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Voykit pocket guide · Australia
Tullah
Stop for one night on the A10 between Cradle Mountain and Strahan: the dam, the steam railway and a bed by the lake. Two nights only if you want a slow day.
Tullah is a village of about 200 people on the Murchison Highway (A10), wedged between Lake Rosebery and Lake Mackintosh under the West Coast Range. It is road-only, roughly 52 km from Cradle Mountain and 84 km from Strahan, and most travellers use it as a break in the west-coast drive rather than a destination. What it has is small and specific: a hydro dam viewpoint, a 1920s steam railway that runs on weekends in summer, one cafe, one tavern and one lodge.
- Country
- Australia
- Best months
- Nov–Apr
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (cold, wet, short days)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- AUD
- Money
- Currency is the Australian dollar (AUD, A$). Contactless cards and phones are accepted almost everywhere, including public transport in the big cities; some small cafes are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget A$80–140 excl. bed · Mid A$140–220 excl. bed · High A$220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telstra has the widest outback coverage; Optus and Vodafone (TPG) are cheaper and fine in cities and along highways.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 000 · From a mobile 112
- Plugs
- Types I · 230 V · 50 Hz · Angled two- or three-pin Type I, shared with NZ, Fiji and China; sockets have their own switch — turn it on.
- Tipping
- Cafés and casual meals: Nothing; a tip jar is optional.; Restaurants: Not expected; 10% for very good service in a nice restaurant if you wish.; Taxi / rideshare: Round up or nothing.; Tours and guides: Optional; A$10–20 for a great day guide.; Surcharges: Weekend and public-holiday surcharges of 10–15% are legal if shown on the menu.
- Water
- Tap water is safe in cities and towns; in remote places use signed drinking taps. Carry plenty on any outback drive or walk.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets in parks, beaches, shopping centres and petrol stations (servos); the National Public Toilet Map app lists them.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or takeaway snack at the cafe | A$5–12 |
| Counter meal at the tavern | A$25–40 |
| Draught beer at the tavern | A$8–12 |
| Steam railway ride, adult | A$12 |
| Fuel, west-coast prices | Above mainland average |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BWT · Burnie Airport (Wynyard)
- About 1 h 30 min by road via the A10; small regional airport, check schedules
- DPO · Devonport Airport
- About 2 h by road; the main north-coast gateway with the Spirit of Tasmania ferry
- HBA · Hobart Airport
- About 4 h by road; the state's main airport
Typical fares
- Tullah → Strahan by road
- about 84 km, about 1 h 30 minabout 52 mi, about 1 h 30 min
- Tullah → Cradle Mountain by road
- about 52 km, about 1 habout 32 mi, about 1 h
- Steam railway ride
- about 20 min, A$12 adult
Get around
The town itself is small enough to walk. You need a car for Mackintosh Dam, a 4 km detour off the A10 with parking at the dam. There is no public transport and no passenger rail; the Wee Georgie Wood line is a heritage ride, not transport.The town itself is small enough to walk. You need a car for Mackintosh Dam, a 2.5 mi detour off the A10 with parking at the dam. There is no public transport and no passenger rail; the Wee Georgie Wood line is a heritage ride, not transport.
See and do
Known for
- Mackintosh Dam and Lake Mackintosh
- Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway
- West Coast Range and Lake Rosebery
- A10 stopover between Cradle Mountain and Strahan
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Strahan | Drive the A10 then B27 | About 1 h 30 min |
| Zeehan | Drive the A10 south | About 40–45 min |
| Cradle Mountain | Drive the A10 then C132 | About 1 h |
| Queenstown | Drive the A10 south | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Farrell Street / lakeside
- Tullah Lakeside Lodge and the cafe; the only real cluster of beds, walkable to everything in town.
- Murchison Highway frontage
- The tavern and the steam railway sit along the A10; handy if you arrive late and leave early.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| How far is it to Strahan? | How far is it to Strahan? |
| Is the steam railway running today? | Is the steam railway running today? |
| Where is the nearest fuel? | Where is the nearest fuel? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake or 'G'day' / 'How are you going?'; first names from the start; avoid: Formal titles; long answers to 'how are you'
- Rounds: Buy your round ('shout') when drinking in a group; avoid: Leaving before your shout
- Queues: Queue patiently; sitting in the front seat of a taxi when alone is common; avoid: Pushing in — it is noticed
- Country: Listen to Welcomes and Acknowledgements; use local place names when offered; avoid: Touching artefacts or photographing ceremonies without permission
- Beach: Swim between the flags; respect lifesavers' instructions; avoid: Swimming at unpatrolled beaches alone
- Humour: Expect teasing and understatement; laugh along; avoid: Taking dry sarcasm literally or boasting
- Walking and driving: Keep left on footpaths and escalators; wave thanks to drivers who let you in; avoid: Stopping on the road to photograph kangaroos
Scams and watch-outs
- Road-only access: no train, no bus, no airport. Arrive with fuel and food sorted.
- The A10 is winding despite a 100 km/h limit; plan on about 60 km/h average, so Zeehan is roughly 40–45 min and Strahan about 1 h 30 min.
- Distances between west-coast towns are long and mobile coverage is patchy: download offline maps before you leave.
- Summer weekends are when the steam railway runs; outside Oct–Apr it may not operate at all.
- Fuel, groceries and open kitchens are limited: the cafe and tavern keep short hours, so eat before they close or bring supplies.
A very small, quiet town and one of the safer stops in Tasmania. The real risks are the drive: wildlife on the road at dawn and dusk, wet and winding surfaces, long gaps between fuel and phone signal, and cold, changeable mountain weather even in summer.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Tullah yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Mackintosh Dam and Lake Mackintosh
- Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway
- West Coast Range and Lake Rosebery
- A10 stopover between Cradle Mountain and Strahan
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tullah Lakeside Lodge: www.tullahlakesidelodge.com.au/
- Wikivoyage: Tullah, revision 4896190 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4896190
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Tullah
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No consulates in Tullah; the nearest consular help for most countries is in Hobart or Melbourne.
Small town: carry cash as a backup and fill the tank before you arrive.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/tullah). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.