| Melaleuca Tasmania |
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A tourist plane prepares for take-off from Melaleuca. |
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| Population: | 5 |
| Postcode: | none |
| Coordinates: | with |
| LGA: | Huon Valley Council |
| State District: | Franklin |
| Federal Division: | Franklin |
Melaleuca is a remote hamlet in the south-west area of Tasmania, Australia. Access is only by sea via Port Davey, by air[1] or by foot.
The settlement consists of a couple of buildings and a bird hide where the Orange-bellied Parrot can be viewed, and is a major tourist attraction. Melaleuca has a gravel airstrip which is used by small aircraft which service hiking needs and which bring tourists to the remote South West Wilderness region of the state. Two hiking trails meet at Melaleuca: the Port Davey Track and the South Coast Track. There are no shops nor any facilities apart from two walkers' huts. Camping is available nearby.
From the 1930s until the area gained World Heritage status, Melaleuca had been the location leased for mining ventures.[2]
From 1936 until his death in 1991, Melaleuca was home to tin miner Deny King who discovered the extinct shrub, Banksia kingii as well as a species of eyebright, Euphrasia kingii and the endangered King's lomatia or King's holly, Lomatia tasmanica. King also built the walkers' accommodation and airstrip and in 1975 was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to the community.