Population Characteristics
The population of the West Coast is 5,088 (2004).
Queenstown and the West Coast region is an area of striking contrasts, from the denuded landscape around Queenstown - the result of more than a century of mining, bushfires and sulphur fumes - to the nearby rainforests and rugged mountain peaks.
Gold was discovered in the Queen River in 1881 and the town is steeped in mining history. The region is one of Australia's richest mineral areas with zinc, tin, copper and some precious metals still being extracted from Australia's oldest mine, Mt Lyell. The mines in Queenstown, Rosebery and Zeehan are major contributors to the Tasmanian economy.
 Queenstown Post Office For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, Queenstown had a thriving population and until the 1960s, was Tasmania's third largest urban centre. Since then world commodity prices have fallen, mining technology has changed, and major hydro-electric projects have been completed and the Queenstown and West Coast population has declined. However, the West Coast has now become a major drawcard for interstate and overseas tourists who are overwhelmed by the rugged beauty of the region.
Nearby Strahan is situated on the second largest natural harbour in the southern hemisphere, Macquarie Harbour, which was once the harshest penal settlement in the British Empire. Strahan has a relaxed atmosphere and the convict settlement is easily accessible from the town.
Regional Health Indicators
West Coast
Low proportion of population aged 65 and over (6.2%)
High death rates for males
High death rates for females
High death rate for cancer, diseases of the circulatory system
High admission rates for bronchitis, emphysema or asthma and other respiratory system diseases
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