the town’s peak and the town stock exchange had 60 members. With a main street over two miles long (3.2 km); it claimed over 20 hotels, several pubs, a hospital, and two theatres, the Gaiety Theatre and Theatre Royal. It developed a friendly rivalry with Queenstown, and while the silver boom lasted it was known as the Silver City. In the first decade of the twentieth century it was the third largest town in Tasmania, after Hobart and Launceston. A port was established at Trial Harbour for Zeehan, however its exposure to the Roaring Forties made the site a vulnerable anchorage. After the construction of the Strahan–Zeehan Railway, Strahan became Zeehan's favourable port. The mines earned some two hundred thousand dollars per year for two decades, before progressively declining till the 1960s, when the last mines, Montana and Oceana were closed. Decline The population of Zeehan-Dundas peaked at 10,000 in about 1910, over ten times the current population. In the 1970s it saw increased activity due to operations at the nearby Renison Bell tin mine, and again in the 1990s. It had its own council until the early 1900s, and has since merged with surrounding councils to form the Municipality of West Coast. At the , Zeehan had a population of 728. The town was subject to several acts of arson in the 2010s, one of which saw damage to historic buildings dating back to the 1890s. The township has had its share of criminal characters-with various acts of manslaughter, assault and aggravated burglary in its history both past and present. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ten parcels of land, some as cheap as $8000, were sold by the West Coast Council as a means to attract new residents. It is hoped tourism will continue to bolster the local economy, with a new takeaway (Wildz Takeaway) open on the main road, and the creation of The Western Echo newspaper. A replica train set of the township is being built as a tourist attraction. The area has also seen an influx of visitors due to the bike tracks around Zeehan, Trial Harbour, Tasmania and Queenstown, Tasmania Surrounding ecological and health repercussions In 2021, a study of the levels of pollution in the lakes of northwest Tasmania found a level of contamination with lead copper, cadmium and arsenic equal to the most severely polluted lakes in the world. Owen Tarn and Basin Lake