Human History
The area of the park was once inhabited by the Mellukerdee aboriginal people. The first Europeans came to the area in the 19th century in search of Huon pine timber.
In the 1840s early settlers including the Geeves family founded the township of Geeveston, and laid the first track to the Hartz Mountains. As a result the area became one of Tasmania's earliest popular bushwalking destinations. The increasing popularity of the area for recreation led to it being declared a scenic reserve in 1939. In 1951 it was proclaimed to a national park, and in 1989 it was included in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Read more about this topic: Hartz Mountains National Park
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