mountains in central Tasmania, Australia. They form the northern and eastern border of the Central Plateau. Basaltic in composition, their fault-formed scarps rise to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) near the River Mersey in the northwest; from Mount Ironstone, the highest peak (4,736 feet 【1,444 m】), they slope gradually to the south. Their eastern face overlooks the Macquarie River valley. The large drop afforded by streams plunging over the edge of the mountains is used in the Great Lake–South Esk and the Mersey–Forth hydroelectric projects. Gentle slopes at the base of the mountains provide good farmland.