The tiny timber Anglican church in Marrawah

Marrawah (including Arthur River and Temma Harbour)
Tasmania's westernmost settlement - important for its Aboriginal sites.
'Coastwards the plains opened out as far as the eye could reach, a seemingly interminable vista of wind-swept scrub and fast browning grasses stretching on towards the horizon'.

This was how the writer Bernard Cronin described the countryside around Marrawah in his 1918 novel The Coastlanders.

Marrawah is Tasmania's westernmost settlement and the furthest settlement from Hobart. Located 491 km northwest of Hobart and 292 km northwest of Launceston, via the Bass Highway, Marrawah lies at the western end of the A2 - a tiny outpost at the end of the sealed road servicing the surrounding rich farming and dairy area. Beyond the town the farmlands undulate down to the sea at Green Point and West Point where the cold and inhospitable waters of the Southern Ocean crash against the lonely coastline.

The major attractions in the area include walks along the coastline, the important Aboriginal carvings at Mt Cameron West and Sundown Point, and cruises along the beautiful reaches of the Arthur River.

Things to see:  

Aboriginal Sites
The Aboriginal sites in the area are of major importance. The site at Sundown Point, about 8 km south of the mouth of the Arthur River has been recorded in the National Register as 'Engravings on 40 separate rock slabs of laminated mudstone...many have clearly defined motifs...The designs comprise circles, including concentric and overlapping circles, grooves or lines of pits sometimes running just inside a rock slab's periphery, crosses and other linear motifs...Engraving sites are very rare in Tasmania, and at least one panel shows the same complexity as found at Mt Cameron West, further up the coast.'

Mount Cameron West is one of the most important Aboriginal art sites in Tasmania. Discovered in 1933 by a Devonport school teacher it is recognised as the finest example of Tasmanian Aboriginal art and one of the finest displays of hunter/gatherer art in the world. Situated at the northern end of a beach about 3 km from Mt Cameron West it is only 20 cm above the high tide level. The slabs of rock in the area have been so totally covered with motifs that they look like pieces of sculptured rock.

The Heritage of Australia describes the site: 'The motifs themselves consist of a variety of geometric or non-figurative forms, such as circles, trellises, rows of dots etc. Many of the circles are parts of composite designs, with their interior spaces occupied by crosses, parallel lines or other circles. On a nearby site there were depicted the tracks of a large bird such as an emu. These motifs have been made by punching or grinding a series of holes into the surface of the calcerenite and then abrading the ridges between them so as to form deep incised lines. A few large pointed core tools of hard quartzite and basalt were found in the excavations and these might have been the chisels of the prehistoric sculptors.'

It is thought the site may be 2 000 years old. There has been a long-standing argument about the nature of these carvings. Some experts claim that they have distinct similarities with carvings in Central Australia while other experts claim that there are few similarities.

The MV George Robinson ready to depart from the Arthur River wharf

The Arthur-Pieman Area
The other great attraction in the area is the Arthur-Pieman area which lies 16 km south of Marrawah. It is an ideal and beautiful area for walking (both in the bush and along the coastline), horse riding, fishing, off road driving and picnics.

The Arthur River has always presented an obstacle to exploration of the area. Up to the 1950s the only way to cross it was by hand operated cable-drawn punt. Hand operation was replaced by a diesel motor and then, in 1968, a single track bridge was built across the river. With the construction of the bridge the road was extended down the coast to Temma Harbour and visitors with 4WD vehicles can now enjoy exploring this very isolated area of Australia. Temma Harbour was the sea port for the mining town of Balfour at the turn of the century when tin was first found in the area.

For people looking for something a little more organised the family owned Arthur River Cruises on the M.V. George Robinson leave Arthur River at 10.00 a.m., travel upstream for 70 minutes, include lunch and a walk in the riverside rainforest, and return to Arthur River by 3.00 p.m. The tours can be booked on (03) 6457 1158.

	Hotels
	Marrawah Hotel Come Back Rd Green Point Marrawah TAS 7330 Telephone: (03) 6457 1102
	Restaurants
	Glendonald Cottage Arthur River Rd Marrawah TAS 7330 Telephone: (03) 6457 1191 Rating: ***
	Marrawah Hotel Come Back Rd Green Point Marrawah TAS 7330 Telephone: (03) 6457 1102