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.
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.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
If you cancel at least 3 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.<br>If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
Gordon River Cruise departing from Strahan lasts about 6 hours. The itinerary has 3 stops.
Prices start at $117 per person for this Strahan experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There are 3 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
Yes. Cancel at least 3 days before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is We are located in the cruise terminal on the wharf. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 190 participants.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap Infants are free provided they do not occupy a seat
Wheelchair accessible Transportation options are wheelchair accessible All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 4.8 out of 5 across 1,635 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by NRMA.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
What a magnificent experience. If you are in Strahan make sure you do this trip. We traveled in the Premier upper deck and it was fantastic. The food was fab. The scenery was second to none! Big shout out to our hostess Kelly. She was superb 👏 Thanks to all the crew for a wonderful day out on your beautiful harbour and river.
Really great tour. Very professional and well organised. Informative. Guided tour on Sarah Island very informative and very entertaining. Great lunch.
The staff were amazing, we had such a great day. the tour guide was full of knowledge with Sarah Island and we highly recommend this cruise as a must do 👍
What a great day out. The estuary and river are beautiful pristine areas and the tour was wonderful. The guide of Sarah Island was very well presented by David with in depth commentary of the hardship at the time. The stories made even more entertaining with the nightly presentation of "The Ship that never was", again presented by David et al. A wonderful story of escape with audience participation. A must do experience of fun and fascination
The boat trip, food and service were all excellent. I have done the trip multiple times and found the presentation of information on Sarah Island disappointing in comparison with previous presentations.
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.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon River Cruise departing from Strahan | 6 hours | 4.8 (1,635) | $117 | |
 Morning World Heritage Cruise on the Gordon River from Strahan | 6 hours | 4.8 (1,257) | $113 | View |
 Afternoon Gordon River Dinner Cruise | 6 hours | 4.9 (23) | $113 | View |
 Evening Dinner Cruise | 6 hours | 5.0 (10) | $117 | View |