Central Plateau Conservation Area, Nature reserve in Tasmania, Australia
The Central Plateau Conservation Area is a nature reserve spanning moorlands, mountain lakes, and varied ecosystems across Tasmania's northern wilderness. The landscape features rolling terrain with numerous waterways and distinctive alpine vegetation adapted to cool, wet conditions.
The conservation area was established as a protected zone in 1978 and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 for its ecological importance. This designation reflected the region's value in preserving pristine natural systems and biodiversity.
Local Indigenous communities traditionally hunted and gathered across this moorland for thousands of years, leaving their mark on place names and landscape knowledge. This deep connection to the land remains visible in how the area is understood and valued today.
Access is available via Highland Lakes Road A5 or Poatina Road B51, with entry points at Cramps Bay and Bronte Park. Visitors should prepare for changeable weather and bring proper gear, as the elevation and climate create cold, wet conditions most of the year.
Near Lake Augusta stand rare alpine sand formations found nowhere else in Australia, created through specific glacial processes over thousands of years. These geological features are a window into the plateau's unique ice age past.
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