4th Light - Strahan
Today broke with the eerie sensation of being awake at 6:30am without any hint of the sun and the distinct threat of rain in the air. That didn’t bother us though as we’d booked our passage on the Gordon River Cruises state of the art eco-boat for a days sailing in the region.
Strahan harbour was a mere stroll from our overnight digs and we arrived for boarding among the historic shoreline buildings and working fleet reflective of the towns maritime history.
Greeted with fresh coffee, muesli and fruit salad, we reclined in our leather bound 45 degree facing captains chairs as grumpy Doug, the vessels skipper, fired up the diesel donks. Today was one of our regular “splurge” activities, and should be disclosed that we purchased the VIP, upper deck, ego-stroking snob tickets with all the bells and whistles. Our journey would start with a westward crossing of Macquarie Harbour toward the infamous Hells Gates. Commentary piped throughout the craft boasted the harbours size and significance, and as always, we were lost as to why most Australian towns have harbour envy? Sydney’s is not a metric barometer, yet we were told this one was 6 times its size. Impressive. The passage to the Gates at 25 knots did take time, but the sheer beauty and vastness of the waterway rendered that insignificant.
Hells Gates, Macquarie Harbour
In 1815 Captain James Kelly, an Australian mariner, explorer and port official, left Hobart in a 5 oared whaling boat to circle the island in search of urgently needed resources to feed the growing colony. He chanced upon the massive waterway flanked by ancient Huon Pines and earmarked the regions ability to do so.
The 80 metre narrow entrance to the harbour dubbed Hells Gates, is a notoriously shallow and dangerous channel. Grumpy Doug steered the Spirit of the Wild magnificently through the obstacle with both skill and an array of sat nav screens encircling the cockpit.
Eddies flowed and waves increased, and we could only imagine this voyage in a hand built wooden vessel of 12 metres. The boat returned its journey through the passage and headed east toward the entrance of the spectacular Gordon River. We were on our 3rd champagne by now with our sea legs well and truly established.
The mouth of the Gordon River
Flowing east to west, the 172 kilometre long Gordon is mostly located in an uninhabited wilderness area contained within the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers and South West National Parks. The lower part falls within a World Heritage listed area and contains a cold-climate rainforest and rare trees. The water is fresh and drinkable, yet has the colour of weak tea due to the absorption of tannin from button grass growing in the catchment area. Pockets of mists remained in the gorge, and rose from the mirrored waters at glacial speed. The 150 souls on board crowded the bow to experience this majesty first hand. All but one though. Sadly an elderly passenger had suffered a debilitating fall on the stairs forcing us to return to Strahan Harbour for ambulance recovery. Mindful of the gentleman’s fate, we seized the opportunity for another 3 champagnes.
2 hours later we returned to the mouth of the river to the thud of the diesel engines shutting down and replaced by a purr of the eco-friendly electric motors. That simple flick of a switch silenced the craft to echo the calmness of ten thousand years before us.
Rising from the banks of this pristine wilderness, stood the remains of 500 year old twisted Huon Pines left untouched by the loggers drawn to the region. Ferns, reeds, and re-established vegetation crowded the walls of this once saved valley.
Our readers may remember the protests of the early 1980’s. Long haired hippies stringing kayaks together to block the passage of barges, and even bolder ones chaining themselves to bulldozers and climbing trees in their effort to stop the damming of the Gordon below Franklin river system. 40 years later, we would not be enjoying the virtues of this tour without their commitment.
We alighted at Heritage Landing to enjoy a 600 metre boarded walk through untouched rainforest. The temperature dropped as the canopy above shielded sunlight as it had done for eons before us. Gnarled fallen trees were a haven for lichen, and newly spawned seeds invaded their domain. Never have we seen prehistoric growth on such a level.
We sailed west again toward Sarah Island named by Kelly after the wife of his benefactor. One can only assume she was another passage he had probably passed through. As the riff-raff of Port Arthur convicts created concern for the governor, it was James Kelly’s earlier discovery that established a more concentrated penal colony on this small outcrop in Macquarie Harbour. Isolation was the deterrent, but the masses of Huon Pine was the reason. For the wood of these trees were ideal for ship building. Straight, easily worked, and possessing a natural oil resistant to rot and water damage making them invaluable. An outpost of convict and military staff was established in 1821, and in only 12 years they outputted 135 wooden vessels for the emerging settlement. Despite the productivity, Sarah Island was infamous for its civil cruelties, with many men and women welcoming death over protracted terms on the island hell hole. Legend tells the aforementioned harbour passage was coined by convicts relocating from Hobart knowing full well their journey would only be one way.
Sarah Island convict station
We arrived back at port some 2 hours later than expected and thought it best to amended our planned nights camp. Originally we intended travelling an hour up the coast, but in the fading light and on unfamiliar roads, we safely chose to stay local and discovered Macquarie Point campground. Flanking Hells Gate to the north, we shared the sunset with Wallaby, Pademelons, and an array of other indistinguishable critters. As yet unmentioned, tonight, and every night thus far, ended with a White Rhino. Untouched since leaving Bermagui, the Rhinos have become a staple part of our roadside diet and haven’t lost their deliciously addictive nightcap quality.
