Melaleuca is a remote locality (former settlement) in the

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 ...

area 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. Access is only by sea via

Port Davey Port Davey is an embayment, oceanic inlet located in the South West Tasmania, south west region of Tasmania, Australia. Port Davey was named by explorer James Kelly (Australian explorer), James Kelly in honour of Thomas Davey (governor), Thomas ...

, by air or by foot. The locality now consists of a couple of buildings and a bird hide where the

orange-bellied parrot The orange-bellied parrot (''Neophema chrysogaster'') is a small parrot endemic (ecology), endemic to southern Australia, and one of only three species of parrot that bird migration, migrate. It was described by John Latham (ornithologist), John ...

can be viewed, and is a tourist attraction. Melaleuca has a gravel airstrip, which is used by small aircraft, which service

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

needs and which bring tourists to the remote

South West Wilderness The South West Wilderness of Tasmania, Australia is a remote and inaccessible region of South West Tasmania containing unspoilt scenery, rugged peaks, wild rivers, unique flora and fauna, and a long and rugged coastline. Parts of the wilderness ...

region of the state. Two hiking trails meet at Melaleuca: the Port Davey Track and the

South Coast Track The South Coast Track is a bushwalking track located in the South Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The track traverses remote wilderness within the Southwest National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site, and is man ...

. From the 1930s until the area gained

World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

status, Melaleuca had been the location leased for mining ventures.King, C.D. and Fenton, J. ''Small Mining Settlements''; pp. 48–53 in Gee, Helen and Fenton, Janet (eds) (1978)

The South West Book ''The South West Book – A Tasmanian Wilderness'' is a book published by the Australian Conservation Foundation in 1978 during concern following the damming of Lake Pedder in Tasmania. It was edited by Helen Gee and Janet Fenton with assista ...

: A Tasmanian Wilderness. Hawthorn, Vic: Australian Conservation Foundation. ; later edition, same title (1983) Sydney, NSW: William Collins Pty. Ltd., ; also Thwaites, J.B., ''King of the South-West'' (Jack King, tin miner at Melaleuca) pp. 57–60; also Mattingley, C. ''King of the Wilderness'' (2001)

Deny King

From 1936 until his death in 1991, Melaleuca was home to tin miner Deny King who discovered the extinct shrub, '' Banksia kingii'' as well as a species of

eyebright ''Euphrasia'', or eyebright, is a genus of about 215 species of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae (formerly included in the Scrophulariaceae), with a cosmopolitan distribution. They are hemiparasitic on grasses and other pl ...

, '' Euphrasia kingii'' and the endangered King's lomatia or King's holly, '' Lomatia tasmanica''. King also built the walkers' accommodation and airstrip and in 1975 was made a Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

for his services to the community.

Climate

References

{{SouthWestTasmania , state=autocollapse South West Tasmania Ghost towns in Tasmania Road-inaccessible communities in Australia