Category Archives: Lookouts

The View from Sumac Lookout

Photograph of wide river winding through forest.

Sumac Lookout is a view over the Arthur River in northwest Tasmania, Australia.

Getting there

Sumac Lookout was on Sumac Road. It was about 1.7 kilometres from Kanunnah Bridge over the Arthur River, and 7.3 kilometres from the Julius River car park (which is also where the nearest toilets were). Sumac Road was sealed here, as was the entire main road for the Tarkine Drive.

The car park was a wide expanse of asphalt on the northeast side of Sumac Road. A large carved wooden sign made it difficult to miss. The road was otherwise narrow, and drivers who missed the car park could have difficulty turning around.
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The view from the Mersey Valley Oliver’s Road Scenic Lookout

Photograph of line of mountain bluffs under a clear blue sky.

Tasmania’s Mersey Valley is a pleasant green expanse in the north of the state. The Mersey Valley Oliver’s Road Scenic Lookout offers views from the western end of the valley.

Getting there

The lookout was, helpfully enough, on the side of Oliver’s Road. This road was sealed but had many tight bends. Allow plenty of time for driving along it. The lookout itself was marked by signs but could be easily missed. Pay attention after driving past the junction to Lemonthyme Road (if travelling south) or Old Gad’s Hill Road (if travelling north).

The car park was a patch of gravel next to Oliver’s Road.
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The view from Red Knoll Lookout

Photograph of mountains surrounding artificial lake.

Southwest Tasmania is famous for its rugged landscape. Hardy bushwalkers recommend walking it for days for the best experience, but you can catch a glimpse from your car if you drive to Red Knoll, on the southern edge of Lake Pedder.

Getting there

Red Knoll lies within the Southwest National Park, so visitors will need a current National Parks Pass.

As of January 2014, there was no place to buy petrol southwest of the town of Maydena. From there, the drive was along Gordon River Road for 31 winding kilometres followed by turn south onto Scotts then a turn onto Scotts Peak Road and 38 kilometres from there.

All of these roads were built to admit construction vehicles for dams and power stations. They were wide, solid and had smooth bends. However, the entire length of Scotts Peak Road was unsealed.

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The view from The Sideling Lookout

Photograph of low mountain tinted pink by sunset.

The Tasman Highway connects Hobart to Launceston in a wide loop around Tasmania’s east coast. Between Scottsdale and Launceston it winds over the Sideling Range and is called “The Sideling”. This road is not the easiest to drive, but from the north-east edge of the ridge a car park and lookout offer impressive views over Scottsdale and Mount Stronach.

Getting there

The car park was hard to miss while driving from either direction. It contained one of the few patches of grass in a road otherwise surrounded by treeferns, plantations or steep drops. It was on the east side of the road, so on the right while driving from Launceston and on the left while driving from Scottsdale.

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Walking to the Pelverata Falls Lookout

Photograph of long brown cliff with waterfall flowing down part of it.

Pelverata Falls form where Pelverata Creek flows west off Snug Tiers on the Huon Peninsula, Tasmania, Australia. The walking track described here leads from Crosswells Road to a lookout below the falls.

Getting there

Two road routes led to the start of the walking track. Both were slow driving due to the many bends.

  1. South from Sandfly on Pelverata Road. Drive through Kaoota and Pelverata, then turn left onto Crosswells Road. This half of Pelverata Road was narrow, but was sealed, unlike the other half.
  2. East from Woodstock on Pelverata Road. Drive through Upper Woodstock and across several bridges, then turn right onto Crosswells Road. This half of Pelverata Road was unsealed, but was wider than the other half.

Crosswells Road was also unsealed but only a kilometre long, ending in a car park at the start of the Pelverata Falls Track.

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