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Arthur-Pieman: Sandy Cape and the Western Explorer, Tarkine coast (north-west Tasmania)

Trips / TAS

Tarkine coastTarkine coast (north-west Tasmania)

Arthur-Pieman: Sandy Cape and the Western Explorer

The Western Explorer is a gravel road from Arthur River to the Pieman River barge at Corinna, while the 4WD tracks south of Temma, including the Sandy Cape and Balfour tracks, cross dunes, beaches, bog holes and river mouths on a wild, exposed coast. Rangers do not close tracks for bad conditions, so the call on each crossing is yours.

From Narangba1,940 km
TripA week or more
DifficultyHard
Longest fuel gap170 km
When to go
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
Red is the best of it; hatched is when tracks or parks are closed.
  • beach
  • sand
  • dunes
  • mud
  • water crossings
  • rock
  • remote

Permits Arthur-Pieman Conservation Area Recreational Driver Pass from Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania (1 month or 12 months) for any track off the main roads, including the Sandy Cape and Balfour tracks; it covers camping south of Temma.

Before you go Book the Spirit of Tasmania from Geelong, and fill up at Marrawah, the last fuel before Zeehan via Corinna. Keep off the old coastal tracks south of Sandy Cape (501, 503 and 601).

1,940 km by road from the workshop Narangba

What the trip asks of your 4WD

In the order a fitter would raise them, each with the reason. Up to three parts that fit for each, the first already chosen; swap any of them, or mark one you don't need.

Build it for your 4WD

Your rego or your model, and every part below is one that fits it. Until then you see the gear that fits any 4WD; the parts made for one vehicle wait for yours.

Rego · fastest

We look up the make, model, series and engine from the plate. We keep the plate and the vehicle details, never the owner’s, for 90 days, so you aren’t asked twice.

Make & model

  1. 1 · Recovery

    Deep bogs, soft sand and quicksand at river mouths are why rangers advise a winch and a second vehicle.

    • View part
    • View part
    • View part

  2. 2 · Suspension & GVM

    Clearance helps across washed-out dune tracks, bog holes and rocky sections.

    Build the suspension for your 4WDLift, load and the engineer's rules for your state, specced for the vehicle and what it carries.

    • 3 · Air intake

      Creek and river-mouth crossings such as Greenes Creek and the Pedder River run deep after rain.

    • 4 · Bull bars

      A winch-rated bar gives the winch a home, and wallabies and wombats crowd the roads at dusk.

    • 5 · Rock sliders

      Rocky, eroded sections and bog-hole exits put the sills in contact with the ground.

    • 6 · Lighting & 12V

      A dual battery keeps the fridge going at remote coastal camps with no services.

    • 7 · Storage & racks

      Everything comes in with you, including the elevated fire pot that is compulsory for camping in the conservation area.

    Each of these is made for one vehicle, so the parts show once we know yours.

The trip asks for these; the rest of the rig is yours to choose. Build the whole rig for this trip.

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