC and the politicians in support of the process, was for continued utilisation of all of the state's water resources". In other words, these pricks were determined to dam everything they could. Somewhat ironic then that an unnecessary pumping station is now used to accommodate tourists attracted here because of the wilderness.