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Great Western Tiers
Kooparoona Niara
Drys Bluff, part of the Great Western Tiers
Highest point
Peak	Ironstone Mountain
Elevation	1,444 m (4,738 ft) AHD
Coordinates	41°42′36″S 146°28′12″E / 41.71000°S 146.47000°E / -41.71000; 146.47000
Dimensions
Length	100 km (62 mi) NE/SW
Geography
Great Western TiersLocation in Tasmania
Country	Australia
State	Tasmania
District	Central Highlands
Range coordinates	41°55′48″S 147°10′12″E / 41.93000°S 147.17000°E / -41.93000; 147.17000
Geology
Rock age	Jurassic
Rock type	Dolerite

The Great Western Tiers (Palawa kani: Kooparoona Niara) are a collection of mountain bluffs that form the northern edge of the Central Highlands plateau in Tasmania, Australia. The bluffs are contained within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site.

The bluffs stretch northwest to southeast over 100 kilometres (62 mi) from the 1,420-metre (4,660 ft) Western Bluff near the town of Mole Creek to the 1,210-metre (3,970 ft) Millers Bluff, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Campbell Town. During the late 19th century the Tiers were known as the Great Western Range.

Features

The Central Highlands, or Tasmanian central plateau, was uplifted from the lower Meander Valley, most probably in the Eocene epoch though possibly earlier, forming the Tiers' escarpment. The plateau's north-east boundary, which ranges from 760 metres (2,490 ft)–1,500 metres (4,900 ft), originated in extensive Tertiary faulting.

This escarpment divides the high, rocky, sparsely inhabited central plateau from the fertile lower land of the Meander Valley and the northern midlands. The edge of the tiers have prominent cliffs and columns of Jurassic dolerite. The highest peak in the tiers is the 1,444-metre (4,738 ft) Ironstone Mountain. Unlike most of the bluffs this mountain is not visible from the Meander Valley, but is south of the escarpment. The escarpment has a distinct concave profile. Cliffs and scree slopes are common features. The dolerite is so prominent as the older rocks that overlay them are softer and have been eroded away. In places dolerite columns have collapsed into scree slopes.

The face of the tiers has been eroded and retreated approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) since their formation, leaving the mountain Quamby Bluff as a solitary outlier. The central plateau's landform has been changed by glaciation. Valleys under the tiers are filled with talus, mostly bounders with a 25% mix of soil formed from boulder weathering.

Peaks

The peaks and bluffs of the Great Western Tiers include:

• Brady's lookout, at 1,371 metres (4,498 ft). Named after the bushranger Matthew Brady.
• Billop Bluff
• Dry's Bluff at 1,298 metres (4,259 ft). Origin of the Liffey River.
• Ironstone Mountain, at 1,444 metres (4,738 ft)
• Millers Bluff, at 1,210 metres (3,970 ft)
• Mother Cummings Peak, at 1,255 metres (4,117 ft)
• Mount Blackwood
• Mount Parmeener
• Neals Bluff
• Panorama Hill
• Projection Bluff
• Quamby Bluff, at 1,227 metres (4,026 ft)
• Western Bluff, at 1,420 metres (4,660 ft)

Gallery

See also

• List of highest mountains of Tasmania

References

1. Petrusma, Jacquie (3 June 2022). "On Mole Creek & Kooparoona Niara National Parks …". Tasmanian Times. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
2. ^ "Ironstone Mountain, Australia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
3. "Ironstone Mountain (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
4. "Great Western Tiers (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
5. ^ Lloyd, p.1
6. Whitworth, p.91
7. Fish and Yaxley, p.253
8. Fish and Yaxley, p.293
9. Fish and Yaxley, p.294
10. Lloyd, p.5
11. Fish and Yaxley, p.12
12. Whitworth, p.22
13. Whitworth, p.61
14. Whitworth, p.135
15. "Cummings Head, Australia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
16. Forestry Commission of Tasmania, p.9

Bibliography

• Fish, Graham L.; Yaxley, Murray L. (1966). Behind the scenery : the geological background to Tasmanian landforms. Hobart: Tasmanian Education Department.
• Forestry Commission of Tasmania (October 1990). Quamby Bluff Forest Reserve Management Plan. ISBN 0-7246-3507-6.
• Lloyd, Sarah (2012). The edge, a natural history of Tasmania's Great Western Tiers. Friends of Jacky's Marsh Inc. ISBN 978-0-646-57082-2.
• Whitworth, Robert Percy (1877). Baillière's Tasmanian gazetteer and road quide : containing the most recent and accurate information as to every place in the colony. Hobart: F.F. Bailliere.

v t e Mountains in Tasmania, Australia
Arthur Range	Eastern Federation (1,224 m or 4,016 ft)
Ben Lomond	Legges Tor (1,572 m or 5,157 ft) Giblin Peak (1,569 m or 5,148 ft) Markham Heights (1,542 m or 5,059 ft) Hamilton Crags (1,540 m or 5,052 ft) Stacks Bluff (1,527 m or 5,010 ft) Misery Bluff (1,520 m or 4,987 ft) Ossian’s Throne (1,498 m or 4,915 ft) Coalmine Crag (1,498 m or 4,915 ft) Magnet Crag (1,464 m or 4,803 ft) Victoria (1,213 m or 3,980 ft)
Du Cane Range	unnamed peak (1,520 m or 4,987 ft) Geryon North (1,516 m or 4,974 ft) Massif (1,514 m or 4,967 ft) Geryon South (1,509 m or 4,951 ft) Gould (1,485 m or 4,872 ft) Castle Crag (1,482 m or 4,862 ft) Thetis (1,482 m or 4,862 ft) The Acropolis (1,481 m or 4,859 ft) Achilles (1,363 m or 4,472 ft)
Eldon Range	Eldon Peak (1,440 m or 4,724 ft) Eldon Bluff
Great Western Tiers	Ironstone (1,443 m or 4,734 ft)
Pelion Range	Ossa (1,614 m or 5,295 ft) Pelion West (1,560 m or 5,118 ft) Pelion East (1,461 m or 4,793 ft)
Wellington Range	Kunanyi / Wellington (1,269 m or 4,163 ft)
West Coast Range	Murchison (1,275 m or 4,183 ft) Jukes (1,168 m or 3,832 ft) Sedgwick (1,147 m or 3,763 ft) Owen (1,146 m or 3,760 ft) Sorell (1,144 m or 3,753 ft) Read (1,124 m or 3,688 ft) Proprietary Peak (1,103 m or 3,619 ft) Hamilton (1,103 m or 3,619 ft) Darwin (1,031 m or 3,383 ft) Heemskirk Agnew (848 m or 2,782 ft) Dundas (1,143 m or 3,750 ft) Heemskirk (751 m or 2,464 ft) Zeehan (701 m or 2,300 ft) Sticht unnamed peak (1,080 m or 3,543 ft) Tyndall Geikie (1,191 m or 3,907 ft) Tyndall (1,179 m or 3,868 ft)
Not in a defined range	Mount Olympus (1,472 m or 4,829 ft) Frenchmans Cap (1,446 m or 4,744 ft) Barrow (1,406 m or 4,613 ft)
Highest summit elevation in Tasmania Category

• Central Highlands (Tasmania)
• Mountains of Tasmania