Zeehan is a town on the west coast of

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

, Australia south-west of

Burnie Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. When founded in 1827, it was named Emu Bay, being renamed after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company, in the early 1840s. , Burnie had an urban popu ...

. It is part of the

West Coast Council West Coast Council is a local government body in Tasmania, covering much of the western region of the state. West Coast is classified as a rural local government area and has a population of 4,167. The major towns and localities of the region ...

, along with the

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

Strahan, and neighbouring mining towns of Dundas, Rosebery and Queenstown.

History

The greater Zeehan area was inhabited by the indigenous Peerapper and Tommeginne clans of the

North West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

group for over 10,000 years prior to the

British colonisation of Tasmania The British colonisation of Tasmania took place between 1803 and 1830. Tasmania was a British colony from 1856 until 1901, at which time it joined five other colonies to form the Commonwealth of Australia. By the end of the colonisation in ...

. They were greatly coastal peoples, residing in small numbers on a diet consisting of muttonbirds, seals, swan eggs and cider gum, and constructed bark huts when strong westerly winds brought about rain and icy temperatures.

European naming

On 24 November 1642,

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

explorer

Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 160310 October 1659) was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first known European explorer to reach New ...

became the first European explorer to sight and document the Heemskirk and West Coast Ranges. Tasman sailed his ships close to the coastal area which today encompasses the Southwest Conservation Area, south of

Macquarie Harbour Macquarie Harbour is a shallow fjord in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. It is approximately , and has an average depth of , with deeper places up to . It is navigable by shallow-draft vessels. The main channel is kept clear by th ...

, but was unable to send a landing party ashore due to poor weather and did not make contact with any

South West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

Tasmanian groups. In their circumnavigation of Tasmania between 1798–99,

George Bass George Bass (; 30 January 1771 – after 5 February 1803) was a British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia. Early years Bass was born on 30 January 1771 at Aswarby, a hamlet near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, the son of a tenant farmer, George ...

and Matthew Flinders named the Heemskirk Ranges mountains Mount Heemskirk and Mount Zeehan after Tasman’s ships, the warship ''Heemskerck'' (

Old Dutch In linguistics, Old Dutch (Dutch: Oudnederlands) or Old Low Franconian (Dutch: Oudnederfrankisch) is the set of Franconian dialects (i.e. dialects that evolved from Frankish) spoken in the Low Countries during the Early Middle Ages, from aroun ...

for "Home Church") and the

fluyt A fluyt (archaic Dutch: ''fluijt'' "flute"; ) is a Dutch type of sailing vessel originally designed by the shipwrights of Hoorn as a dedicated cargo vessel. Originating in the Dutch Republic in the 16th century, the vessel was designed to faci ...

''Zeehaen'' (Old Dutch for "Sea Rooster") in honour of Tasman's voyage of exploration. Although Dutch in origin, Bass and Flinder's Anglicised naming of Mount Heemskirk and Mount Zeehan created some of the oldest British place names in Tasmania. Only a few Dutch place names in Tasmania originate from Tasman's 1642 voyage. Most place names were not assigned in

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sep ...

until after the settlement of

Hobart Town Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

Risdon Cove Risdon Cove is a cove located on the east bank of the Derwent River, approximately north of Hobart, Tasmania. It was the site of the first British settlement in Van Diemen's Land, now Tasmania, the island state of Australia. The cove was name ...

in 1803, although some place names originate from Bruni d'Entrecasteaux's French expedition in 1792. It was not until after the 1815 discovery of

by explorer and mariner James Kelly that many place names on the West Coast were assigned.

Mining boom

Tin was discovered nearby at

Mount Bischoff Mount Bischoff is a mountain and former tin mine in the north-western region of Tasmania, Australia. The mountain is situated adjacent to Savage River National Park near the town of Waratah. Location and features Tin was discovered at Mount B ...

in 1871 and at Mount Heemskirk in 1879. Deposits of silver and lead were discovered in the area by

Frank Long Frank Long was a trackcutter and prospector. In 1882 he discovered the Zeehan-Dundas silver-lead field on the West Coast of Tasmania. Life and career Frank Long was Tasmanian, having been born to ex-convicts in Launceston in approximately 18 ...

in 1882 and Mount Zeehan Post Office opened on 1 August 1888. The township was named Zeehan in 1890 and over the following decades, quickly expanded due to its proximity to the Zeehan mineral field. The peak period for mining was up to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, when 159 companies operated at the town’s peak and the town stock exchange had 60 members. With a main street over two miles long (3.2 km); it claimed over 20 hotels, several pubs, a hospital, and two theatres, the Gaiety Theatre and Theatre Royal. It developed a friendly rivalry with Queenstown, and while the silver boom lasted it was known as the ''Silver City''. In the first decade of the twentieth century it was the third largest town in Tasmania, after Hobart and Launceston. A port was established at Trial Harbour for Zeehan, however its exposure to the

Roaring Forties The Roaring Forties are strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 40°S and 50°S. The strong west-to-east air currents are caused by the combination of air being displaced from the Equator ...

made the site a vulnerable anchorage. After the construction of the Strahan–Zeehan Railway, Strahan became Zeehan's favourable port. The mines earned some two hundred thousand dollars per year for two decades, before progressively declining till the 1960s, when the last mines, Montana and Oceana were closed.

Decline

The population of Zeehan-Dundas peaked at 10,000 in about 1910, over ten times the current population. In the 1970s it saw increased activity due to operations at the nearby Renison Bell tin mine, and again in the 1990s. It had its own council until the early 1900s, and has since merged with surrounding councils to form the Municipality of West Coast. At the , Zeehan had a population of 728. The town was subject to several acts of arson in the 2010s, one of which saw damage to historic buildings dating back to the 1890s. The township has had its share of criminal characters-with various acts of manslaughter, assault and aggravated burglary in its history both past and present. During the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

pandemic, ten parcels of land, some as cheap as $8000, were sold by the West Coast Council as a means to attract new residents. It is hoped tourism will continue to bolster the local economy, with a new takeaway (Wildz Takeaway) open on the main road, and the creation of The Western Echo newspaper. A replica train set of the township is being built as a tourist attraction. The area has also seen an influx of visitors due to the bike tracks around Zeehan, Trial Harbour, Tasmania and

Queenstown, Tasmania Queenstown is a town in the West Coast region of the island of Tasmania, Australia. It is in a valley on the western slopes of Mount Owen on the West Coast Range. At the , Queenstown had a population of 1,808 people. History Queenstown's hi ...

Surrounding ecological and health repercussions

In 2021, a study of the levels of pollution in the lakes of northwest Tasmania found a level of contamination with lead copper, cadmium and arsenic equal to the most severely polluted lakes in the world. Owen Tarn and Basin Lake near Queenstown were the worst, but Dove Lake, Lake Dobson, Lake Cygnus, and Perched Lake were also affected. These lakes are in the mountainous areas up to a hundred and thirty kilometres downwind from Zeehan and Queenstown and have been adulterated by atmospheric pollution mainly caused by open cut mining proceeding uninhibited till finally controlled by the Environment Protection Act of 1973. Recent bushfires have caused an increase in atmospheric mercury levels to three or four times the pre-industrial level due to the release of mercury previously locked in trees. Evidence indicates the area has suffered from dangerous levels of environmental pollution for over a century.

Roads

Zeehan is connected with the north coast of Tasmania by the

Murchison Highway The Murchison Highway is a highway located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The highway runs generally north–south, with Somerset, near Burnie, as its northern terminus and Zeehan as its southern terminus. The highway w ...

, to Strahan by the

Zeehan-Strahan Road Zeehan-Strahan Road (also known as the ''Strahan to Zeehan road'') is a road that links Strahan with Zeehan in Western Tasmania. It runs parallel to Ocean Beach for a distance and crosses the Henty River at the beach's northern end, before ...

, and Queenstown by the

Zeehan Highway Zeehan Highway (also known as the Queenstown-Zeehan road) is a road between Zeehan and Queenstown in Western Tasmania. Where it leaves the valley in which Queenstown lies, it is the junction with the Queenstown to Strahan road that is at H ...

Railways

Zeehan was an important railway location—the end of the

Emu Bay Railway The Emu Bay Railway was a Tasmania, Australian railway company. The railway was significant during full operation, in that it linked the Tasmanian Government Railways system at Burnie with that at Zeehan that further linked to the Mount Lyel ...

, and the beginning of the government-owned Strahan-Zeehan Railway service that connected to Strahan and Regatta Point, where the

Mount Lyell Railway The term Mount Lyell Railway was one of the terms used for the railway operated by the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company between 1899 and 1963. Many name variations were used for identifying the line, the most common being the ''Abt railw ...

connected to Queenstown. Also at early stages of the town's history, a series of timber trams spread out from Zeehan towards the Pieman River as well as a number of other locations. Some of the smaller railway operations east of Zeehan were unique. One had the honour of having the first Garratt steam engine designed and built for its operations. After the government rail connection between Zeehan and Strahan closed, the Mount Lyell Company trucked its copper ore to the Emu Bay Railway terminus at

Melba Flats Melba Flats is a railway siding on the Emu Bay Railway east of Zeehan that served as a terminus for trains carrying copper ore from the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company in west coast Tasmania, once the Emu Bay Railway ceased services int ...

, a few kilometres east of Zeehan.

Newspapers

:See the article: ''

Zeehan and Dundas Herald The ''Zeehan and Dundas Herald'' (also seen as ''Zeehan Dundas Herald'') was a newspaper for the West Coast Tasmania community, based in Zeehan and Dundas from 1890 to 1922. It was published by William Lawrence Calder and Joseph Bowden, with ...

Economy

Dundas Mining's Avebury

nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow ...

mine, Zeehan Zinc's Comstock Mine and Bluestone Tin's Renison Bell

tin Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal. Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...

mine are significant economic contributors to the community, but the majority of the town relies on

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

for its survival. In 2018, construction began on the $280 million

Granville Harbour Wind Farm Granville Harbour Wind Farm is a wind farm operated by Palisade Investment Partners, on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. The facility first generated to the grid on 27 February 2020 with the completion of its first turbine, with the si ...

, Tasmania's tallest wind farm, located 35 km north-west of Zeehan. It took Tasmania to 100 per cent renewable energy, and in 2020, it was Australia's best performing wind farm. In 2022, Avesbury mine opened- bringing lots of job opportunities for the town of Zeehan and surrounds.

Tourism features

The main streetscape of Zeehan is one significant feature of the town, featuring many boom-time and pre-Federation buildings. Among these attractions is the Gaiety Theatre,

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

and the West Coast Heritage Centre (formerly known as the ''West Coast Pioneers Museum'') located within the former

Zeehan School of Mines and Metallurgy The Zeehan School of Mines and Metallurgy was a Mining college in Main Street, Zeehan, West Coast Tasmania The West Coast of Tasmania is mainly isolated rough country, associated with wilderness, mining and tourism. It served as the loca ...

building. The West Coast Heritage Centre features examples of Tasmania's mineral emblem, the valuable crystal

crocoite Crocoite is a mineral consisting of lead chromate, Pb Cr O4, and crystallizing in the monoclinic crystal system. It is identical in composition with the artificial product chrome yellow used as a paint pigment. Description Crocoite is commo ...

, as well as other geological specimens and historic mining artefacts.

Notable people

The famed concert pianist

Eileen Joyce Eileen Alannah Joyce CMG (died 25 March 1991) was an Australian pianist whose career spanned more than 30 years. She lived in England in her adult years. Her recordings made her popular in the 1930s and 1940s, particularly during World War I ...

was born in Zeehan, and Eileen Joyce Memorial Park in Zeehan was named in her honour. Reverend Dorothy McRae-McMahon, Australia's first openly gay clergy member and human rights activist was born in Zeehan.

Notable events

Parts of a 1925 Australian silent film, ''

Jewelled Nights ''Jewelled Nights'' is a 1925 Australian silent film directed by the film star Louise Lovely in collaboration with her husband Wilton Welch. Only part of the film survives today. Synopsis After her father's death, socialite Elaine Fleetwood ...

'' were shot on Savage River, north of the town in the

Tarkine The Tarkine ( indigenous name: takayna), officially takayna / Tarkine, is an area containing the Savage River National Park in the north west Tasmania, Australia, which contains significant areas of wilderness. The Tarkine is noted for its bea ...

rainforest. Bushfires were reported near Zeehan in 1896, 1908, 1977, 1980 and 2006. In November 2012 the town was threatened by bushfires from two directions. However, the alert was later removed. There were also bushfires in February 1890 (diary of Edward Jennings and this http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13761103). Bushfires also threatened Zeehan in 2019- with the fire coming approximately 2 kilometres from the town. Residents were evacuated to Queenstown and Strahan after it was decided that the school was no longer a safe locale for residents to gather. A new television series, ''Bay of Fires'', starring

Marta Dusseldorp Marta Dusseldorp (born 1 February 1973) is an Australian stage, film and theatre actress. Her television credits include ''BlackJack'', ''Crownies'' (and its spin-off '' Janet King''), ''Jack Irish'' and '' A Place to Call Home''. Early life an ...

has been announced to be filmed at locations in Zeehan, Queenstown and Strahan in 2022.

Climate

Zeehan has a cool, wet oceanic climate (''Cfb'') with mild damp summers and chilly, long, rainy winters.

Gallery

File:Gaiety Theatre Zeehan 20171121-057.jpg, File:Zeehan School of Mines 20171121-053.jpg, File:112 Main Street Zeehan 20171121-063.jpg, File:Zeehan Police and Court 20171121-058.jpg, File:Locomotive West Coast Pioneers Museum Zeehan.JPG, File:Locomotives West Coast Pioneers Museum Zeehan.JPG,