Morrison’s Huon Pine Sawmill is a fourth generation, family-run sawmill in Strahan. Reasons to visit include experiencing a sawmill in action, seeing vintage equipment, enjoying the waterfront view and watching a saw demonstration at approximately 3pm each day. The very best reason to visit is that you get to breathe in the glorious Huon pine scent. There’s nothing quite like it!
We arrived at Morrison’s Huon Pine Sawmill at 3:15pm. This was a fabulous time to arrive as Snowy Morrison was just about to start his museum-piece saw, bringing the mill to roaring life. It was also a dreadful time to arrive as a boatload of tourists arrived just after the saw had started, swamping the shop. If you feel panicky, close your eyes and smell the Huon Pine. It’ll all be over soon, folks!
Being a Tasmanian has several advantages. For one, I happened to know one of the Morrison family members. This then led to me having a cuppa in Snowy Morrison’s house, admiring his gorgeous wooden furniture. If you’re not a local, you can at least have a yarn with the Morrison family at the sawmill and can admire the craftsmanship of the items in the gift shop.
Getting There
Morrison’s Huon Pine Sawmill is located on the Esplanade in Strahan, just up from the Gordon River Cruise departure points. Daily saw demonstrations start as passengers leave the cruise boats (approximately 3pm). While it’s a four-hour drive from Hobart (or a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Launceston), what you spend in petrol will be saved on Huon pine goodies!
Cost
Wonderfully, Morrison’s Huon Pine Sawmill is free to visit! You can wander through the workshop, admire antique equipment and make a purchase from the gift shop. I would tell you how cheap my gorgeous Huon pine chopping board was except that then there won’t be any left next time I visit. Suffice to say, if you’re in Strahan and you don’t visit Morrison’s Huon Pine Sawmill, you’ll regret it!
Staying a while? Read about more of my adventures on Tasmania’s wild west coast.