Explore: Strahan
General Info
This little port is tucked up into the northern corner of a bay on the exposed west coast of Tasmania.
It provides a very useful port of refuge, but be advised that the entrance channel into Macquarie Harbour (known as Hell’s Gate) is narrow, and has strong tidal flows.
Outside Hell’s Gate is a very convenient anchorage called Pilot Bay which is protected from southwest winds, and a good place to wait until conditions are suitable to enter Hell’s Gate and Macquarie Harbour.
Strahan is a remote and rather isolated community, so facilities are limited.
Position 42° 11’50″S, 145° 12’46″E (Hell’s Gate)
Docking
Do not attempt to enter the harbour in the dark. Slack water is the best time to enter.
There are many quiet and secluded anchorages within the harbour. Risby Cove at Strahan provides good holding (10m over mud) and shelter in all conditions. Betsy’s Bay just north of the town is also a nice spot. Yachts can anchor anywhere off the town.
Trevor Norton’s very informative chart of Macquarie Harbour, available at West Coast Charters on Strahan Wharf (03 6471 7422), shows a number of local treks, in particular across from the harbour to Tasmania’s wild West Coast.
An interesting report by cruisers who ventured up the Gordon River from Macquarie Harbour in March 2015 can be found at this link – http://jackandjude.com/log/
Last updated: March 2015.
