Queenstown, Tasmania 🇦🇺 2022

Date: 12th February 2022

Travelled: 95 kms from Zeehan to Queenstown, Tasmania. 

Visited: Strahan and Queenstown  

Stayed: Queenstown Football Club Camp, $5, S42.07531, E145.55904  

Budget: 15 days @ $0 per day.

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We enjoyed a relatively quiet night in Zeehan, although the wind did pickup during the early hours and we had to close the hatches as they were rattling enough to wake us.

Filing with fuel at an automated servo we roll out of Zeehan for Strahan. We had already tried to get ticket for the wilderness railway which runs out of Zeehan but it was booked out weeks in advance. Anyway we stop for breakfast at a rest stop before heading into Strahan for a walk around.

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Strahan, Tasmania, Australia

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Driving through Strahan we find its a substantial town given it’s population is less than 700 people. Parking down near the port we walk around Risby Cove and take in the sights.

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Pam spies a ladies’ clothing shop and makes a break for it. I leave her to it and find a spot in the sun. It’s another cool Tasmanian day today. Very pleasant if you can find a spot out of the wind which has a chill on it this morning. On the toss of a coin we decide against buying a souvenir $500 Huon Pine ashtray or the $400 wine bottle stand made from genuine Tasmanian driftwood which seem to be on sale in every shop we pass.

If we’d been able to find an overnight parking spot closer to the middle of town, we would have stayed the night, but none are less than a long walk away. So we return to the road this time for Queenstown.

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The drive is scenic as you can see, but the 42 kms takes well over an hour. Another collection of steep hills and tight hairpin bends that I’m glad to see the back of. The one thing I have learned during this last week or so is to remember when driving a motorhome in Tasmania, if the GPS states 30 minutes till you arrive it will be an hour.

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Queenstown, Tasmania, Australia

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The Queenstown I remember from the 1970’s has transformed itself with the passage of time. The yellow hills surrounding Queenstown and its grass less streets and homes are much greener now. The Mount Lyell Mine is now closed and the copper smelter that denuded the surrounding hills and valley of plant life gone as well.

We have a quick drive around town and are happy to find the $5 RV stop at the football club is less than 500m from the shops and pub. So we find a relatively level spot and settle straight. There are about 15 motorhomes and caravans already in situ.

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We haven’t eaten out for a few days and it’s date night, so we walk up to the Empire for dinner. It certainly must have been grand hotel in its day and it still looks good. Mind you we thought it expensive, a glass of Tasmanian SB and a schooner $18. The food prices were about average. The restaurant was full and we were lucky to get the last table.

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The following picture of the creek behind the football club shows the decontamination is a slow process some 40 years after the mines closure the leaching continues.

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So that was our visit to Queenstown we really enjoyed the place.

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Michael + Pam