Arthur River township has around 80 houses - mostly holiday shacks, but there are some full time residents who own businesses in the town, lobster fishermen, abalone divers or retirees. This is a town unlike any other in Australia; it lies entirely within a "conservation area", providing protection for the animals and aboriginal heritage sites, but without the restrictions of a National Park. Explorers called this place "The Edge of the World", because the battered coastline and isolated river mouth stand before 15,000km of unbroken, untamed, unforgiving sea - the longest stretch of ocean in the world.
Arthur River is a tourist town, with wildlife tours, river cruises, forest drives, as well as 4WD trails with beach access. The famous Dismal Swamp Maze is nearby, as is the historic property of Woolnorth (oldest continually operated company in Australia); offering tours of its giant turbine wind farm.
Arthur River has two shops for incidentals, with convenience stores & post office 15mins away. The main Ranger station for the NW Tasmania region is at Arthur River. The town is set at the river mouth, with a picturesque bridge and ocean frontage. Both north and south there are 100’s of km’s of isolated west coast beaches, with more driftwood than you can poke a stick at. From the high grassy dunes you can watch seals play in the sunset shallows, while wandering albatross ride the winds over the southern ocean...
The Arthur River is one of seven major rivers in Tasmania, but it is the only one that is left completely wild - the river has never been logged or dammed. The Arthur River is 170km long, and cuts through the middle of the majestic, 60 million year old Tarkine wilderness; the largest remaining tract of temperate rainforest in the world - the rarest of all rainforest types. This is misty, primeval moss forest, which reflects on the river surface so it's hard to tell where one ends and the other starts. If you step out of the boat onto the river banks then the chances are that no human has ever walked there before. People travel the world to take the famous river cruises. Click the pictures to enlarge...
To book a cruise visit our partner website: www.arthurrivercruises.com
The surrounding Tarkine wilderness is the most likely refuge of the Tasmanian tiger (perhaps extinct, perhaps not)...
Many in the area say they have seen it, in fact one was apparently seen at the town's boat ramp in 1990. The Arthur River is also home to platypus, and the world’s largest freshwater crayfish, growing to 1m long and 16lb!
Fishing
20lb black-back salmon, flounder or striped trumpeter can all be caught from the ocean shore. With simple goggles and a snorkel you can catch your own abalone and lobsters...
Yes it's true. And if you get sick of ocean or inlet fishing, then you can turn the boat around and head up river into some of the most ancient and pristine rainforest in the world (boat & canoe hire is available). This is home to regular catches of estuary perch (same as bass only bigger), or the cod-like Tasmanian "river blackfish", which grows to 15lb. It is also trout country - legendary catches of 13lb are well known.
If a 13lb trout isn't legendary enough, then a brown trout was caught at the River House by Eric Bailey in 1964 which weighed 32lb! In November 2006 a fishing show team also caught a 17lb trout just upstream. This is the largest trout ever caught on a fly in Australia - it made the front page of Tasmanian Fishing News! The bloke next door to the Beach House was sitting on his verandah when he saw a fish working - so he picked up his rod, walked to the waters edge, and caught this 7lb sea running brown trout...
The favourite pastime is casually trolling a lure for "cockey salmon" in the river mouth. That doesn't bother groups of water birds which use the tranquil inlet as a fledging area. Autumn is graduation time when you can watch the young swans learning to fly before taking off for their winter roosts. Sea eagles and southern black backed gulls cruise backward & forward as native ducks & cormorants play on the water below, and don't forget to feed the town’s resident group of mallard ducks. Wedge tailed eagles circle gracefully in the distance.
Wildlife
Wildlife visiting both the Beach House and River House properties includes possums, Tasmanian devils (far from tame - don't let the picture fool you), and magnificent spotted native cats (likewise). The native cats in Tasmania (quolls) are the biggest in the world...
Also occasionally on the properties are a wide variety of birds such as green parrots, fairy wrens, yellow throated honey eaters, red breasted robins, white gosshawks, black cockatoos and many more. A pair of sea eagles fly backward & forward all day between their nest and ocean fishing grounds. Wallabies and wombats come to the back doors of both houses for vegetable scraps.
The coastal panorama here is totally unique in the world, with isolated fishing shacks set amongst lonely heath - no wonder they made it a conservation area...
It is no surprise that Arthur River is a holiday town; the area boasts a range of attractions including the Dismal Swamp Maze, Woolnorth wind farm tours, forest drives, and 4WD trails with beach access. Allendale Gardens is close by, with 6 acres of manicured gardens mixed with natural rainforest. There is also the famous "Kings Run Wildlife Tours"; an organised tour where you can watch Tasmanian devils squabble over food.
Arthur River is the home of fishing adventure, rainforest magnificence, native wildlife, beach isolation, and tranquil relaxation. You can enjoy it all in unrivalled waterfront luxury at these two accommodation houses...
click the link below to book a river cruise:
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