I visited Tasmania at the end of January, and had the opportunity to do some driving around the state. I’d been keen to check out Queenstown, on the west coast of the state, for years, and since my co-pilot had never been to Tas, we decided it would be a good opportunity to take a look.

This mining town cropped up in the late 1800s, and over a hundred years later it’s still largely centred around the Mt Lyell copper mine nearby. You probably know this already, but the town also has a footy field surfaced with gravel.

The town centre itself is quite pretty, and the balding hills surrounding the town make for a spectacularly weird drive from the Lyell Highway; hours of scrubby heathland and close-leaning trees gone in a blink, replaced by impressive mountain ranges and wind-beaten, wizened treelines.

In the last few years, Queenstown has had something of an arts kick, with young Tasmanians like Travis Tiddy working on ace projects like the Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival (it’s on again in 2012).

If you’re considering a visit to Tas, clear a day or two for the west coast – it’s worth it.

These images were shot with a Holga and Kodak Portra film.