Gordon River Cruise

After a lovely breakfast with freshly made croissants we headed down to the harbour to start our cruise aboard a catamaran on the Gordon River. What a wonderful experience it was. We cruised around Macquarie Harbour which is so big you can’t see the land from one side to the other. We went to Sarah Island, a former penal settlement mainly for prisoners who had committed a further offence since being transported. Hearing the history from a very enthusiastic tour guide was very entertaining. The scenery was incredible, all through this protected area and they have a great way of conserving the native Huon Pine. The Huon is no longer logged here, with the wood only used by craftsmen. The logs/branches have to fall naturally, be swept away at some point by rain and end up washed up in a non-conservation area where they can be salvaged by those with a license. Consequently it is not endangered and every branch is used whether straight or knarly. We drove to Queenstown, a copper mining town where the first person we met told us that about half the townspeople don’t like tourists…..We are here to do the Queenstown to Strachan railway tomorrow. Our accommodation is basic but as it is only one night we can cope. What I’m struggling with though is no mobile signal or wi-fi. Completely cut off!!