Lyell Highway

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Lyell Highway is signed as State Route A10.

The Lyell Highway (Route A10) is the second-longest highway in Tasmania, running from Hobart to Queenstown. The name is derived from Mount Lyell, the mountain peak where copper was found in the late 1800s, and the site of the Mt Lyell copper mine, and the sole reason for the existence of Queenstown. The Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company was the predominant business in Queenstown for almost 100 years. The highway, including the route to Burnie (also A10) is the second-longest highway in Tasmania, from Hobart, with a distance of 408 kilometres and an average traveling time of more than 4 1/2 hours, depending upon conditions.

1 Hobart to Central Highlands section
2 Central Highlands section
3 West Coast section
4 References
5 See also
6 External link

[edit] Hobart to Central Highlands section

Starting at Granton it winds along the southern side of the Derwent River in a generally north westerly direction to New Norfolk. At New Norfolk it crosses the Derwent River and winds its way through hilly terrain to Hamilton. Just prior to Hamilton is the turnoff to Bothwell via a sealed route that passes Arthurs Lake and ultimately goes on to Launceston.

[edit] Central Highlands section

After Hamilton, the small town of Ouse is the only other population centre on the highway until the former Hydro dormitory town of Tarraleah.

For some decades the gravel road at the top of the Tarraleah gorge (C801) that cuts across to the Nive Plains just west of Bronte has been used as a short cut to avoid the Tarraleah gorge. It is extremely dangerous as it is also frequented by logging trucks, and is not recommended.

After emerging from the steep gorge at Tarraleah, the highway heads north to the southern edge of the Central Plateau region. At Bronte another route to the north (just north of the highway), passes the Great Lake and proceeds to Deloraine.

In wintery conditions the whole of the Central Highlands section is susceptible to black ice, and it can be exceptionally bad in the heavily forested section west of Ouse, but it can be encountered all the way to the west coast. Snow is usually encountered in the Derwent Bridge area during most winters and may force closure of the road occasionally for several days.

As the highway enters Derwent Bridge it strikes a mid-point between Lake St Clair to the north, and Lake King William to the south.

[edit] West Coast section

The West Coast Road (or Lyell Highway) descending towards Queenstown around the edge of Mount Lyell

This section is usually known as that west of Derwent Bridge or Mount King William.

It runs through the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, and through the West Coast Range before reaching Queenstown.

The highway did not reach Queenstown until the 1930s and was not properly surfaced for some time after that. In post cards of the 1940s and 1950s it is called the West Coast Road.

Due to its altitude, the section of the highway over the plateau between Derwent Bridge and Mount King William is often closed during winter due to ice and snow.

With the damming of the King River and the creation of Lake Burbury, the highway was re-routed to a narrow point where the Bradshaw bridge could be constructed across the lake.

[edit] References

Blainey, Geoffrey (2000). The Peaks of Lyell, 6th ed., Hobart: St. David's Park Publishing. ISBN 0-7246-2265-9.
Whitham, Charles. Western Tasmania - A land of riches and beauty, Reprint 2003, Queenstown: Municipality of Queenstown. ISBN 09591281.