Day 11: River Cruise in a World Heritage Area

Today we drove to Straham, Tasmania for a 6 hour cruise that was definitely a highlight of our trip to Australia.  This was a World Heritage Area and is "protected at all time for all people".  The terrain was really rugged but absolutely beautiful.

1. We explored one of the first convict settlements in Australia.
2. The entrance to the harbor from the Southern Ocean was called "Hell's Gate" because it was the entrance to a harshly run convict camp.
3. We saw fish farms where they take salmon and ocean trout eggs for a 2 year growth cycle before harvesting the fish.  Some of the fish were said to grow as big as your leg.
4. We cruised on the "protected" Gordon River.  At one point, we disembarked the boat for a nature walk through a rain forest.
5. The area is famous for Huon Pine used in boat making.
6. At the end of the cruise, we visited a saw mill devoted to processing Huon Pine.

We ate dinner in Strahan and then attended the longest running play in Australia (23 years).  It was titled' "The Ship That Never Was" and was about the last ship built by convicts and their escape to South America.

Did you ever wonder what Hell's Gate" would look like?

Fish Farms...feeding time!

$7 Million cruise boat.

Huon pine saw mill.

Play: "The Ship That Never Was"