Melaleuca, Tasmania
Encyclopedia
Melaleuca is a remote hamlet
in the south-west
area of Tasmania
, Australia
. Access is only by sea via Port Davey
, by air or by foot.
The settlement consists of a couple of buildings and a bird hide where the Orange-bellied Parrot
can be viewed, and is a major tourist attraction. Melaleuca has a gravel airstrip which is used by small aircraft which service hiking
needs and which bring tourists to the remote South West Wilderness region of the state. Two hiking trails meet at Melaleuca: the Port Davey Track
and the South Coast Track. There are no shops nor any facilities apart from two walkers' huts. Camping is available nearby.
From the 1930s until the area gained World Heritage
status, Melaleuca had been the location leased for mining ventures.
who discovered the extinct shrub, Banksia kingii
as well as a species of eyebright, 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
for his services to the community.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in the south-west
South West Tasmania
South West Tasmania is a region in Tasmania that has evolved over the fifty years between its consideration as a potential resource for development to its consideration as World Heritage wilderness...
area of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Access is only by sea via Port Davey
Port Davey, Tasmania
Port Davey is an inlet on the south west coast of Tasmania. It lies next to Bathurst Harbour and is sheltered from the Roaring Forties that buffet the south and west coasts of Tasmania. It lies within the Melaleuca to Birchs Inlet Important Bird Area. It is not populated, but has over time had a...
, by air or by foot.
The settlement consists of a couple of buildings and a bird hide where the Orange-bellied Parrot
Orange-bellied Parrot
The Orange-bellied Parrot is a small broad-tailed parrot endemic to southern Australia, and one of only two species of parrot which migrate. The adult male is distinguished by its bright grass-green upperparts, yellow underparts and orange belly patch. The adult female and juvenile are duller...
can be viewed, and is a major tourist attraction. Melaleuca has a gravel airstrip which is used by small aircraft which service hiking
Backpacking (wilderness)
Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...
needs and which bring tourists to the remote South West Wilderness region of the state. Two hiking trails meet at Melaleuca: the Port Davey Track
Port Davey Track
The Port Davey track in the South Coast Tasmania region is a bushwalking track in the Southwest National Park of Tasmania, Australia.The Port Davey track starts or ends at Melaleuca and runs for 65km north to the Scotts Peak Road...
and the South Coast Track. There are no shops nor any facilities apart from two walkers' huts. Camping is available nearby.
From the 1930s until the area gained World Heritage
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
status, Melaleuca had been the location leased for mining ventures.
Deny King
From 1936 until his death in 1991, Melaleuca was home to tin miner Deny KingDeny King
Charles Denison Deny King AM was an Australian naturalist, ornithologist, environmentalist, painter and miner. He spent fifty five years living in Melaleuca in the remote South West Wilderness of Tasmania where he discovered the extinct shrub, Banksia kingii.King was a tin miner by profession and...
who discovered the extinct shrub, Banksia kingii
Banksia kingii
Banksia kingii is an extinct species of tree or shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It is known only from fossil leaves and fruiting "cones" found in Late Pleistocene sediment at Melaleuca Inlet in western Tasmania. These were discovered by Deny King in the workings of his tin mine...
as well as a species of eyebright, 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
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
for his services to the community.