05th January Strahan - Gordon River Cruise

Strahan, a tiny town in western Tasmania, on a huge Macquarie Bay, which is located at the mouth of the Gorden River. In the morning, we drive to Ocean Beach. A sandy beach just for us, so beautiful. I realize that I am in my dream right now. It's so beautiful.

In the afternoon, we board the ship and sail through the bay to the Gordon River, passing fish farms and Sarah Island, more about that later. After sailing upstream for a while, we stop to take a boardwalk through the cool-temperate rainforest. The Gordon River is 172 km long, and large parts of the river flow through an uninhabited, hardly accessible wilderness, which is now part of the national park. The inaccessibility of nature becomes apparent when walking along the boardwalk, no way through. Meter-high ferns, Huon pines, shrubs.....

The Huon pines were sought-after building timber for the early settlers because they are very hard and resistant. But they have one disadvantage, they grow one millimeter per year and are therefore among the slowest growing trees.

On the return journey to Strahan, we also stop at Sarah Island. A guide tells us in great detail the infamous history of this island. Before Port Arthur became the island prison for British convicts, the first convicts arrived at Sarah Island in 1822. An escape from there was largely considered hopeless. There, the convicts were supposed to cultivate the island, fell the Huon pines, and build ships. However, the conditions were anything but perfect. Hunger, cruelty of the guards, and diseases prompted prisoners to escape or organize uprisings. This camp was closed in 1833. The last 10 convicts who were supposed to be taken to Port Arthur with the last built boat stole the ship and sailed to Chile, where they disembarked. Four of them were recaptured and brought to Hobart. A very infamous history.

After the island tour, the ship sailed to the opening of Macquarie Harbor to the Indian Ocean, which is also called Hells Gate because of its dangerous tidal current. With the setting sun, we returned to Strahan.