Tassie’s South-West Corner

As captivating as this scene is, there was much more to see in this corner of Tasmania. We had toyed with the idea of doing the run from Queenstown to Derwent Bridge, but Ken assured me that “there be dragons”, if we attempted to tow along this stretch of road. So, we thought a day trip trip just to Queenstown would suffice. Everyone has heard how ruinous Queenstown is as the result of a century of gold and tin mining, and who can resist a cautionary tale?

Now, I must say that, to the casual observer, the landscape looked far less ruined that I had imagined. No mountains of tailings, no rusting machinery, no tumbleweeds, in fact, nothing out of the ordinary at all. Cafes were thin on the ground, but due to the very seasonal tourist season, maybe not room enough for more than one or two in a town. The pluses are significant. Queenstown hosts a scenic railway on the line that runs between Queenstown and Strahan. Strahan has the same attraction operating from the other end. The town has also invested heavily in the booming mountain bike trails industry, and there were plenty of empty bike racks in the parking lot.

The word was there were some big waterfalls near the town. Technically, they were correct, and we climbed and laboured to ……………Falls. But just a word on Tasmanian waterfalls, Summer is the best time to visit Tassie, but the worst time to see spectacular waterfalls. It’s the autumn and winter rains that crash over the cliffs into the gorges below. In summer, it looks like just long climbs and mild disappointment. Still, our quota of 10,000 steps per day was easily met. Checked out a lookout just across the road and headed back to Macquarie Harbour.

Even though we were only 15klm out of Strahan, I haven’t really talked about it. There’s a ‘tourist esplanade’ that runs along the waterfront precinct, with cafes, a restaurant, a pub and historic sawmill. It’s also the departure lounge for the Gordon River Cruises. But one street back, it’s just another small, one servo, one IGA town and with our campground location so perfect, we had very little reason to hang around. We had however, booked a Gordon River Cruise, long before our departure from Geelong. So, we arrived the next morning at 8:30am for a 9:00am start.

This is a cruise about history and it’s truly fascinating, from the earliest penal colony on Sarah Island right through to today, although, following recent events, the fulsome endorsement of the salmon farming industry might need a re-draft. First stop was Hell’s Gates, the narrow treacherous entry into Macquarie Harbour, where strong currents and rocky reefs laid waste to more than a few ships and lives.

Then we traversed the length of the harbour, passing the now infamous salmon farms. The reports just get grimmer by the day.

Next stop was Sarah Island, a prison for repeat offenders. The worst of the worst, set to work cutting Huon pine from the nearby forests, for a nascent shipbuilding industry on the coast.

Again, a fascinating story told by expert guides, a mix of horror and redemption, where death was seen as freedom, yet in some cases, rehabilitation was an unexpected side benefit from an unexpected visionary.

The main event was the run up the Gordon River. The interesting part of the narrative was the support given to the No Dams protesters back in the 70’s and 80’s, by the locals, including smuggling protesters below decks to relieve the ‘troops’, and to replace those carted off by the police. They saw that the proposed dam would not only destroy the environment, but also their history and their livelihood.

This part of tour would be described as an immersive experience. The forest is impenetrable, trees growing in every direction. A thick wall of green down to the waters edge. I could almost imagine Marlon Brando appearing on the river’s edge in a scene from Apocalypse Now. The cruise took nearly six hours but the catering was excellent and the staff a treat.

Rain was predicted the next morning, so we hitched up, ready to roll on to our next bucket list destination – Cradle Mountain.