60-Tonne Rockfall Risk Shuts Down Major Tasmanian Road

The arterial passage between Hobart and Orford is set to be closed from 11:55PM Friday for a period of up to two weeks to “manage the risk of a major rockfall”

The Tasmanian state government made an announcement on Wednesday afternoon, advising commuters that the main road from Hobart to the coastal town of Orford would be inaccessible from Friday night.

The announcement came after the Department of State Growth had monitored the stability of the rocks, a 60-tonne column of stone looming over the Tasman Highway, deciding that immediate action needed to be taken to prevent any serious damages. 

State Premier Peter Gutwein said that people would still be able to travel between Hobart and Orford by traversing the Midland Highway; a detour which would change a 78km journey into a 253km trek.

The Department of State Growth also advised people to use the three-hour detour.

“Traffic to and from the East Coast will need to detour via Lake Leake Road… While Wielangta Road can [also] be used, it is a gravel road and is not suitable for large volumes of traffic,” State Growth said.

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