Gordon River Cruise departing from Strahan
Description
Named 'Tasmania's Best Guided Tour' in 2018, a Gordon River Cruise takes you deep into the UNESCO Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, to explore a place rich with natural histories and tales of human history. Cruise into this wild place aboard Spirit of the Wild, a custom-built vessel, equipped with electric motors to allow you to cruise quietly on the Gordon River and experience its true tranquility. Enjoy a Chef-prepared menu that caters for all requirements, as well as dedicated on-board guides. Cruise aboard Spirit of the Wild with the Tasmanian owned and operated Gordon River Cruises to be first on the river, giving you the best chance of seeing the famous reflections.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Cruise quietly in World Heritage wilderness aboard Spirit of the Wild, with her electric motors. The tranquility of this experience has to be experienced to be believed. Hear the stories of the river from our dedicated guides and step ashore at Heritage Landing for an interpretive tour of the ancient rain forest. On returning to your vessel, enjoy a Chef-prepared lunch on the river as you cruise for Sarah Island.
Step ashore at Sarah Island, a place once feared for its reputation as one of the meanest convict penal colonies in Tasmania. Hear the stories of the wild place with a guide who will take you back in time to the tales of hardship, heroes and villains. Sarah Island is a place that balances stunning scenery with a challenging and tangible history.
Returning to Strahan, enjoy complimentary tastings of local produce in the Gordon River Cruises terminal, as well as the opportunity to browse souvenirs and gifts for home before exploring the magic of the Strahan waterfront.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Infants are free provided they do not occupy a seat
- Tour is wheelchair accessible on the Main Deck only. Motor scooters are not permitted due to size limitations
- About the boat: Spirit of the Wild features a unique hybrid propulsion system allowing you to cruise quietly on the Gordon River, as well as an environmentally designed hull to ensure minimal impact on the area’s pristine wilderness; inside, the vessel provides an optimal experience for passengers with interpretive facilities with maps, photographs and guidebooks, and plenty of deck space, including a 360° Viewing Deck at the top of the vessel.
Reviews(1,630)
It was a great tour with great staff. However, dont be bamboozled by the seating arrangements in the lower deck. I paid for the medium range seating which is next to a window, but upon seeing the cheaper seats, I believed the view was better from them because you could see from a 300 degree angle all around. The most epxensive seating was upstairs and they were waited on and had less noise and a higher vantage point. Worth it if you can afford it but not necessary. Food was a salad with cold meats and smoked salmon and a dinner roll. not bad. The sights were rivers and dense rainforest/bushland. Im not sure the terepidatious travelling to Strahan was all worth it. A few of the staff are what make the tour great with all their knowledge and understanding of the local area. If it wasnt for them, I may not have enjoyed it as much.
Exceptional trip. Fortunate with the weather for winter - calm and glassy - but no doubt even in poor weather it would be a winner. Stunning scenery along with great history of the area. Staff onboard were excellent and the boat is first class. Spent the extra to book the premium upper deck. While not cheap, for the extra comfort, access to an upper deck viewing area, quality local wines and other beverages all day (including fresh coffee and hot chocolates), all meals including breakfast, snacks hot and cold lunch all served in an extremely comfortable environment. Could not fault the service. For us, the value it added outweighed the cost. The scenery from Hell Gates to the Gordon river, Sarah island and river landing walk just added to the experience. While we splurged, the others I spoke to that didn’t still had a great experience with a lunch provided.
My wife and I doing a 10 day self drive tour of Tasmania. We done day boat tours in both New Zealand and Norway. However this tour in our experience is the absolute winner. The crew are welcoming and friendly. Hannah & Clair kept us informed and educated on Tasmanian history and knowledge of the area. Kelly proved the food and it was absolutely a pleasure to dine in style whilst watching the tranquility pass by. We felt privileged to experience the raw natural beauty of the heritage listed forest and Gordon River reflections. Thanks to Captain Rick for steering such a fantastically designed eco friendly vessel.🚢 Josh at Sarah Island commentary on the history and story of the convicts. We thoroughly enjoyed the entire day. Lunch was organised and hassle free. We strongly recommend this tour!!!
The penal colony was very interesting. Our guide was very knowledgeable. The trip was quite long and we did not see much wildlife
It was well worth the money. The itinerary, food and staff was great. It was informative and scenery was just amazing. Facilities on the boat was clean. Seats were comfortable.
Enjoyed the cruise and Claire was a great hostess.
The whole experience is fantastic with amazing scenery and commentary (even on a rainy day) - you will come away in awe and have learnt so much. We did the upper deck trip and the food and drink options were wonderful. Crew very helpful, efficient, knowledgeable and friendly. A great time had as a part of a significant birthday. Can't wait to do it again
Exceptional!! This experience was far better than I expected. Cruising this beautiful river on the diesel driven catamaran was well... a great adventure & one I will remember . The scenery,guides,history lessons, stop overs at Sarah Island & a national reserve & dining were top notch . The stories on the boat about convict life were fascinating especially for me as my ancestors were convicts sent to populate/build Tasmania/Australia for trivial crimes with harsh penalties so the British could beat France who discovered it first. Highly recommend this tour & to top it off go see the play afterwards " the ship that never was" which plays out one of the stories from Sarah Island in a very clever & artistic manner.
This was an excellent experience from ease of booking through to completion and the Crew and support staff were polite and informative. The scenery was fabulous beginning with a trip to the open ocean and the edge of the roaring 40s, before heading up the Gordon River and into the rainforest. There were two opportunities to get off the boat, one to walk along the boardwalk and see the flora and fauna of the luscious Forest. The the significance of the Huon Pine was explored and explained while the crew set out a delicious lunch (gluten free and vegetarian catered for). The history of Sarah Island was creatively delivered while being guided around the island, an interesting story with a number of twists and outcomes for both the convicts and leaders. We cannot recommend this trip highly enough….a must do trip!
Devils Gate & scenery along the Gordon River was awesome. The staff, information, walking tours, food were all fabulous. Walking tours suitable for all abilities. Would absolutely recommend.
