South West Wilderness

Parts of the wilderness are more than 50 km from the nearest road, so the only access to the area is by foot, air or sea.

Melaleuca is a tiny settlement on Bathurst Harbour, consisting of one currently inhabited house, an historic house formerly inhabited by Tasmanian naturalist Deny King, a crushed quartz rock airstrip, and some basic National Park facilities including a bird hide, information centre and signage, and toilets.

In the more fertile areas dense forests of eucalyptus, southern sassafras and myrtle beech, acacia (wattle), and leatherwood (Eucryphia lucida) are found, with low growing ferns, climbing heath, bauera, mosses and lichen.

The exposed and more infertile areas, particularly around the extreme south-west, consist largely of low growing native grasses such as the unusual buttongrass, heaths, and hardy melaleucas.

Due to its remoteness, the wilderness is touted by some as a possible place for a breeding population of thylacines (Tasmanian tigers) to have survived since their official extinction in 1936, though most authorities would agree that areas in north-west Tasmania such as the Tarkine wilderness are more likely, as this region provides more suitable habitat and more prey for the thylacine.

Bird life can be varied, including rosellas, honeyeaters, native wrens and robins, thornbills and currawongs.

No vehicular roads penetrate beyond the edges of the wilderness, so the only access to the south-west of the area is by foot, air or sea.

The 54 km Port Davey Track runs from Lake Pedder to Melaleuca and typically takes four to five days to walk.

From Cockle Creek at the end of the Huon Highway, the southernmost road in Australia, it is an approximately two-hour drive back to Hobart.

Alternatively an aircraft drop-off and/or pick-up at Melaleuca can be arranged, although air travel into the area is highly dependent upon the rapidly changeable weather.

Light aircraft fly on regular tourist flights from Cambridge Aerodrome near Hobart and offer a way to view the South West Wilderness.

The area is subject to snow, ice, strong winds, heavy fog and cloud cover at any time of year, but especially in the mid-year months, which means any trip into the wilderness should be taken with caution.