Where the Central Plateau Breaks into Cliffs and Forest

Overview

The Great Western Tiers form the long northern edge of Tasmania’s Central Plateau, running from around Western Bluff near Mole Creek across to Millers Bluff near Campbell Town. This conservation area sits at the northern boundary of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and is made up of seven separate sections covering about 22,890 hectares.

What makes the place so memorable is the sharp contrast between the plateau above and the escarpment below. Massive dolerite columns, deep gorges and heavily forested slopes give the Tiers a strong, unmistakable shape in the landscape, visible from much of the country to the north.

Highlights

The defining feature here is the escarpment itself. The Great Western Tiers rise as a bold wall along the plateau margin, with dramatic dolerite cliffs and columns backed by a high tableland. In places, the rock profile steps down through sandstone benches and cliff lines, adding another layer of texture to the mountain face.

This mix of dolerite, sandstone and older sediments creates a landscape of cliffs, caves, gullies and forested slopes rather than a single uniform range. The result is a place that feels both broad and rugged, with a scenic character that changes noticeably from one section of the Tiers to the next.

Best Time to Visit

The Great Western Tiers can be rewarding in any season, but the feel of the place changes a lot through the year. Warmer months usually make it easier to appreciate the escarpments, waterfalls, forests and high-country edges in one trip, while the cooler months bring a quieter, more wintry character to the plateau margins and subalpine country.

If you are most interested in vegetation and birdlife, spring through early autumn is often the most appealing period, when forest and grassland habitats are active and the contrast between the green lower slopes and the higher country is especially clear.

Plants and Animals

The Great Western Tiers support an unusually wide spread of habitats in a relatively compact area. Old growth wet and dry eucalypt forest sit alongside rainforest, subalpine forest, grassland, shrubland and sphagnum peatland, giving the range a strong sense of ecological variety from foothill to plateau edge.

That habitat diversity supports a rich wildlife community. Around 70 bird species have been recorded here, including vulnerable grey goshawks and Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles. Native mammals including Tasmanian devils and quolls also occur in the area.

Culture and Heritage

The Great Western Tiers have a long Aboriginal connection stretching back tens of thousands of years. The area is associated with the Pallittore band of the north nation, and the Tiers are also known as Kooparoona Niara, meaning Mountains of the Spirits.

Aboriginal sites occur across the area, including around the lakes and in sandstone rock shelters, showing how closely cultural history is tied to the landforms of the Tiers themselves.