Mount Lyell (Tasmania) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mount Lyell
Mount Lyell Location in Tasmania
Highest point
Elevation	917 m (3,009 ft)
Geography
Location	Western Tasmania, Australia
Parent range	West Coast
Climbing
Easiest route	Scramble but not from west (mining area)

Mount Lyell is a cool mountain located in Western Tasmania, Australia. It's part of the West Coast Range. This mountain stands tall at 917 meters (about 3,008 feet) above sea level.

To the north of Mount Lyell, you'll find Mount Sedgwick. To the south, there's Mount Owen.

The mountain got its name in 1863 from Charles Gould. He named it after a famous geologist named Charles Lyell. Lyell was a big supporter of Charles Darwin's ideas.

For a long time, "Mount Lyell" was also the short name for a very important company. This company was called the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company.

Mining History at Mount Lyell

Mount Lyell has a rich history linked to mining. The main operations of the Mount Lyell company were mostly on the land between Mount Owen and Mount Lyell. They also worked on the western side of the mountain.

On the eastern side of this area, there were older mines known as the North Mount Lyell workings. A very sad event happened there in 1912, known as the 1912 North Mount Lyell Disaster.

In the early days of mining, there was a smaller mine called Comstock. It was located on the northern side of Mount Lyell. Later, in the late 1900s, a part of the mine near Comstock was called Cape Horn. The western end of the mountain is even named Cape Horn Spur. This is because the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company had a mine there in the 1970s.

Railways and the Mountain Environment

There was once a plan to build a railway line around Mount Lyell. It was supposed to go from Linda in the Linda Valley. The railway would have circled the southern, eastern, and northern sides of the mountain. The ground for the railway was prepared, but the tracks were never actually used.

The sides of Mount Lyell have faced many challenges. They have seen bush fires and smoke from smelters. The area also gets a lot of rain. Because of this, the plants and the old tree stumps on the southern side of the mountain look very unique.