Ocean Beach is a 30+ km beach highway (for the right vehicle at the right time of day). You’ll see towering sand dunes, rolling waves and white, white sand. It’s a wild place. Just to give you can idea of how untamed it is, Ocean Beach lies between Hell’s Gates in the south and Trial Harbour in the north. Both places were named to let other travellers know what to expect in these waters: great difficulty!
You can drive onto Ocean Beach with a 4WD vehicle at several points. We entered the beach at Macquarie Heads. Macquarie Heads is particularly picturesque with views of historic lighthouses, fisherman’s cottages and rock walls as well as the dangerous Hell’s Gates passage out of Macquarie Harbour. It was a delight to drive in the blue water of our GPS screen while safely on Ocean Beach!
While I was walking by the waves at Ocean Beach Lookout, Mr. Traversing Tasmania tried to get the 4WD down the track to the shore but decided that he wasn’t brave enough! Ask locals for advice about when and where to access the beach. Note that there are two river mouths to cross and that you can get bogged. That’s not on my list of things to do while on holiday!
If you’re planning on driving your 4WD along Ocean Beach, bring recovery equipment and let someone know where you’re going and when to expect you back. It also helps to ask locals about which access points are currently safe to use. Bring your fishing gear for use at Macquarie Heads. Note that Ocean Beach is unpatrolled by lifeguards and is too dangerous for swimming. Bring food and water so that you can stay as long as you please and, as always on the west coast, bring clothing appropriate for wet, windy and/or cold weather.
If you don’t have a 4WD, you can still enjoy Ocean Beach. Just follow signs from Strahan along C250, Ocean Beach Road. A sign-posted right-hand turn and a short stretch of dirt road will see you arrive at the car park at Ocean Beach Lookout. Here, walk a wild stretch of sand with views of Macquarie Heads to the south or views of Henty Dunes and rugged ranges to the north. Just being beside the ocean is wonderfully restorative. I’m told by the locals that Ocean Beach is also one of the best spots to view the sunset.
Access to Tasmania’s beaches is free! This is something that I don’t take for granted. I do my part by taking all of my rubbish away with me. I also take three additional pieces of rubbish (bottle caps, gum wrappers, fishing line and the like) with me to do my bit for the ocean critters who don’t need waste in their environment. Enjoy the pristine wilderness that is Ocean Beach!
To read about more of my west coast adventures, click here.
I’m not a gushy person but the Gordon River Cruise really is something special (that’s the first and last river pun, I promise!). The cruise’s title is something of a misnomer as there are many sights to be seen (Gordon River being the most spectacular though). Here are my highlights.
As you leave Strahan, stand on the deck. It’s a picturesque town that is quickly subsumed by the vast wilderness surrounding it. As the boat picks up speed, you’ll want to be on the wind (top) deck. Hold onto your hats, folks! It is a wild ride but you’ll have the best views of Macquarie Harbour and it’s actually a lot of fun leaning back into the wind for a free, albeit unpredictable, massage!
Hell’s Gates has to be seen to be believed. You’ll be awed by two convict-built rock walls (very hard labour!), making the narrow channel deep enough for the cruise boat to sail through. Then you’ll see the two lighthouses and the fisherman’s cottages on the far side of Macquarie Heads. Ocean Beach stretches out before you. Again, make sure that you’re on deck for a photo and to drink in the scenery and history.
There is a lot of controversy about salmon farms in Tasmania due to their environmental impact. I really appreciated seeing a salmon farm up close and hearing about how the farm is run. The backdrop of Macquarie Harbour is stunning. You might even see the resident salmon thieves (seals) raise their heads between the pens. It’s good to see Tasmanian business doing so well globally and hopefully we can soon find solutions to the issues currently faced.
The west coast always impresses on me just how small I am. Sailing through deep, tannin-stained waters, surround by untamed forests, mountain ranges and brooding clouds, I am passing through. Many generations of people have carved out a life in this vast, wild place, the Toogee kinship group (Tasmanian Aborigines) and piners among them. It is humbling.
To be honest, the stop at Heritage Landing was underwhelming. The boat disgorges its passengers who then shuffle around a board-walk circuit. There are some redeeming features of the stop though. For one, the plant life is stunning. Many species are endemic to the west coast of Tasmania. If you’re quick enough, you can make a second lap of the circuit on your own and really enjoy the forest’s delights. If you’d rather take things slowly, one of the crew tells a good yarn on a platform halfway around the boardwalk.
Back on board, it’s time for lunch. Yummo! We have dietary requirements and were really pleased with the selection of food available for us (you’ll need to ask the crew for specialty items like gluten free bread though). Sit back, relax and enjoy a documentary about the Gordon River piners as you cruise back up the river. If I had my time again, I would spend more time on deck and watch the documentary another time as the opportunity to see the Gordon River is a rare one.
The Gordon River Cruise is the cruise that just keeps on giving. Sarah Island was unexpectedly brilliant. Naively, I was not anticipating the penal settlement to have left such an imprint. Our guide pointed out the still-visible ship yards, tannery, bakery, penitentiary and so on. The flora is also quite European as the island was initially stripped of native vegetation, leaving it so exposed in the wilds of Macquarie Harbour that a wooden wall had to be built as a windbreak! This is the place that re-offending convicts were taken to. Our guide was one of the actors from ‘The Ship that Never Was’ (a local, famous play) and provided an insightful and entertaining commentary.
Tasmania’s west coast is not a place to be fashionable. Although it didn’t rain when we were on the Gordon River Cruise, it is highly likely to as the west coast has 3 to 4 metres of rain per year. Unless you want to be cooped up inside for the entire cruise, bring waterproof pants and a rain jacket. It’s not high fashion but being able to sit on deck while you glide through the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Tasmanian wilderness is something that you shouldn’t pass up, no matter what the weather. It goes without saying that you’ll need to bring your camera. You should also be aware that, although lunch is hearty, there is no morning tea. Bring your own food or bring cash to purchase items on board.
The Gordon River Cruise departs from Strahan, an isolated town on Tasmania’s west coast. You can expect to take over four hours to drive there from Launceston and over four and half hours from Hobart. I highly recommend allowing extra time for stops at the towns on your way. You should also avoid driving between dusk and dawn due to the increased chance of hitting wildlife, which is costly.
You’ll find two companies who offer the Gordon River Cruise experience. We didn’t know this until we arrived and had already pre-booked a cruise with RACT’s Gordon River Cruises. The other (family-owned) company is World Heritage Cruises. There are slight differences in the timing of the cruises and the experiences offered so do your research and choose the cruise that suits you. Prices for a full Gordon River Cruise currently range from $115 to $160 on World Heritage Cruises and $125 to $240 on Gordon River Cruises with family discounts available from both operators. Both companies also offer “highlights” cruises (varying seasonally). Being able to see a multitude of fabulous locations in Macquarie Harbour and then cruise into a World Heritage Listed area was a priceless experience. I highly recommend saving your pennies for your own place on a Gordon River Cruise.
Read more about my adventures on Tassie’s rugged west coast.
Macquarie Heads are the headlands that meet at Hell’s gates, the narrow, shallow entrance of Macquarie Harbour. There are loud quad bikes, dirt-bikes and 4WDs everywhere, combined with a crisscross of kids and fishing rods. If you’ve seen the classic Australian film The Castle, you’ll be saying, “Ah, the serenity!” with a smile on your face. Noisy neighbours aren’t your only problem either. As we were walking back from the beach, a tiger snake (that’s a bad one, folks!) silently slithered away from the path. So… don’t go to Macquarie Heads? Well, actually, it was fantastic.
Strangely for the west coast, which has an average of 2.4 metres of rain each year, it was a fabulously sunny day. Many took the opportunity to go fishing. A few keen people went for a swim. I was content to paddle and gaze at the view of the harbour, ringed by mountains, and the lighthouses.
There are two gorgeous white lighthouses at Macquarie Heads. These have helped sailors to navigate the narrow, shallow passage into the harbour for many years. You’ll also see three fisherman’s cottages (inaccessible by road but apparently available as holiday rentals, accessed via boat). If you know where to look, you can just make out the two rock walls that were created by convicts in the 1800s in an effort to keep the channel deep enough and safe enough to sail through. It’s a photographer’s delight!
It’s the west coast so you’ll need your sunscreen, sunhat, beanie, scarf, gloves and your wet-weather gear. If you’re planning on staying for a few hours or longer, I’d recommend bringing your rod and tackle and trying your hand at catching lunch. You’ll also need to bring your own food, water and firewood (if fires are permitted at the time of year that you visit).
Macquarie Heads is about a twenty-minute drive from Strahan on Macquarie Heads Road. You’ll see clear signs from Strahan. The road is partly sealed, partly dirt and is very picturesque with more views of Macquarie Harbour as well as pine forests. Once you reach the campsite, keep driving until you reach the final car park. You can also drive your 4WD onto the beach if the conditions are right (see my post on Ocean Beach for more on beach driving). Ask locals to show you the best entry to the beach (one is extremely sandy and best avoided).
Macquarie Heads is free to visit for the day. You’ll find the best smelling bench-seat dunny (toilet) and glorious views. To camp, you’ll pay a small fee but have the benefits of grassed sites, a caretaker, a boat ramp and those views. Next time you’re in Strahan, take the time to see a very historic, very picturesque part of Macquarie Harbour.
Read more about my adventures on Tasmania’s wild west coast.
