Photograph: Strahan, Tasmania by Steven Penton from Bakers Beach, Tasmania Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Strahan, pronounced strawn, is a small harbour town on the west coast of Tasmania, at Long Bay on the northern shore of Macquarie Harbour, and it is the base from which boats, planes and helicopters head into the south west wilderness. Only a few hundred people live here. The town grew as a port for the mines and the timber trade, and it is now the main tourist centre of the west coast. The weather comes straight off the Southern Ocean, so packing for Strahan means packing for rain, wind and cool days in every season, and for time on the water.
The photograph above looks down on the harbour from a bush covered rise: grey, still water, a timber jetty with a white work boat and two smaller boats tied up, a red roofed building and a pale two storey building on the waterfront road, thick green bush on the right, a low forested shore across the water, and a heavy sky with gaps of blue. What the frame cannot show is what the town is a base for. The Gordon River, the convict ruins on Sarah Island, the narrow harbour mouth at Hells Gates, the long surf beach on the ocean side, the rainforest walk to Hogarth Falls and the heritage railway are all out of the picture. The frame does give a fair sense of the weather.
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What Is Here
Strahan began as a working port rather than a resort. The settlement was known as Long Bay or Regatta Point until 1881, when it was renamed after the colony's new governor, Sir George Strahan, and the town was officially proclaimed in 1892. It was developed as a port for the mining settlements inland and became a centre for the timber industry, including the cutting of Huon pine along the harbour and up the King, Franklin and Gordon rivers. For most of the twentieth century it was smaller than the mining towns of Queenstown and Zeehan; today it is the main tourist centre of the region.
Macquarie Harbour itself is a shallow fjord of about 315 square kilometres, with an average depth of around 15 metres. The Gordon River flows into it, and Strahan is an access point to the Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, which was declared part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area in 1982. For several years the town was at the centre of the conservation campaign against a proposed dam below the Gordon and Franklin rivers.
The Harbour, the River and Sarah Island
The harbour cruises take in most of the sights. Wikivoyage describes the cruises as crossing Macquarie Harbour and travelling up the lower reaches of the Gordon River, taking in the World Heritage Area, Hells Gates, the salmon farms in the harbour and Sarah Island. Check what each trip includes, especially whether it lands on Sarah Island, and check the forecast before you book.
Sarah Island was a convict station from 1822, and the ruins of its buildings are still visible. Wikipedia records its reputation as the harshest penal settlement in the Australian colonies. In town, the Round Earth Theatre Company performs The Ship That Never Was, a long running play telling the true story of an escape from the island.
Hells Gates is the narrow entrance to the harbour from the ocean. Wikivoyage describes it as the main restriction on shipping because it is shallow and hard to manoeuvre, and says that travelling out to sea through it is not recommended. A cruise boat or a charter skipper with local knowledge is the way to see the mouth.
Walks, the Railway and Ocean Beach
From People's Park, at the northern end of Strahan Harbour, a walk of about 30 minutes through rainforest leads to Hogarth Falls. Wear proper footwear, because the path through the forest is wet in this climate.
The West Coast Wilderness Railway runs 34 km between Strahan and Queenstown, with its Strahan terminus at Regatta Point. Check the current timetable and routes on the West Coast Wilderness Railway site, as services from each end vary.
On the ocean side of the peninsula, Ocean Beach runs for around 40 km with large dunes. It faces the open Southern Ocean, and Wikivoyage calls a visit during a storm a sobering experience. Treat it as a place to look rather than swim, and stay well back from the water's edge.
When to Go
Strahan has an oceanic climate, with cool to mild, damp summers and cold, very rainy winters. Wikipedia notes that low pressure systems off the Southern Ocean bring heavy rain and gusty winds, that the town averages only about 15.7 days of clear weather a year, and that rain falls on around 243 days. Average highs are about 21C in January and about 12C in July, with winter nights around 5C. Hot weather is rare, and snow falls often on the low hills just inland.
Summer, from December to February, has the warmest averages, so it is the easiest time to visit. The FCDO says bushfire risk in Australia is higher from October to February, and the Tasmania Fire Service is the authority to follow. Winter is wet and quiet, which is the honest trade for fewer people. In any season, pack for rain.
Getting There
Strahan is remote. Wikivoyage puts it about 300 km from Hobart, around five hours by car on the Lyell Highway through Queenstown, about 42 km away. There are no regular passenger flights to Strahan; the airport serves charter and scenic flights. TassieLink runs a bus from Hobart a couple of days a week. A car gives you the most freedom.
The FCDO's driving advice fits the west coast well. It says Australia is known for large distances between towns and amenities, and advises carrying enough water, telling someone your plans, checking road conditions before you start and staying with your vehicle if it breaks down. It also warns that sudden storms and strong winds can make driving difficult and that hire car insurance often does not cover unsurfaced roads. Wikivoyage adds a local note: watch for logging trucks on the Strahan to Zeehan road. Fill up with fuel before you leave the larger towns, and drive in daylight.
Is Strahan Safe for Women Travelers
The FCDO advises against travel to no part of Australia, and Strahan is a small, quiet town where crime is not the main concern. The national warnings still apply: the FCDO says terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Australia and that attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreign nationals. For petty crime it advises keeping luggage out of sight in cars, which matters most at trailheads and car parks.
Weather, water and remoteness are the real risks. The FCDO says it can take hours to get help in an emergency in the bush or national parks, and that mobile coverage outside cities and large towns can be very limited or non-existent. It tells walkers to research the area and prepare for terrain and weather. On the coast it says rip currents are the main hazard for all swimmers and can sweep even the strongest swimmer out to sea, and it notes sharks, snakes and venomous insects and spiders in many parts of the country. Read Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania guidance before any walk beyond town, tell someone where you are going, and check the Bureau of Meteorology forecast before going out on the water or onto the coast.
The Strahan Packing List
Our merino base layers are 100% Australian merino at 17.5 micron, and a long sleeve merino wool base layer for women is the right foundation for this coast. It stays warm when it is damp, which is often here, it works under a rain shell on a cruise deck and on its own in a heated cafe, and it does not hold smells across several days of the same layers.
For Rain and Wind
A packable rain jacket is the item you will wear most, on deck, on the rainforest walk and in town. Add a Columbia Fast Trek fleece underneath for wind on the water, and a Smartwool merino beanie for cold mornings and the open deck.
For the Boat
A dry bag keeps a camera, phone and spare layer dry in spray and rain. Our affiliate register carries no sunscreen and no eyewear, so bring your own.
For Your Feet
Rainforest paths and wet boardwalks call for Merrell Moab waterproof hiking boots rather than trainers, with Darn Tough merino hiking socks that stay warm when wet. That is our sixth affiliate link, our limit per post, so we have not linked waterproof trousers; if you plan longer walks, pack a pair anyway.
Recommended Tours and Experiences
Essential Resources for Women in Strahan
Emergency numbers: 000 for ambulance, fire and police, according to the FCDO's getting help page; its health page says to dial 000 and ask for an ambulance.
Medical care: the nearest hospital is the West Coast District Hospital at Queenstown, about 42 km away; anything serious may mean transfer to a larger hospital elsewhere on the island. The FCDO says the standard of healthcare in Australia is very good, that essential and urgent hospital treatment is free under the UK reciprocal agreement, and that ambulance services and medical evacuations are excluded and very expensive, which matters in a place this remote.
Weather and fire: the Bureau of Meteorology for forecasts and marine warnings, and the Tasmania Fire Service for bushfire alerts.
US State Department travel advisory: the Australia advisory. Read the current level there directly rather than relying on a figure printed in any guide.
UK FCDO travel advice: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/australia, and read the safety and security page rather than only the landing page, because that is where the substance sits.
Official health authority: the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
US Embassy: the United States Embassy in Canberra, is in Canberra, on the mainland.
Official tourism authority: Tourism Australia, covers the whole country; ask locally about cruises and the railway.
Solo women safety assessment: Strahan is small, slow and an easy place to be alone, and crime is not the realistic risk. The risks are distance and weather: hours to help in the bush, patchy phone signal, a long drive on winding roads with logging trucks, and cold, heavy sea at Ocean Beach. Drive in daylight with fuel and water, tell someone your plans before any walk or drive, see the harbour mouth from a cruise boat rather than a small private boat, stay out of the surf, and keep luggage out of sight in the car. Emergency 000.
Takeaways
Give Strahan at least two nights: one day for the harbour, the Gordon River and Sarah Island, and one for the railway, the rainforest walk and Ocean Beach at sunset. Pack waterproofs first, warm layers second and good boots third, and plan the drive in daylight.
Reading On
Strahan is one stop on the island covered by the Tasmania packing list, which sets the west coast beside the rest of the state. Most trips to Strahan start or end in the capital, covered by the Hobart packing list, or in the north at the Launceston packing list. For the drier east and south of the island, read the Bicheno packing list and the Bruny Island packing list. The Australia packing list and the Australia travel guide for women cover the whole country. For why wool works in cold rain, read the guide to merino wool base layers for women, and every destination we cover is indexed at the travel packing guide for women. The base layers themselves are in the Roman Trail collection.
If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.
