West Coast Council wants to see its ghost towns turned into tourist attractions

A council and an author who wrote a book about abandoned settlements believe that the roughly 69 ghost towns in the municipality could become tourist attractions. FULL LIST HERE.

Simon McGuire

2 min read

January 27, 2024 - 5:00AM

The Royal Hotel in the ghost town of Linda, on the Lyell Highway, east of Queenstown. West Coast, Tasmania. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

North West Coast

Don't miss out on the headlines from North West Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.

With around 69 ghost towns estimated to be scattered throughout the West Coast, the local council believes these abandoned locations can be turned into tourist attractions.

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, towns like Pillinger, Gormanston and Linda were abandoned after the mining and forestry booms in those areas finished.

Michael Holmes wrote a book called Vanishing Towns about abandoned settlements across Tasmania.

“While Maydena and Derby have reinvented themselves as off-road bike riding towns, the rest of them have vanished or diminished,” Mr Holmes said.

“All mining towns have their ups and downs, boom or bust; they pretty much go one way or the other.”

Photo by John Teniswood showing the Federation Hotel, in the Tasmanian town of Gormanston, taken by him in 1959.

West Coast Mayor Shane Pitt said the municipality thrived before its ghost towns disappeared.

“People sometimes forget that the West Coast was once home to Tasmania’s third largest population centre and had for many years a much larger population than it does now, with many theatres, nightclubs, cabaret and football teams,” Mr Pitt said.

“Many of these towns were actually inhabited quite recently, and many in our community remember living in ghost towns.

“It’s a great part of the West Coast, and people love to come and see the region and read about ghost towns.”

Mr Pitt said that while it was unlikely these ghost towns would have people living in them again, he could see them turned into tourist attractions.

“I think the state government could revive, in partnership with industry, towns such as Lynchford, Teepookana and Williamsford as great tourist attractions similar to Sovereign Hill.

“I don’t think they could be revived as population centres in the most part, given the lack of infrastructure and cost of putting it in, but there is plenty of room in some of our less populated villages.

“Linda and Gormanston both once housed many more families than they do now.”

West Coast Mayor, Shane Pitt. Picture: Linda Higginson

With the West Coast needing more houses, Mr Pitt also said ghost towns would unlikely be used for accommodation.

“I don’t think that is the ideal solution; we need more housing in our larger centres, Queenstown, Zeehan, Strahan, Rosebery and Tullah, where there are services.

“These towns all have more than enough space for housing; the problem is getting people to build it.

“Build costs on the West Coast can be double that of other places, and mostly, we need homes for rent to the many people that come and work in our community.”

Mr Pitt said this would require government and industry investment.

“But for those that are adventurous and want to get away from the city, there are lots of places to buy a block and build a cabin all along Western Tasmania.”