The roads taking us to Strahan were meandering but in good condition and it was only two and a half hours before we reached our chosen camping spot, Strahan Golf Club - $15 a night, no facilities. The two caravan parks in town had very poor reviews so we plumped for the cheap option which was only a 15 minute walk from town. We didn't see a single soul on the cold, grey walk to the waterfront. Strahan does feel a bit like the end of the world and in some respects it is, once out to sea there is nothing for 15,000kms until you hit Argentina.
We arrived in the centre of things, the waterfront , and there was still no sign of life until we wandered into the sawmill and found it packed. That's where everyone was! Apparently there had been a free talk at 3pm, cleverly timed to coincide with the return of the Gordon River boat trips. On the excursions the guests had been filled with information about Huon Pine, a timber from the area ideal for boat building, and they were going mad in the sawmill shop buying anything they could lay their hands on that had been fashioned from Huon Pine.
We went and had a look at the two boats that offer daily Gordon River lunch cruises and selected the Gordon River Cruises boat which is part electric so quieter, it is also the first on the river in the morning so the famous reflections should be undisturbed. The trip was $155 each for the cheap seats and we had to be there at 8am. It was so cold we couldn't face hanging around to see the daily play, 'The Ship That Never Was' which is performed at 5.30 every afternoon, apparently they do provide blankets. We shivered our way back to the van wearing coats, scarves, hats and gloves while the local kids were kicking a ball in the street dressed in shorts and t-shirts.
We were up bright and early in grey drizzle and got ourselves rugged up for the cruise. The golf club had been a pretty ordinary place to camp so we took the van to the waterfront with the intention of moving on to our next stop once we disembarked. Upon boarding we discovered that our cheap seats were actually better than the more expensive ones. They were not by a window but were elevated so occupants could see out of both sides and the front all at once.
The weather cleared as the boat took us out beyond the harbour to demonstrate how tiny the entrance was and to explain the measures that had been put in place to make it safer. It was really pleasant on deck, the wind had stopped completely and it was no longer raining although quite cloudy. Next we glided silently along the Gordon River, the reflections were breathtaking. Apparently we had hit upon a rare day when the conditions were absolutely perfect for max mirror effect, a bit of sun, no wind and plenty of cloud. The picture featuring us at the top of this page is not of mist, that effect is made by the reflections of the clouds on the dark, glassy river.
The boat stopped at a jetty where we all got off and walked around a little boardwalk in the World Heritage Rainforest. It was gorgeous, all damp, mossy and slippery with loads of fungus. Back on the boat the lunch was very generous with excellent Tassie Smoked Salmon which we tucked into as we headed for our next stop at the penal colony of Sarah Island.
The crew handed out umbrellas as it had started to drizzle when we arrived but, as soon as the guides collected us for our tour, the sun came out. Sarah Island is very pretty but it must have been daunting to be imprisoned there. The convicts who misbehaved ended up there and, if there was further poor conduct, they were sailed across to Grummet Rock next door where there was just a cave which flooded for shelter. Eventually this was deemed too cruel and they stopped using Grummet Island. Eventually a shipbuilder set up his business on Sarah Island using the local Huon Pine and convict labour. Reoffending, escape attempts and suicides became a rarity as the convicts learnt a skill and put it to good use until the authorities decided the convicts were enjoying themselves too much and closed the ship building venture, preferring punishment to rehabillitation.
The Sarah Island tour was brilliant, as was everything about the cruise and we got off in time to take the very scenic drive to Queenstown for our next stop. There was only one place to stay, the football oval which was $50 with no facilities, gulp. It was quite pretty, surrounded by pine covered hills with a little creek running along behind us but home to a wasp family. I haven't had to worry about wasps for 11 years now and had forgotten how incredibly annoying they are.
Wasps aside, Queenstown was quite interesting. It had grown up as a mining town, digging up copper, silver and all kinds of different rocks. The hills around are striped in multiple colours and the creek is orange in places where it runs through the copper and sulphur bearing rock. Apparently an engineer found a way of running a smelter without coal, the downside was it produced sulphurous gases, killed all the vegetation and made the place virtually unlivable. Queenstown is home to the Wilderness Railway which looked amazing but unfortunately didn't run on the day we were there. The railway station was delightful and housed an excellent cafe although there was not much else in the town.
Another winding, pretty road took us on our way to New Norfolk where we would be within easy striking distance of Hobart to return the van. On the way we stopped at Nelson Falls to take the 20 minute circular walk through the rainforest full of ferns, moss and fungus to a spectacular waterfall, well worth the short detour.
There were not many towns along our route to New Norfolk so we were glad we had filled up at Queenstown with eyewateringly expensive fuel - thanks Donald - but as we approached New Norfolk huge cherry farms lined both sides of the road. New Norfolk is a funny place, it is one of the oldest towns in Australia but not maintained in a way that makes the most of its history. We had arrived on a Sunday and the town was deserted and all a bit grim and down at heel even though it is built in a beautiful location on hills overlooking the River Derwent. Our caravan park was on the riverside, $50 a night for power, but I think we were put in Bogan Town, must have been our Go Cheap motorhome. The amenities were nice and it was a good place for us to pack up and clean the van up before giving it back.
The following morning we woke to discover that New Norfolk was quite a bit better than we had first thought. The town was an uphill climb from the caravan park but much nicer with some people milling around it and was a funny mix of expensive shops and very cheap ones. After coffee at a very nice cafe/gallery combo we took a fabulous walk along the river which is quite black and glassy with some good reflections though not quite as dramatic as those on the Gordon River.
We packed up the van and set about the task of eating and drinking as much of the remaining food and grog we could fit in before giving the rest of it away to our camp neighbours. The trip to Tasmania was wonderful and, now we can fly direct from Newcastle, we will be back.
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