The next day we were booked on the famous Gordon River Cruise -a ‘must do’ said just about everyone.
I hadn’t booked this in advance, I was waiting to check out the weather but eventually FOMO got the better of me and I booked a few days out. We turned up to the check in counter, saw this and my optimism faded just a little but suitably clad we boarded the very flashy catamaran and off we went.
It didn’t hurt that we had the absolute front row premium seats and were offered a glass of sparkling in the first ten minutes by the lovely Kelly who looked us extremely well for the rest of the day.
The cruise initially heads out of protected Macquarie Harbour and eventually through the infamous Hell’s Gates.
Fun facts : both the King River and the Gordon River empty into Macquarie Harbour with enough volume (combined with the very narrow outlet) to cause their own barometric tides. The harbour is roughly six times the size of the Sydney Harbour (a fact that the locals are quick to tell you) but access is difficult and overall it is relatively shallow.
Hell’s Gates were reputably named by the convicts being transported though the channel to notorious Sarah Island, a brutual penal station designed for the most recalcitrant re offenders in the colony. The name holds a dark double meaning, representing both a literal maritime hazard and a psychological boundary.
Fierce Southern Ocean currents, strong tidal changes, and unpredictable sandbanks made entering the harbour incredibly dangerous. As nearby Strahan grew into a major port for the timber and mining industries in the late 19th century, keeping the channel safe became critical. As we cruised toward Hell’s Gates our onboard guide (assisted by video characters) regaled us with its history and told us of the construction of the massive stone breakwater in 1900 that would make its passage considerably less hazardous.
With steady rain falling and a fierce wind blowing we made it through the channel, passing the lighthouses on the heads and out to open sea, next stop heading west is Argentina.
Today though we weren’t going to Argentina, we did a U turn and turned back into the harbour, the expedition now headed up the lower reaches of the Gordon River. The 172 km Gordon River originates in the far south east and much of its route flows through uninhabited wilderness area. The section we were visiting is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and contains several rare plant and tree species in its cold climate rainforest.
The Gordon Dam was established in 1974 in the upper reaches of the river and provides significant hydroelectricity through the Gordon Power station but it was the proposal of the Franklin Dam (just below the junction of the Gordon and Franklin Rivers) that brought this area to world wide attention. The proposed dam would have flooded most of both rivers and destroyed vast tracts of wilderness areas and efforts to prevent the dam became a major political and environmental issue in the 1980s (you can read more here) and ultimately led to the formation of the Australian Greens party.
Today it was shrouded in low cloud and misty rain which actually generated quite an eerie feeling as we quietly motored upstream.
Light rain persisted as we got off for a short and informative guided rain forest walk and started to appreciate just how pristine and worth protecting this area is. Our guide pointed out the Huon Pine (some estimated to be 2 – 3,000 years old), the Leatherwood (source of Tasmania’s Leatherwood honey) and many other significant species. We were able to appreciate just how impenetrable this forest is and how difficult it was for early explorers to traverse and for attempted escapes from nearby Sarah Island penal colony to succeed.
Back on the boat for scones and jam and cream the weather slowly started to improve and we began to see the stunning reflections that this area is famous for. A combination of the dark tannin stained waters and the glassy surface produced by the slow moving river, create a beautiful mirror like reflection. A nice blue sky would also have helped but we were suitably impressed, it was difficult to see where the rainforest ended and the river began.
Next stop was the infamous Sarah Island. Established in 1822 its purpose was to house repeat offenders and convicts deemed “incorrigible”. Conditions were extremely harsh with strict overseeing officers, meager rations and back breaking work. Floggings were common and brutal. Escapes were attempted but very few were successful, the freezing waters and the island’s isolation amongst thick rainforest were not conducive to escape. We had about an hour on the island, exploring the ruins with an excellent guide sharing its history with us.
Alexander Pearce (mentioned on the board above) was a special type of prisoner. In 1822 he escaped from Sarah Island along with seven other convicts, after 15 days the men were starving and drew lots to see who would be killed for food. This process continued basically until Pearce was the last man standing. He survived on the run for 113 days and eventually reached a settlement where he confessed his cannibalism to a local Reverend and was sent back to Sarah Island although not for cannibalism, the Reverend didn’t believe him. In 1823 he escaped a second time with Thomas Cox. He was captured after 10 days with parts of Thomas Cox in his pockets… He was found guilty of murder and subsequently hung in Hobart the following year.
The next day was Russell’s birthday and given his penchant for train travel, some months ago I had booked the Rinadeena Rack and Rainforest steam train trip out of Queenstown with West Coast Wilderness Railway.
This trip departs Queenstown and climbs up to the steep Rinadeena Saddle on what was once the Mt. Lyell Railway hauling copper from Queenstown over the mountain range to the port of Strahan.
…”The railway section climbing up to the station is a marvel of 19th-century engineering. It features the steepest steam railway journey in the Southern Hemisphere (a grueling 1-in-16 grade). Because standard locomotives couldn’t handle the incline, engineers utilized a rare, specialized cogged rack-and-pinion system to haul copper and passengers up the mountain…”
The history of the railway and its purpose built Abt engines is fascinating, you can read a little more here.
We were in the premium carriage and not sure whether it was because I mentioned a birthday or not but had the very last seats looking straight out the back of the train, complete with a little ‘balcony’ for taking pics 😁
We had a brief stop in Lynchford where Russell failed to find any gold and then continued on to Rinadeena – engaging with the ‘rack’ system for the steepest three kilometres. At Rinadeena we watched from the bridge while the engine was shunted to the back of the train and essentially reversed all the way back down. Our seats were in prime position to hear and see the steam engine at work!
A great day out and thanks to the West Coast Wilderness Railways. The beautifully restored carriages and (120 year old) engines as well as the excellent onboard commentary are a credit to them and really enabled us to get an insight into the challenges overcome in this project. Their motto says it all …“We find a way or make a way.”
Tomorrow, we’re on the move in search of wombats ❤️
