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| Du Cane Range | |
|---|---|
| Name | Du Cane Range |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Tasmania |
| Region | Central Highlands |
| Highest | unnamed peak (Mt. Ossa massif) |
| Elevation m | 1524 |
Du Cane Range The Du Cane Range is a mountain range in the Central Highlands of Tasmania, Australia, forming a major component of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The range contains some of Tasmania's highest summits, rugged dolerite columns, and glacially sculpted lakes, and it is a focal point for hikers, climbers and naturalists visiting Hobart, Launceston, and the Tasmanian alpine plateau. The range lies within the broader context of Australia's Great Dividing Range physiography and is frequently referenced in studies by institutions such as the University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service.
The Du Cane Range sits in the Central Highlands near Cradle Mountain, Mount Ossa, and the Overland Track, bounded by valleys draining to Lake St Clair and the Meredith River. Nearby geographic features include Hartnett Falls, Perrins Bluff, and the glacial lakes of the Freycinet Peninsula region, while access routes connect to towns like Derwent Bridge, Strahan, and Deloraine. The range's topography of buttresses, cols and cirques is comparable to nearby ranges such as the King William Range and the Western Tiers, and it contributes to catchments feeding the Derwent River and the South Esk River.
Dolerite intrusions dominate the Du Cane Range, related to the Jurassic Tasmanian dolerite sills studied alongside formations at Mount Wellington, Freycinet Peninsula, and the Forgan Smith Building vicinities by geologists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the Geological Society of Australia. Evidence of Pleistocene glaciation is displayed in moraines and roche moutonnées similar to features in New Zealand's Southern Alps and the Scottish Highlands. The range's lithology influences soil development, plant communities noted in surveys by the Australian National University and the Tasmanian Herbarium, and has been referenced in palaeoclimate reconstructions by researchers affiliated with Monash University and the Australian Antarctic Division.
Vegetation communities include alpine heath, buttongrass moorland and old-growth buttonwood stands comparable to those documented at Nitmiluk National Park and Kakadu National Park. Fauna records list species monitored by the Tasmanian Threatened Species Unit, including the Tasmanian devil, spotted-tail quoll, and avifauna such as the forty-spotted pardalote and yellow-throated honeyeater observed by ornithologists from the Australian Museum. Conservation management falls under the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, with policy input from agencies like the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment and NGOs such as the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Wilderness Society.
The Du Cane Range area lies within the traditional lands of Aboriginal Tasmanians associated with groups documented in research by the Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania program and the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre. European exploration began in the 19th century with surveyors and naturalists linked to expeditions by figures connected to the Van Diemen's Land Company and to colonial administrators in Hobart Town. Mining prospecting, forestry operations and hydroelectric schemes by entities like the Hydro-Electric Commission influenced regional land use before inclusion in protected areas such as Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park and inscription on the World Heritage List.
The Du Cane Range is traversed by sections of the Overland Track, popular with walkers from Melbourne, Sydney, and international visitors arriving via Hobart International Airport and Launceston Airport. Mountaineering and bouldering are practiced on dolerite buttresses similar to routes at Ben Nevis (Tasmania) and Mt Amos, with guide services, outfitters and conservation groups coordinating permits through the Parks and Wildlife Service and outdoor clubs such as the Tasmanian Walking Company and the Launceston Walking Club. Emergency responses involve the Tasmania Police Search and Rescue and volunteer brigades from towns including Queenstown and Zeehan.
Notable summits and landmarks in and around the range include peaks near Mount Ossa, Mount Pelion West, and features like Lake St Clair, Barn Bluff, and the glaciated cirques comparable to Cradle Mountain and Lake Will. The landscape contains named features catalogued by the Placenames Tasmania authority and illustrated in topographic maps produced by Geoscience Australia and the Tasmanian Land Information System.
The Du Cane Range experiences a cool temperate alpine climate influenced by westerly winds and Southern Ocean systems similar to patterns affecting Macquarie Island and the Southern Ocean. Weather extremes include rapid snowfalls, freezing temperatures and high rainfall, monitored by meteorological stations operated by the Bureau of Meteorology, and the climate regime has been the subject of research by climatologists at the Australian National University and the CSIRO.
Category:Mountain ranges of Tasmania Category:Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area