The Eldon Range is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...

located in the west coast region of

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, Australia. The range is located at the north eastern edge of

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 ...

and is part of the

Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, abbreviated to TWWHA, is a World Heritage Site in Tasmania, Australia. It is one of the largest conservation areas in Australia, covering , or almost 25 per cent of Tasmania. It is also one of the l ...

which includes the

Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers is a national park in Tasmania, 117 km west of Hobart. It is named after the two main river systems lying within the bounds of the park - the Franklin River and the Gordon River. Location The Franklin-Gordon Wi ...

. The range is east of the main line of the

West Coast Range The West Coast Range is a mountain range located in the West Coast, Tasmania, 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 h ...

and runs at right angle to it in a west–east direction. It is separated from that range by the King River valley and is bordered by the

Eldon River The Eldon River, part of the King River catchment, is a perennial river located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. Course and features The Eldon River rises on the slopes of the Eldon Range below Eldon Bluff, located to the eas ...

to the north and west.

Naming

It is claimed that Henry Hellyer named the present day Mount Farrell near

Tullah Tullah is a town in the northern part of the West Coast Range, on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia, about 111 km south of Burnie. The town has a population of approximately 202 people. Town The town is roughly divided into two "subu ...

with this same name in 1828 after Lord Eldon

Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

of England.,

Charles Gould Charles Gould may refer to: * Charles Gould, afterwards Sir Charles Morgan, 1st Baronet (1726–1806), English Judge Advocate-General * Charles Gould (geologist) (1834–1893), first Geological Surveyor of Tasmania, 1859–1869 * Charles G. Gould ...

in 1869 gives this name to the range.

Peaks

Eldon Peak () is a mountain that is the highest point on the range. The peak has an elevation of

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

, and is the western peak, being number 23 of the Abels. The similarly named Eldon Bluff () is the eastern peak. Eldon Bluff is number 54 of The Abels. A smaller peak to the south is known as the Little Eldons, with an elevation of above sea level and it is separated from the Eldon Range by the South Eldon River. In the 1860s report of travels of Charles Gould, the Eldon range is mentioned. In the 1930s Eldon Peak was used as the starting point of a walk by F Smithies of Launceston and C Bradshaw of Linda. In 1991 Crawford and Reid's climb is found described in Crawfords book on the King. Eldon Peak is one of the least visited peaks in Tasmania due to its remoteness. It was climbed in 1947 by Keith Lancaster, a Tasmanian bushwalker who recorded a cairn on the summit, indicating it was not the first European ascent.http://users.bigpond.net.au/dveltkamp/KeithLancaster/071HermitofGordonVale.htm Keith Lancaster's Mountaineering diaries Lancaster ascended from the King River valley, a route no longer possible due to the impoundment of the river. Modern approaches would be from the south-east or south arriving at Lake Ewart at the foot of Eldon Bluff. All approaches are over trackless terrain with patches of difficult scrub. Part of the route from the south east follows the western border of the

Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park is located in the Central Highlands area of Tasmania (Australia), Northwest of Hobart. The park contains many walking trails, and is where hikes along the well-known Overland Track usually begin. M ...

, marked with poles by the bushman Charlie Spencer. Few of the poles still survive, and could not be relied upon. Navigation in this area would be extremely difficult in poor weather.

Gallery

Eldon_Peak_from_south_east.JPG, Eldon peak viewed from the south east Eldon_Peak_from_air,_from_north.JPG, Eldon peak viewed from the north Eldon_Peak,_from_west.JPG, Eldon peak viewed from the west

References

External links

Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area
- Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service {{Western Tasmania , state=autocollapse Mountain ranges of Tasmania Western Tasmania Eldon Peak

Naming

Peaks

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links