Having visited Strahan about four years ago by car we had been down the Gordon river on the wilderness cruise boat. I hadn’t really investigated this part of the trip too much and didn’t realise that there were miles and hours of cruising past the tourist stopping point.
To say that the Gordon River is special is probably an understatement. At various points during the journey the water mirrors the surrounding landscape so well that you can be mesmerised by the reflection. As we moved into deep canyons you could feel the air temperature drop as we were completely dwarfed by the huge, steep rocky cliffs that are covered at times in dense growth.
There are various little stopping points along the river, that all look great on the map but once there, would need someone with more knowledge to know exactly where the track is to find an old kiln, or fresh and salt water lake hidden by the thick forest. So we admired our surroundings from the boat and ended up being able to tie alongside the jetty at Sir John falls. There were several other VDL boats anchored around as this is typically where the river shallows in areas and we can continue to explore in the dingy.
To say that the Gordon River is special is probably an understatement. At various points during the journey the water mirrors the surrounding landscape so well that you can be mesmerised by the reflection. As we moved into deep canyons you could feel the air temperature drop as we were completely dwarfed by the huge, steep rocky cliffs that are covered at times in dense growth.
There are various little stopping points along the river, that all look great on the map but once there, would need someone with more knowledge to know exactly where the track is to find an old kiln, or fresh and salt water lake hidden by the thick forest. So we admired our surroundings from the boat and ended up being able to tie alongside the jetty at Sir John falls. There were several other VDL boats anchored around as this is typically where the river shallows in areas and we can continue to explore in the dingy.
From the jetty we could hear the falls and only had a short 100m walk to view these falls that fell into a lovely circular pool. Later I was told that there was a small Huon pine growing along the bank to the waterfall, and yes indeed it was there. They are such spindly trees, it is hard to think that they can grow to such mighty heights (but perhaps not in our lifetime).
We walked along a track on the river bank through beautiful forest to a newly built hut, ready for kayakers or hikers in the area, and Joel and Gracie had the privilege of spotting a platypus for a short moment off the shore.
We walked along a track on the river bank through beautiful forest to a newly built hut, ready for kayakers or hikers in the area, and Joel and Gracie had the privilege of spotting a platypus for a short moment off the shore.
The following day we loaded up and took the dinghy the few more miles up the Gordon and then turned left into the Franklin river. But before I get to that, the challenging part of going further into the Gordon are the rapids to negotiate. With a flowing current, the water rippled over any obstacle in its way, and so on two or three sections we chose the smoothest part of the river and needed to use the full 15hp of our outboard to make good headway into the bubbling water. Several of the other boats had different setups and needed to leave crew members behind, or very slowly, inch by inch, work their way over the rapids, it was interesting to watch how everyone did it differently.
This part of the Gordon was just as beautiful, but it was turning up into the Franklin, that was a narrower, slower paced river that really took our breath away. Shallow in parts, due to the lack of rain it has received this year, our propeller survived but the skeg, just in front of it, is another story!
Without the running current, the mirror reflections were aplenty at every corner and even the large river stones on the water’s edge seemed special. There was an amazing curved rock wall that also had a tree that had fallen down, and looked as though it were now growing upside down. Our end point was at the curve in the river where the stones are 3/4 of the way across and the rapids are quite furious. We could have attempted to walk the dinghy but decided for our group of 5 this was enough of an amazing adventure- we also had to get back yet! Plus, this was a perfect morning tea spot and everyone enjoyed exploring the rocky shore.
The return run was super fast with the current going with us. We headed for the smooth water again, (apparently it makes a “V” shape in the water) running with the rapids we just enjoyed the crazy bouncing and held on. Definitely a worthwhile adventure and one worth repeating in the future, although we might need to upsize our outboard with our little sailors only getting bigger!
Without the running current, the mirror reflections were aplenty at every corner and even the large river stones on the water’s edge seemed special. There was an amazing curved rock wall that also had a tree that had fallen down, and looked as though it were now growing upside down. Our end point was at the curve in the river where the stones are 3/4 of the way across and the rapids are quite furious. We could have attempted to walk the dinghy but decided for our group of 5 this was enough of an amazing adventure- we also had to get back yet! Plus, this was a perfect morning tea spot and everyone enjoyed exploring the rocky shore.
The return run was super fast with the current going with us. We headed for the smooth water again, (apparently it makes a “V” shape in the water) running with the rapids we just enjoyed the crazy bouncing and held on. Definitely a worthwhile adventure and one worth repeating in the future, although we might need to upsize our outboard with our little sailors only getting bigger!
We enjoyed a blissful afternoon of paddling to Sir John Falls, Ella even kayaking her way in, wanting to try and touch the waterfall. It’s power would have toppled her out for sure, but the freezing spray was enough to convince her she’d felt it. Back on board, we had a visitor for about 10 minutes that I think was one of my highlights of the whole trip. Whether it was the same platypus we won’t know, but a lovely platypus popped up and swam around the back of the boat. It eventually came so close that we could see it, underwater, in the shallows searching for food. Just a bit special.
After leaving the Gordon the next morning, we had another beautiful anchorage, down in Birch’s Inlet, Macquarie Harbour for a night before heading to Strahan for some provisioning, a social BBQ and watching (and participating in) ‘The ship that never was’, a well-known, long running play, depicting a story of the history of Macquarie Harbour.
We enjoyed some beautifully, surprisingly, warm days in Strahan and loved our time spent here. Many of the fleet departed yesterday and we will head out past Hell’s Gates once again and anchor in Pilot Bay, ready to set off when the time is right.
After leaving the Gordon the next morning, we had another beautiful anchorage, down in Birch’s Inlet, Macquarie Harbour for a night before heading to Strahan for some provisioning, a social BBQ and watching (and participating in) ‘The ship that never was’, a well-known, long running play, depicting a story of the history of Macquarie Harbour.
We enjoyed some beautifully, surprisingly, warm days in Strahan and loved our time spent here. Many of the fleet departed yesterday and we will head out past Hell’s Gates once again and anchor in Pilot Bay, ready to set off when the time is right.