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The Melba Flats to Zeehan Rail Trail is a remote 9 km adventure trail on Tasmania’s rugged West Coast, following historic railway formations between Melba Flats and the mining town of Zeehan. Unlike a manicured recreational rail trail, this is a genuine exploratory mountain bike ride across open button-grass plains, with compacted earth, grass, gravel, old railway sleepers, creek crossings, washouts and sections that can become wet or overgrown. The trail is relatively isolated and poorly signposted, making it best suited to mountain bikes and self-sufficient riders comfortable with navigation and rougher terrain. The route has an interesting railway history, with two separate railway lines once running roughly parallel between Zeehan and Melba Flats. One was the two-foot-gauge North East Dundas Tramway, built to transport ore from the mines around Williamsford to Zeehan, while the other was the wider-gauge Emu Bay Railway, which connected Zeehan with Tasmania’s north-west coast. Remnants of both corridors can still be encountered, including old sleepers, railway formations, bridge sites and other infrastructure slowly being reclaimed by the West Coast landscape. One of the biggest attractions for adventurous riders is the opportunity to extend the ride beyond Melba Flats. The trail connects with the 19 km Montezuma Falls Rail Trail, following more of the old North East Dundas Tramway towards Montezuma Falls and Williamsford. Linking the trails can create an adventurous ride of around 55–56 km return from Zeehan, taking riders from exposed button-grass plains into lush rainforest and past historic mining and railway remains on the way to one of Tasmania’s highest waterfalls. RTS Tip: Don’t approach Melba Flats to Zeehan expecting a smooth family rail trail — this is West Coast adventure riding. Navigation can be tricky, creek crossings and washouts may require some hike-a-bike, and sections can be boggy or overgrown. Download your route before leaving, carry food, water, repair gear and suitable wet-weather clothing, and allow considerably more time than you normally would for a 9 km ride. For experienced riders wanting a bigger mission, link it with Montezuma Falls and Williamsford for a memorable full-day MTB adventure.

The Montezuma Falls Rail Trail is a spectacular and adventurous mountain bike ride on Tasmania’s West Coast, following the historic North East Dundas Tramway between Williamsford, Montezuma Falls and Melba Flats near Zeehan and Rosebery. The main rail-trail route is approximately 19 km one way, travelling through dense temperate rainforest filled with myrtle, sassafras and leatherwood before reaching Montezuma Falls, one of Tasmania’s highest waterfalls. The old tramway’s gentle gradients disguise a surprisingly adventurous ride, with compacted earth, fine gravel, mud, creek crossings, washouts and sections shared with 4WD vehicles. The most accessible section runs approximately 5.5 km from Williamsford to Montezuma Falls, creating an 11 km return ride. Following the old railway formation through lush rainforest, this section is generally easier than the rest of the route and provides a brilliant introduction to West Coast Tasmania cycling. At the falls, riders reach the impressive suspension bridge spanning the gorge, with remnants of the original curved timber railway trestle still visible nearby. Beyond Montezuma Falls, the approximately 14 km section to Melba Flats becomes considerably more adventurous. The former railway formation is also used by 4WD vehicles and can contain deep puddles, muddy sections, rocky washouts and creek crossings where the original timber bridges have disappeared. At Melba Flats, adventurous riders can connect with the Melba Flats to Zeehan Rail Trail, creating the possibility of a much bigger West Coast MTB journey through historic mining country. The trail follows a railway constructed in the late 1890s to carry ore from mines around Dundas and Mount Read towards Zeehan. Today, old railway formations, mining remnants and the abandoned settlement of Williamsford provide reminders of the region’s mining boom, while the surrounding rainforest has reclaimed much of the landscape. RTS Tip: Choose your ride carefully. Williamsford to Montezuma Falls and return is the shorter option, while continuing towards Melba Flats turns this into a much more remote MTB adventure requiring proper preparation, wider tyres, food, water, repair gear and offline navigation. Important: as of August 2026, the Williamsford-side Montezuma Falls walking track is temporarily closed due to windfall and a landslip. Access to the southern end of the suspension bridge via the 4WD track remains available. Check the latest Tasmania Parks alerts before travelling, as conditions and access can change.

The Spray Tunnel and Comstock Tramways, just outside Zeehan on Tasmania’s West Coast, offer a fascinating 6 km mountain bike and walking route through one of the region’s historic mining landscapes. The ride follows sections of four interconnected former mining tramways, travelling over compacted-earth tracks through forest and old mine workings before reaching the remarkable Spray Tunnel. The highlight is undoubtedly the Spray Tunnel, a narrow, keyhole-shaped former railway tunnel cut through the hillside to transport ore from the Spray Silver Mine. Official tourism information describes it as approximately 100 m long, 3 m high and 2.2 m wide. Inside, it becomes extremely dark and glow-worms can sometimes be seen on the tunnel ceiling, making riding or walking through it one of the more unusual rail-trail experiences in Tasmania. Beyond the tunnel, riders can continue along the old tramway towards Comstock, passing through a landscape filled with remnants of Zeehan’s mining boom. Old mine sites, abandoned boilers, tramway cuttings and other industrial relics remain scattered throughout the area. The tramway surfaces are generally compacted but conditions can become muddy, puddled and rough, particularly given the West Coast’s high rainfall. The trail can also be incorporated into a much bigger MTB ride. A popular Spray Tunnel–Oonah Hill loop of around 15 km combines the historic tramways with purpose-built mountain bike trail, climbing into the open buttongrass country before descending back towards Zeehan. The surrounding Silver City MTB Trails now provide even more options for extending a visit into a full day of riding. RTS Tip: Take a bike light or good torch — the Spray Tunnel gets deceptively dark in the middle, and having a light also gives you a chance to spot the glow-worms overhead. Stay on the established route around the old mining areas, as historic mine shafts and workings remain in the landscape. For a bigger adventure, combine the tramways with Oonah Hill and the Silver City MTB network, but download your maps first and be prepared for rapidly changing West Coast weather.

Clarence Mountain Bike Park & Meehan Range is one of Hobart’s go-to riding destinations, with around 40km of singletrack backed by a network of fire trails across the eastern side of the city. The network caters for green, blue and black riders, combining cross-country loops, technical climbing and fast descents with brilliant views across the Derwent and towards kunanyi / Mount Wellington. At the main trailhead you’ll find a skills park and pump track, complete with jumps, drops, a whale tail and wall ride, while further into the range trails such as K’s Choice, Corkscrew, Dinosaur Descent and Grassy Valley provide plenty of progression. Its generally drier conditions also make Meehan a particularly handy option when trails elsewhere around Hobart are wet. RTS Tip: Start from the Flagstaff Gully Link Road trailhead and use K’s Choice for a friendlier climb towards the Meehan Skyline, or tackle Corkscrew Climb if you’re after something more technical. Advanced riders can seek out Grassy Valley’s rockier lines, but inspect features before committing — some trails contain significant drops, jumps and obstacles.

The Strahan to Zeehan Road is an unusual piece of Tasmania’s rail-trail history. Rather than being a dedicated off-road trail, much of the modern B27 between Strahan and Zeehan follows or closely parallels the formation of the former Strahan–Zeehan railway. Rail Trails Australia lists the historic route at approximately 41.8 km, with a sealed surface and gentle railway-style gradients through the wild landscapes of Tasmania’s West Coast. It is suitable for touring, gravel and mountain bikes, although riders need to be comfortable sharing a rural road with vehicles. The route travels north from Strahan, leaving Macquarie Harbour behind and crossing a landscape of button grass plains, rainforest, rivers and rugged West Coast ranges before reaching Zeehan. Although the road undulates, its railway heritage means much of the route has relatively manageable gradients compared with many other West Coast roads. The B27 remains a sealed single-carriageway road through largely undeveloped country. Around 15 km south of Zeehan, adventurous riders can find one of the few places where the original railway formation separates significantly from the modern road. An unsignposted 4WD track follows the old railway easement for approximately 5 km near the Badger River. However, this is not a continuous alternative route: the track eventually ends abruptly at a steep ravine where a railway bridge once stood, so riders must turn around rather than attempting to continue through. The railway between Zeehan and Strahan was once a vital West Coast transport connection, at a time when roads through this rugged landscape were extremely limited. Following the decline of the railway system and gradual construction of better roads, portions of the former formation were incorporated into the modern road corridor. Zeehan makes a rewarding destination, particularly for riders interested in mining and railway history. It can also be used as a base for several excellent off-road rides, including the Spray Tunnel and Comstock Tramways, Silver City MTB Trails, Melba Flats to Zeehan Rail Trail and Montezuma Falls Rail Trail. RTS Tip: Don’t mistake this listing for a conventional traffic-free rail trail — most of the Strahan–Zeehan journey is on the sealed B27 road. It’s best suited to confident road, touring or gravel riders comfortable with remote-road riding. Carry plenty of food, water, tools and wet-weather gear, as services between the towns are extremely limited and West Coast conditions can change quickly. If exploring the old railway formation near Badger River, remember that it dead-ends at the missing bridge site and is not a through-route.