The 85-kilometre Gordon River Road was built by the Hydro-Electric Commission of Tasmania with funding from the Australian Government to service the construction of the Gordon and the Serpentine dams, leading to the flooding of Lake Pedder.
In 1963 the Tasmanian Government successfully approached the Commonwealth for a $5 million grant to finance road construction from Maydena to the Middle Gordon River. In a submission never released to the public, the Hydro-Electric Commission described the provision of road access as a matter of urgency.
It commences at Maydena and passes north of the headwaters of the Florentine River and the Weld River to the south at a location known as Tim Shea which is at an altitude of 952 metres (3,123 ft) above sea level and provides views north and north east to the Mount Field National Park.
It turns south, and at Frodshams Pass the Scotts Peak Dam Road (C607) continues south to the eastern shores of the modified Lake Pedder, then to Edgar Dam, and finally to Scotts Peak Dam. The Gordon River Road continues west from Frodshams Pass, passes Mount Wedge and the Sentinel Range to the south, and passes through the location of Strathgordon before ending at the Gordon Dam.
View south from GZ