Today we are in Strahan on the West Coast of Tasmania. We spent most of the day cruising the mighty Gordon River.

The boat is a kind of hybrid with both diesel and electric motors. This means that you can cruise up the river almost silently to absorb the ambiance of the wilderness.

Margaret was very happy to be onboard, and I was trying to smile and press the right button on the phone camera at the same time.

The cruise is very pleasant with excellent presentations on history, cultural and environmental issues. We stopped off for a couple of easy guided walks.

We had an hour on Sarah Island which was, in its time, the most brutal convict colony in Australia.

It was also a place of amazing ingenuity, especially when it came to escaping. One convict who escaped and was picked up in Hobart, was set free to assist in surveying the highlands which he had just traversed and had unique knowledge.

Over time Sarah Island established a boat building industry because of Huon Pine which was regarded as an amazing timber for all kinds of construction. When the order came to close down the penal settlement, they left 10 convicts along with the master ship builder to finish the remaining ships that were partly built. When they came to completing the final one, the 10 convicts stole it and sailed it to Chile. They were eventually recaptured by the British and brought back to Australia where they were charged with piracy and stealing a boat. They argued that since the ship was never registered it was nothing more than a collection of materials, and since the offences took place in the Harbour, it was not “on the high seas.” The magistrate agreed, and they were convicted of stealing rather than the much graver offences.

Tomorrow we head off to Launceston (pronounced Lonceston not Lawnceston). Will we go via Cradle Mountain?

Today was all about driving. Hobart to Strahan is about 300 km by road, but it actually takes well over 3 hours. The speed limit is 100 km/hr, but much of it is winding mountain roads so you are travelling at less than 60 km/hr around the curves.

After a very nice buffet breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant (it would want to be nice at $25 each!), we hit the road for our first tourist attraction.

We stopped at Woolies to buy the groceries for the days where our meals aren’t covered.

After this stop, the road took us to the very rugged and isolated West Coast of Tasmania. The extensive Hydro Electric scheme has facilities and power stations at many places through the highlands and along the West Coast.

We stopped for a quick bite at Nives River, where a friendly raven entertains passing humans by eating food scraps they throw him.

Further north the mountains become very bare due to the top soil having washed away, leaving bare rock where plants can’t gain a foothold. I was surprised when we got out at Horsetail Falls that there was no sound of life at all- no bird calls even. The falls themselves don’t look that spectacular as the water just flows along a channel worn into the rock. But the roar of the water tells you that there is a hufe quantity falling over the rock and into the valley below.

We arrived at Strahan late in the afternoon. We are booked into a facility known simply as Strahan Village. It seems to be owned by NRMA, which you normally associate with NSW, but they must operate in Tasmania as well. The village contains several building on the one site, with varying levels of accommodation. We have a good sized unit at the top of the hill. Here is the view from the back door.

Our room comes with $75 of meal credits at the local Bistro and Pub. We chose the Pub, where we ordered a $26 burger each and orange juice. We came close to using the full $75 in one go. If we had gone to the Bistro we would have been over the allowance. It was good tucker.

Tomorrow we will spend the day cruising the Gordon River