Sunrise over a  frozen lake on the Central Plateau
A frozen lake on the Central Plateau (photograph: Dan Broun)
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Central Plateau Conservation Area

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Alerts for Central Plateau Conservation Area

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Track closure: Roadworks Western Lakes (Central Plateau Conservation Area)
Applies from 1/3/2023, until 4/4/2023
​​The Inland Fisheries Service (IFS) is undertaking upgrades to the Lake Kay and Double Lagoon vehicle tracks in the Western Lakes, within the Central Plateau Conservation Area.  

The track upgrades are scheduled to commence on 1 March 2023 and be completed on 04 April 2023, weather permitting. 

The tracks will be subject to periodic closure to the public during this period. 

Drivers should observe all signs and speed limits on the affected roads and be aware of trucks and heavy machinery on Lake Augusta Road.

For further information and updates please visit: Inland Fisheries Double Lagoon and Lake Kay track upgrades

Last reviewed 29/3/2023 09:52 AM


Track closure: Change to access - Lake Augusta Road, Central Plateau Conservation Area
Applies from 22/11/2022

​​Update 2 January 2023

Access to the Lake Ada carpark is now open. Visitors are asked to proceed with caution due to damage of the Lake Augusta spillway, and a high clearance 4WD vehicle is recommended.

Access to Lake Augusta via Lake Augusta Road is open via a temporary, one-lane army bridge. Visitors are reminded to drive to the conditions and comply with onsite signage.

For further information, please contact the Great Western Tiers Field Centre on 6701 21​04.

Last reviewed 24/1/2023 08:43 AM


About

​The Central Plateau Conservation Area is a wild place of sub-alpine moorlands and a myriad of ​tarns on the northern edge of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It is in the isolated heart of Tasmania and is un-serviced by the State’s major road network other than the A5 which forms the eastern boundary. Flanked on the east by Great Lake and the west by the Walls of Jerusalem National Park, it is also referred to as the 'land of a thousand lakes'.​

​​​Anglers and bushwalkers are frequent visitors to the Central Plateau Conservation Area and, luckily for them, they have the interior of this vast tract of watery wilderness to themselves. Generally, travellers in Tasmania stay on the main traffic routes.

Those who take the 'Lake Highway' (Highland Lakes Road), into the heart of the State rarely deviate from it.  It's a scenic route following the shore of Great Lake and offers spectacular views. Only the curious or those equipped with fly fishing or bushwalking gear turn west at Liawenee and head for Lake Augusta (a hydro-electricity storage dam), Lake Ada or a myriad of other lakes and tarns (known as Nineteen Lagoons) dotting the remarkable landscape of the Central Plateau Conservation Area. On a clear day most of the well-known peaks of the Overland Track​ can be seen from here.

​World-class wild trout fisheries are a feature of the conservation area. The wily nature of the trout, the diversity of the waters and the variability of the weather has led to a reputation of demanding trout fishing. 

Some small lakes in the Nineteen Lagoons area, around Lake Augusta, are stocked with trout by the Inland Fisheries Service.

Horse riding​ is permitted for experienced riders with mounts used to travelling in rough country. Horse riders must register with the Greater Western Tiers field centre. Some areas require permits and have number limits. ​

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