Mount Huxley is a mountain located on the

West Coast Range The West Coast Range is a mountain range located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The range lies to the west and north of the main parts of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. The range has had a significant numb ...

in the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

region of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia. With an elevation of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

, the mountain was named by Charles Gould in 1863 in honour of Professor

Thomas Henry Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895) was an English biologist and anthropologist specialising in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The stori ...

. One of the smaller peaks in the West Coast Range, the mountain comprises a large outcrop and rock face on its southern side above the King River Gorge just west of the

Crotty Dam The Crotty Dam, also known during construction as the King Dam, or the King River Dam on initial approval, is a rockfill embankment dam with a controlled and uncontrolled spillway across the King River, between Mount Jukes and Mount Huxley ...

– parts of which are visible along the river gorge from the

West Coast Wilderness Railway The West Coast Wilderness Railway is a reconstruction of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company Mount Lyell railway in Western Tasmania between Queenstown and Regatta Point, Strahan. The railway is significant because of its Abt rack s ...

where it commences following the King River.

Goldfield

Between April and June 1894 there was a goldfield situated on the slopes, and a syndicate that was discovered to have salted the mine site, with three alleged proponents, Isaac Bertram Barker, William Price and Antonio Briscoe, charged with fraud. On 1 July the Crown Solicitor told a magistrate that while the mine had undoubtedly been salted, there was insufficient evidence, and the charges were withdrawn.

Location and access

The mountain is located north of the King River Gorge and Crotty Dam and north of Mount Jukes; west of the Tofft River, Thureau Hills, and

Lake Burbury Lake Burbury is a man-made water reservoir created by the Crotty Dam inundating the upper King River valley that lies east of the West Coast Range. Discharge from the reservoir feeds the John Butters Hydroelectric Power Station, owned and op ...

; south of Mount Owen and Queenstown. A very rough track approaches the mountain from the north, and from the south Queenstown area. The southern side is sheer cliff into the King River Gorge.

Gallery

Mt Huxley e-mail.jpg, Mount Huxley showing rocky outcrop on the south face above the King River Gorge. Mount Huxley from the air.jpg, Mount Huxley from the air – from the southwest, and higher than picture at top. Huxley from air 75.JPG, Mount Huxley from the air – from the west northwest from above the old landing strip, ''circa'' 1975. Mount Huxley from air.jpg, Mount Huxley from the air, at left, King River Gorge centre, Mount Jukes Highway to right, and

and the

at rear.

References

External links

West Coast Range on Google Maps

{{Western Tasmania , state=autocollapse Huxley, Mount Huxley, Mount King River power development scheme

Goldfield

Location and access

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links