Strahan

A west-coast town on Macquarie Harbour, where Gordon River cruises head deep into the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, with the Sarah Island convict ruins and a steam rack railway to the old mining town of Queenstown.

Strahan lies on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia, on the northern shore of Macquarie Harbour. It is the only harbour town on the west coast and the gateway to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Macquarie Harbour is about six times the size of Sydney Harbour and connects to the Southern Ocean only through the narrow, treacherous Hells Gates. The town itself is small: cruise wharves, restaurants and accommodation are clustered along the waterfront, all easily explored on foot.

The highlight is a Gordon River cruise: a full-day trip out through Hells Gates and up the Gordon River into pristine rainforest, with a landing on Sarah Island, a 19th-century convict prison. In the evening, catch The Ship That Never Was at the town's amphitheatre, Australia's longest-running play. About 15 km north of town, the Henty Dunes rise up to 30 m and are great for sandboarding; west of town, Ocean Beach stretches for more than 30 km and is a fine spot for Southern Ocean sunsets. About 40 km east is the old copper-mining town of Queenstown, where the West Coast Wilderness Railway's steam rack trains wind through gorges and rainforest. Further east along the Lyell Highway are road-trip stops such as Lake Burbury and Nelson Falls, and about 40 km north is the Zeehan mining museum.

Climate: the west coast is wet year-round; Nov–Apr is warmer and more settled, while winter is cold and cruise and train services are reduced. Getting there: there are no scheduled flights, so drive from Hobart (about 4.5 hours), Launceston or Cradle Mountain (about 2–2.5 hours). The mountain roads are winding – avoid driving at night, when wildlife is abundant. Plan on 2 nights: one day for the cruise and one for the train and nearby drives. Book cruises and trains in advance in peak season.

Top sights

• Strahan & Gordon River Cruise – A wilderness cruise from the west-coast town of Strahan through Hell's Gates into the pristine rainforest of the Gordon River, with a stop…
• West Coast Wilderness Railway – A restored 19th-century rack-railway steam line that crosses steep gorges and rainforest between Queenstown and Strahan, stopping at small…
• Queenstown, Tasmania – A mountain town shaped by the rise and fall of copper mining, with bare, multicoloured 'moonscape' hillsides and historic main-street build…
• Nelson Falls – A small rainforest waterfall beside the Lyell Highway, reached by an easy 20-minute return walk, and one of the most popular stops on a sel…
• Sarah Island (Macquarie Harbour Penal Station) – A small island in Macquarie Harbour, the penal station for Australia's most hardened convicts from 1822 to 1833, now marked by the ruins of…
• Henty Dunes – A vast coastal dune system north of Strahan, around 30 meters high and stretching about 15 kilometers, where you can hike over the dunes, s…
• Ocean Beach – A wild beach of more than 30 kilometers on the Southern Ocean west of Strahan, with pounding surf and a desolate landscape, ideal for watch…
• Hogarth Falls – A rainforest waterfall walk through Strahan's People's Park, about 50 minutes return, following a creek through ancient rainforest with a c…
• The Ship That Never Was – Australia's longest-running stage show, performed in Strahan's open-air amphitheatre, retelling with humour and audience participation the…
• Horsetail Falls – A slender waterfall on the hillside east of Queenstown, a roughly 20-minute walk on a cantilevered boardwalk for a close look, with a view…
• West Coast Heritage Centre – A large mining museum in the former silver-mining town of Zeehan, with mineral specimens, steam locomotives and a recreated old street, tra…
• Lake Burbury – A high mountain reservoir east of Queenstown, with the Lyell Highway crossing over it and the lake mirroring the West Coast ranges, a good…

Where to eat

• Risby's – Strahan's highest-rated waterfront restaurant, set right on the water and focused on Tasmanian seafood and seasonal pro…
• Tracks on Point Station Cafe – A café in the historic Regatta Point station of the West Coast Wilderness Railway, serving affordable burgers, milkshak…

Itineraries

• Tasmania Clockwise Loop Self-Drive – From Hobart, head up the West Coast, passing through Cradle Mountain, the Bay of Fires, and Wineglass Bay, before retur…
• Tasmania In-Depth Loop via Melbourne Ferry – Bring your car across from Melbourne on an overnight ferry, completing a full island loop plus Bruny Island and Stanley