WEST COAST HERITAGE CENTRE

Welcome to West Coast Heritage Centre

The West Coast Heritage Centre in Zeehan has thousands of stories to tell. Step back in time and gain an insight into what life was like back in the mining boom days.

Stroll down the main street of what was once known as "Silver City". Across four remarkable old buildings in Zeehan, 30 themed exhibition spaces interpret the rich industrial and social heritage of Tasmania’s west coast.

There are trains to climb on and an underground mine simulation to keep children engaged. There’s much for adults, too, in collections of relics, minerals and recreations of this mining boomtown. With much of the original architecture still standing, the main street is like a museum in itself.

The museums, galleries and the Zeehan School of Mines and Metallurgy are just a few of the top haunts to explore. The historic Gaiety Theatre is always on show, and a world-class mineral collection lights up the rock shop. There’s a Freemasons display and a pioneer women's gallery that both speak volumes about life here in yesteryear.

Venture into an intriguing past and learn a thing or two about the quirky, remote and rugged west coast.

Zeehan’s history

The origin of the Zeehan boom and bust traces back to 1871, when tin was first found about ninety kilometres north at Mount Bischoff near Waratah. Explorations in the region continued. Then, in 1882, Prospector Frank Long discovered silver near Mount Zeehan – setting in motion the development of an unlikely business and culture hotbed.

A town was born, and Main Street became an elegant epicentre for commerce and industry, including hotels, butchers, newsagencies and more. It’s hard to fathom now that this quiet locale with about 720 residents was once Tasmania’s third-largest town behind Hobart and Launceston, with a lively population of about 10,000 people in its heyday.

The Zeehan School of Mines and Metallurgy was built in 1903, training young men in specialised courses and amassing an impressive collection of rare and unique mineral specimens.

The rise of this town was short-lived, as the first world war brought with it tough times, and ore deposits became scarce. The metallurgy school closed in the 1960s, but the mineral collection remains on site under the ownership of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery at the West Coast Heritage Centre. This not-for-profit museum has been in operation for more than half a century, kept alive by passionate volunteers and keen visitors who fund the centre through ticket and gift shop purchases.

Enter the Centre

Arrive at Main Street to an 1890s streetscape. Grand old buildings line the side of the road in shades of yellow, green, blue and white – embellished with ornate pilasters and decorative archways. It’s a rather magnificent setting for such a quiet town.

The centre itself features four historic buildings and several outdoor spaces showcasing 30 themed exhibits exploring the rich heritage of the west coast. Journey back in time as you explore a vast and varied collection featuring locomotives and mining machinery, a world-class mineral collection, the pioneer women's gallery, and the original theatre, which still screens silent films.

The main street entrance is located towards the southern end of the Heritage Centre, providing direct access to the historic brick building which houses the Zeehan School of Mines and Metallurgy. Along with educational displays that delve into the mining exploration and extraction processes, this building also features a fascinating collection of shiny mineral specimens.

The “historical documents” space, also located within this first building, portrays original newspaper clippings of past events, including the 2012 North Mount Lyell mining disaster – when a ferocious fire took the lives of 42 miners. An audio-visual display in this gallery space explores the tragic event in more detail.

This first building also houses the main office, gift shop and toilets.

Further to the north, in the adjoining Pioneer’s Museum, you’ll find a cluster of exhibits portraying the unique heritage of each of the west coast’s towns or regions. Nearby, another gallery hosts a Masonic Lodge Display, depicting the secret quarters of Freemasons – a fraternity with its roots in centuries-old stonemason guilds. The display includes traditional dark timber furniture adorned with mysterious symbols and visual art peppered with iconography. Listen to the audio recording here to learn about the stories and meaning behind the objects.

The courthouse and Gaiety Theatre

Exiting the Pioneers’ Museum and heading further north along Main Street, you’ll pass a taller yellow heritage structure with baby-blue pilasters. This is the quaint Zeehan Post Office, which continues to operate today.

The next stand-alone building is the original police station and courthouse. This is the smallest of the four buildings – with a neat, cream-coloured façade; a green roof with two chimneys at opposite ends; and narrow arched windows and doors with dark-green trim. Take up a position– perhaps in the magistrate’s chair, or the defendant’s area – and have some fun role-playing in this old-fashioned setting. You might gain a sense of how it felt to be an accused criminal, a lawyer, witness or magistrate in here many decades ago.

The final building in the grand Heritage Centre line-up is the 1898 Gaiety Theatre, with its chocolate-box facades and red and green trim. Built during Tasmania’s mining boom, the grand Gaiety could seat an audience of more than 1000, and was considered one of the best theatres in Australia. Today it's one of the few places in the world with daily screenings of silent films: often showing is a 1925 Hollywood movie titled Jewelled Nights, in which a socialite disguises herself as a boy and relocates to the remote Savage River in Tasmania; and The Story of the Kelly Gang, a popular Australian bushranger film originally shown at the Gaiety Theatre in 1907.

Outdoor Exhibits

Scattered within the grounds of the Heritage Centre, to the south and behind the historic buildings that line Main Street, you’ll discover a range of outdoor exhibits focusing on transport, machinery and equipment from back in the day.

At the far southern end of the grounds you’ll find the rail yard, where you can climb into a decommissioned locomotive, similar to that which still operates along the West Coast Wilderness Railway between Strahan and Queenstown. Then move “underground” to a mine simulation featuring audio-visual displays to recreate the mining environment and shed light on the workers’ original methods.

Towards the back of the property, at the blacksmith forge, you might catch a live demonstration – hear metal clanging upon an anvil that glows a vivid shade of orange from the hot fire.

A wheelwright shop, stamp battery, replica miner’s cottage and motor vehicle display also invite your exploration.

Accessibility

The West Coast Heritage Centre welcomes dog guides and offers free carer admission to visitors presenting companion cards, from any state or territory. Tickets to the centre are available at adult, concession and family price points. Free parking is available in front of the main entrance to the venue.

The West Coast Heritage Centre also has a free app available for download from the App Store and Google Play. This app contains additional information that may assist visitors to navigate the centre and gain additional insights.

Visitors who use wheelchairs can access the centre via the train yard gate, to the right of the main street entrance as you face the centre. Note that all galleries on the ground floor are wheelchair-accessible, but galleries eight to 14 are not. The yard area has ramps and paths allowing wheelchair access to outdoor exhibits. Accessible bathrooms are also available, and are located within the main building. For further access requirements, contact the centre ahead of or during your visit.

This heritage hub is open daily from 9.30am to 4pm. Reach Zeehan via a 183-kilometre drive south-west of Devonport, or a 298-kilometre drive north-west of Hobart.

The Tassielink 747 bus travels between the north-west hub of Burnie and the far-west coastal town of Strahan, stopping via Zeehan’s Main Street. Find more public transport information at transport.tas.gov.au.

In Zeehan, you’ll find a grocery store and two pubs. Dine at the hearty Heemskirk Hotel, or head to Hotel Cecil for an old-fashioned mixed grill; it also rents out old miners' cottages. Food is also available at Crib Hut, Carols on Main Coffee Van, and Pitstop Cafe. A range of other accommodation is available in the area, including a rustic cabin on the outskirts of town known as the Lazy Prospector.