Our time in Strahan is coming to an end. Tomorrow we make our way east to New Norfolk that is just 40k outside Hobart. I have re-kindled my love of Strahan as it is such a gorgeous little town. The town is struggling, no doubt about it. The rail is closed, there is talk about shutting down the lucrative salmon industry because of depletion of oxygen in Macquarie Harbour that has seen a decline in numbers of a rare stingray, and tourists only come in the summer months. Many of the restaurants have closed their doors, never to re-open and others are only open for a few hours each day.
But there are still so many great things to do in the area. Yesterday we walked around 7km to Hogarth Falls that are almost in the heart of Strahan. The afternoon was perfect for a walk as the sun was shining and the cold winds had eased. It was a very pleasant walk along lovely rainforest pathways that lead to the falls.
Today we woke to yet another cold morning but thankfully the rain has gone but has been replaced with south-westerly winds. I don't know what is worse! But we get ourselves dressed warmly and walk down to the waterfront to board our little boat Sophia, along with four others, for a trip to Pillinger ghost town, Bonnet Island, Hells Gates and the Salmon Farms.
Pillinger, on Macquarie Harbour, was originally set up in 1899 as a port for the North Mount Lyell Mining Company that laid a railway line directly from Queenstown to Pillinger. However by 1924, after a new mining company took over the North Mount Lyell Mining Company the preferrred port became Strahan, so Pillinger was abandoned and left to be re-claimed by the forest. There are still remnants of an old stone kiln, an oven and boiler and old railway tracks. Our guide shows us photos of what Pillinger looked like back in the 1900's. It certainly was a lovely town that looks very similar to Strahan.
Our walk through the old township took almost an hour and back on board our boat we were served a delicious morning tea (in my case hot chocolate!).
The next part of our journey took us past one of the many salmon and trout farms that line Macquarie Harbour. There are three companies that farm fish here. They are Tassal, Huon Aquaculture & Petunia. There are large ships beside the nets and these ships are loaded full of fish food that is piped to the tanks. The feeding is a completely computerised system run out of Hobart!
Next we head to Hells Gates. This is an 80 metre wide channel that separates Macquarie Harbour from the Great Southern Ocean. We pass through the narrow channel and marvel at the large breakwater that was built between 1900 and 1902. It is a dangerous stretch of ocean that has claimed many ships and lives.
Our last stop for the day is at the tiny little Bonnet Island, that is just a little over 5 acres. It is close to Hells Gates and is home to a remarkable old lighthouse that is still operating. We take a walk around this tiny little island before heading back to our boat for lunch.
While we are eating lunch on board our boat, we can clearly see the fires that are raging in the forest behind Strahan. They are in an area that is not accessible by road so choppers have been running backwards and forward with their buckets of water. The buckets of water are so small that it would be like spitting at the fire....
It was a fantastic five and a half hour tour and much better than cruising the Gordon River that we did last time we were here. (That was actually quite boring.) This was a much faster paced tour and as we came in side by side with one of the big cats that cruises the Gordon, and then passed it, we patted ourselves on the back for choosing well.
No comments:
Post a Comment