We love being near and on the water and today was no exception 'cos we took the Harbour Master Red Boat at Strahan for a trip to Sarah Island, passing through Hells Gates, the narrow entrance to Macquarie Harbour and a 2-hour cruise along the Gordon River which stopped briefly at Heritage Landing for a rainforest walk and talk.
The boarding was to commence at 8.30am and to make sure of a parking spot we arrived early. The Gold tickets purchased were for the upper deck with window seating, included morning tea and cake and a buffet lunch.
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| Salmon was also on the menu but was still in the fridge |
The day was not the sunny day depicted in the brochure. In fact, it was positively dismal and very wet. Didn't stop us from braving the elements when passing through Hells Gates. Click
HERE
to see why that name was given.
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| Hells Gates entrance |
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| The tide Race |
At Sarah island, a 60-minute shore leave was encouraged by the captain to all the passengers to view some of the oldest convict ruins on the island, a settlement which pre-dates Port Arthur by decades. There is another good read about the place so click
HERE
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| Kitchens |
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| Lime Pit |
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| Solitary Confinement Goal |
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| The Bakehouse |
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| Penitentiary. |
From the island, it was back through Hells Gate and onto the Gordon River
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| Heritage Landing |
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| Bracket Fungi |
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| Another fungus but with a bush growing through the middle |
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| Yes it was cold! |
Arriving back at the Big 4 campsite, Ian checked his emails and found to his (and my) disappointment that the Wilderness steam loco leaving from Strahan and travelling to Queenstown had been cancelled. We looked at each other and groaned. Couldn't believe it was happening again. Hadn't we had enough trips cancelled in New Zealand!,The annoying thing about this though, we had paid for VIP treatment which included a welcoming glass of sparkling wine onboarding, canapรฉs, morning tea, lunch at Tracks Cafe in Queenstown, a selection of Tasmanian cheese and complimentary tea and coffee throughout, along with access to the open balcony in our carriage. So now what to do tomorrow. Well, head for Queenstown anyway and find some decent walks on route.
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| The first carriage was the VIP car and the one we would have been in. This photo was taken on the way back from the cruise. |
And wildlife
2 comments:
We have traveled around Tasmania, taken a boat trip from Stahan, but never knew about Sarah Island, thanks for the info about this early penitentiary. Shame about your train trip being cancelled, we're you given a reason?
Hi Jenny, something was mentioned about mechanical problems with the loco and we were offered an alternative shorter trip with diesel but we declined. It was steam or nothing for us! Xx
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