We got in so late last night that I had no idea what our surroundings looked like. What a pleasant surprise to pull the curtains this morning and have a lovely view overlooking the Macquarie Harbour at Strahan. There was a very tempting long front porch with comfortable chairs but, unfortunately, no time to sit and sip a cup of coffee. In case you hadn't noticed, we are staying only one night in each location in order to see as much of Tasmania as possible. Definitely not a trip for the faint of heart!
Today's adventures began with a World Heritage Cruise down the Gordon River. I know this may sound redundant, but today's scenery was not only beautiful but also different from other areas that we have seen this week Boarding a very deluxe catamaran , we cruised through Hell's Gate. This very narrow entrance into Macquarie Harbour was named by the early prisoners sailing through this passage on their way to the penal colony at Sarah Island. About an hour after passing through the Gate, we arrived at Sarah Island and went ashore to explore this penal colony which bore the dubious designation as the worst prison in Australia. In case you have forgotten or missed yesterday's posting, but Sarah Island's commissary was run by Tim Parson's great,great,great grandfather. The structure in the photo is the remains of the main prison. The island itself was a lush rain forest making it difficult to comprehend the horrors described by our guide.
Returning to the ship we enjoyed a lovely lunch and then it was time for another exploration. This time we went ashore at Heritage Landing to tour one of the most beautiful rain forests I've ever seen. A light rain was falling, but this just added to the mysticism of the forest. From the Landing we cruised through the Gordon River. The river was fairly narrow, and the lush forests covering the hillsides on either bank had a blanket of mist covering the top adding to the serene beauty of the river. (Above photo)After several very hectic days of sightseeing, it was divine to just relax for an hour in comfortable lounge chairs and listen to the history of the Gordon River and it's logging industry during the 1800's.
By mid afternoon we were back in Strahan and ready to head northeast to Cradle Mountain National Park. Hope you can read the sites on the attached map. Before getting to the Park, we stopped at the Devils at Cradle which focuses on the social interactions and feeding habits of the Tasmanian Devils. This center was very different from the one near Port Arthur even though both share the same goal of preserving this endangered species. I wish my photos were better, because it was fascinating (although a bit gory) watching 3 devils devour a dead wombat in just minutes. (Photo is a bit dark, but Devils prefer to dine at night!)
From the center we went to the well-known Cradle Mountain Lodge for a delicious meal. Nothing can kill my appetite--even Tassie Devils! We are staying in the National Park and will be hiking in it in the morning.
Linda
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