Strahan combines cruises on the water with rainforest trails and a history that also comes to life on stage. Commercial cruises departing from the town travel to Macquarie Harbour and the Gordon River; on land, options range from access to Hogarth Falls to the Historic Foreshore Walk and the historic railway. When searching for a hotel in Strahan, this gives you a clear choice based on your travel interests: water, forest or cultural history.
Cruises and History on the Water
Commercial cruises departing from Strahan provide access to Macquarie Harbour and the Gordon River. Gordon River Cruises and World Heritage Cruises take passengers through Hells Gates into the Gordon River. On cruises associated with Strahan, Sarah Island is the final stop. The island was a penal colony, adding a historical dimension to the journey.
The cruises bring together two aspects that can also be explored separately: the passage through Hells Gates and into the Gordon River, and a stop at a place with a history as a penal colony. If you want to experience Strahan mainly by boat, the river route and Sarah Island are useful points of reference when choosing.
Rainforest on Foot and by Rail
The route to Hogarth Falls leads from Strahan through the cool temperate rainforest in Peoples Park. The forest is therefore part of the walk to the waterfall. This is a different way to experience the surrounding nature than travelling on the water: here, the route leads through the park and rainforest to a specific destination.
The Strahan Historic Foreshore Walk offers another route through Strahan. It runs from West Strahan Beach past galleries and historical information boards to Regatta Point Station. This station is also the designated boarding point in Strahan for a historic train journey into the rainforest on the West Coast Wilderness Railway. Check the railway’s current operating information before your trip.
For planning purposes, the two rainforest experiences differ significantly in form: at Hogarth Falls, the route leads through Peoples Park to the waterfall; on the West Coast Wilderness Railway, it is a historic train journey into the rainforest. The Foreshore Walk, in turn, follows its own route past galleries and information boards and ends at the railway station, which also serves as the train’s boarding point.
A True Story on Stage
The Ship That Never Was is a classic pantomime production by the Round Earth Company in Strahan. Its historical basis is the 1834 escape attempt by ten convict shipwrights, who stole the Frederick. The escape attempt became the basis for the production. In Strahan, you can encounter the town’s history in two different forms: as a stage story and as a point of reference on a cruise whose final stop is Sarah Island.
For seasonal performance planning, daily shows at 5:30 p.m. from September to May at the Richard Davey Amphitheatre are listed. Check the current schedule before your trip so you can plan around the latest dates.
When choosing accommodation in Strahan, you can first consider which side of the town will shape your stay: cruises on the harbour and river, rainforest walks and train journeys, or the connection between theatre and history. These are distinct experiences, not a prescribed order for a day’s itinerary. Choose the focus that suits your trip, and use the specific locations as reference points during your stay.
Discover more destinations: Swansea, Poatina, Cranbrook, Midway Point, Coningham, Port Huon, Seven Mile Beach, Dover.
For the broader travel overview: Tasmania.
