QUEENSTOWN

Queenstown (pop ~3400) is the largest town in western Tasmania. The mine at Mt. Lyell has sustained Queenstown since the late 1800's when gold, silver and copper were discovered. Queenstown sprang up in no time as a typical "frontier town", but in recent years has been somewhat more subdued, with the future of the Mt. Lyell mine repeatedly being questioned. In 1995, it was decided to continue mining into the next century, relieving some economic pressures.The hills around Queenstown were stripped of timber to fuel copper smelters, and rain subsequently eroded the soil, leaving the purple and gold rock exposed. The strangely naked mountains are quite a sight from the highway going into Queenstown, and in the evening can provide for spectacular photographs.