The Central Highlands, or Tasmanian central plateau, was uplifted from the lower Meander Valley, most probably in the
Eocene epoch though possibly earlier, forming the Tiers' escarpment. The plateau's north-east boundary, which ranges from –, originated in extensive Tertiary faulting. This escarpment divides the high, rocky, sparsely inhabited central plateau from the fertile lower land of the
Meander Valley and the northern midlands. The edge of the tiers have prominent cliffs and columns of
Jurassic dolerite. The highest peak in the tiers is the
Ironstone Mountain. The dolerite is so prominent as the older rocks that overlay them are softer and have been eroded away. In places dolerite columns have collapsed into
scree slopes. The face of the tiers has been eroded and retreated approximately since their formation, leaving the mountain Quamby Bluff as a solitary outlier. The central plateau's landform has been changed by glaciation. Valleys under the tiers are filled with talus, mostly bounders with a 25% mix of soil formed from boulder weathering. == Peaks ==