| Macquarie Harbour | |
|---|---|
| Parralaongatek | |
 A view across Macquarie Harbour (Mount Sorell at rear). | |
  Macquarie Harbour Location inTasmania | |
 False colourLandsat image centred on Macquarie Harbour, looking northwest, draped over digital elevation model with x2 vertical exaggeration; screen capture from theNASA World Wind | |
| Location | Western Tasmania |
| Coordinates | 42°17′38″S145°21′31″E / 42.29389°S 145.35861°E /-42.29389; 145.35861 |
| Etymology | Lachlan Macquarie |
| River sources | |
| Ocean/sea sources | Southern Ocean |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Islands | Sarah Island |
| Sections/sub-basins | |
| Settlements | Strahan |
Macquarie Harbour is a shallowfjord in theWest Coast region ofTasmania, Australia. It is approximately 315 square kilometres (122 sq mi), and has an average depth of 15 metres (49 ft), with deeper places up to 50 metres (160 ft). It is navigable by shallow-draft vessels. The main channel is kept clear by the presence of a rock wall on the outside of the channel's curve. This man-made wall prevents erosion and keeps the channel deep and narrow, rather than allowing the channel to become wide and shallow. A reported Aboriginal name for the harbour isParralaongatek.[1]
The harbour was named in honour of Scottish Major GeneralLachlan Macquarie, the fifthColonialGovernor of New South Wales.
James Kelly wrote in his narrativeFirst Discovery of Port Davey and Macquarie Harbour how he sailed fromHobart in a small open five-oared whaleboat to discover Macquarie Harbour on 28 December 1815.[2]
However, different accounts of the journey have indicated different methods and dates of the discovery. In the commentary to theHistorical Records of Australia, the editor notes that T.W. Birch stated before the commission of inquiry into the state of the colony in 1820 that Kelly had discovered Macquarie Harbour after proceeding along in a boat from Port Davey where they had travelled in the schoonerHenrietta Packet. Kelly gave evidence before the commission, and did not mention any discoveries. In a letter dated 11 April 1816, preserved in the record office, London, T.W. Birch transmitted an account of this voyage, which records the discovery of Macquarie Harbour on 26 December 1815.[3]
Charles Whitham notes variations on the date.[4]
Surveyor-General Oxley of New South Wales in March 1820 battled with the seas around the heads and Hells Gates. Surveyor-General Evans travelled in the area in 1821–22.
In September 2020, almost 100pilot whales were rescued from the harbour after becoming stranded. An estimated 350 whales which were unable to be rescued died.[5]
The harbour was established as a prison which was a place of "extreme physical and mental torture".[6] It was built forBritish convicts includingIrish patriots but manyAboriginal Tasmanians were also detained there.[citation needed]
TheKing River which cuts through theWest Coast Range and theGordon River empty into Macquarie Harbour. The narrow entrance to Macquarie Harbour has hazardous tidal currents and is calledHell's Gates. Outside of the Harbour the entrance area is known as Macquarie Heads, and the most western point is Cape Sorell. The sheer volume of fresh water that pours into the Harbour through the rivers, combined with the narrow exit result in barometric tides.[7] When there is rain in the mountains surrounding the Harbour, the tide rises, and it falls when the atmospheric pressure reverses and results in less rain.
TheQueen River, King River and Macquarie Harbour were all polluted by mine waste from theMount Lyell Mining and Railway Company until its closing in 1994. It is estimated that 100 million tonnes of tailings were disposed of into the Queen River. TheMount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program was carried out by the office of Supervising Scientist and the Tasmanian Department of Environment and Land Management over the following two years. The result of the program a marked reduction in the waste material entering the rivers and harbour.
The Islands are regularly surveyed.[8]
The first settlement at Macquarie Harbour was onSarah Island, a small island in the harbour, named after the wife of Thomas William Birch. This island was used as a prison for recalcitrant prisoners from other settlements inTasmania, due to its extreme isolation and extreme climate.
Later the small port ofStrahan was developed on the shores of Macquarie Harbour to support the nearby mining settlements, mainlyQueenstown. Another port was developed on the south east section of the harbour inKelly Basin along with townsite ofPillinger. The settlement and port were short lived as was theNorth Mount Lyell company that developed the facilities.
Strahan is the departure point for tourism on Tasmania's west coast. TheWest Coast Wilderness Railway takes part of the northeastern shore of the Harbour, before turning inland at the mouth of the King River. Boats take tourists from Strahan to Hell's Gates and Macquarie Heads, Sarah Island and up the lower reaches of the Gordon River. Charter flights using helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft launch fromStrahan Airport.
Salmon farms were first established in Macquarie Harbour in the 1980s. Production increased significantly in the 21st century.Tassal established farms there in 2003,Huon Aquaculture in 2008 and Petuna around 2011.[10] A range of associated environmental issues in Macquarie Harbour have followed the harbour's industrialisation.[11][12][13][14][15] Problems include the creation of de-oxygenated "dead zones" beneath pens and massive stock mortalities occurred as stocking and pollution loads increased.[10]
Management practices have been questioned and challenged,[16][17] after which the EPA reduced the farms' stocking capacities.[10]
The fate of the endangeredMaugean skate has been a subject of concern and investigation.[18]
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