You are invited to attend the first 2014 Boots N’ All walk to Magnet Mine near Waratah on 11th January. This is a fascinating area of abandoned towns and mines, reflecting the rich history of Tasmania’s western region. You will be guided by Horrie Betts who is himself a mine of information about the area.
Meeting Times and Places:
If you are interested in going on this walk, please phone John Potts on 0418 576011 to book in.
The departure time is 7:30am from the former Lawrence Vale Uniting Church at junction of Lawrence Vale Rd. and Meredith Crescent. If you would like to meet the group at another location, especially if you are joining the walk from the north-west coast, please arrange this with John. However, you still need to contact the walk leader per details above if intending to walk. The leader should be notified of any other people you intend to bring along.
You should always contact the walk leader if intending to participate in a particular Boots N’ All walk.
Walk route:
I have not done this particular walk, and have not been given details as John will be guided by Horrie Betts on the day. However, looking at this website:
https://www.railtrails.org.au/trail?view=trail&id=122 and perusing maps and Google Earth, it appears that the minesite is accessed from the eastern end of Magnet Rd which starts on Waratah Rd. about 2 km SW of Waratah. There are alternative routes into the area from the western end of Magnet Rd, a further 8 km west along Waratah Rd, or an old track, Flintstone Track, from Waratah itself. I’ve created waypoints for the road junctions and some other features that may be visited on the walk. All will be revealed on the day!
To access this area from northern Tasmania: Roads to Cradle Mt. are well signposted, and the area can be accessed from several directions. From Sheffield, go south along Claude Rd through Gowrie Park and westward down into the Forth Valley (now Cethana Rd.), continuing up the other side to Moina. Turn south into Cradle Mt. Rd. Approx. 45 km will bring you to the junction of Cradle Mt. Link Rd (marked on some maps as Belvoir Rd.) with the Murchison Highway. Turn right, heading towards Burnie, and after 16 km, you will be at junction of Waratah Rd. Turn west towards Waratah which will be reached in just over 6 km.
Warnings:
Tasmania’s west has changeable weather, so a good raincoat and warm clothing should be carried. Footwear should be well worn in, sturdy and suitable for muddy conditions.
If you are unsure of equipment requirements, Visit the Boots N’ All section of the sutas.org.au website per link below and read “Clothing suggestions for exposed conditions”
Map details:
Magnet Mine: 1:100000 map is Arthur River and 1:25000 map is Waratah
No specific map references available for this walk.
No peaks will be climbed, so no peakbagging points! If you want to know about Hobart Walking Club Peakbagger’s Guide.
See Peakbaggers and Abels – Boots N’ All for an explanation of this system (updated 2026)
[gpx and kml tracks for this walk are in our online collection. See GPX Map Files – Boots N’ All].