Another misty rainy start to the day. A quick breakfast, then Hennie and I dashed down to the harbour to get on board the Harbour Master for the Macquarie Harbour and Gordon River tour.
The grey and cold conditions - mostly hovering around 12-14 with thick misty rain - dampened the experience in some ways, but in other ways enhanced it.
The sea was calm enough for us to proceed through Hells Gates - which was a tad turbulent - then onto Cape Sorrel - not often able to go out that far.
Then turned back and sailed up the really large Macquarie Harbour, past fish farms and a few hardy holiday shacks…
Once arriving at the Gordon, the speed limit was drastically cut and we were able to glide almost quietly along the length of the tour.
An interesting stop at Sarah Island - one of the first convict settlements for the 'really bad convicts'. In appalling conditions, which only made them madder and badder. An interesting story told by a very dramatic tour guide Ingrid, who really brought the time alive. Perhaps the cold and wet weather made it easier to get a bit of an idea of the conditions.
A quick stopover at the Heritage Landing board walk gave a close up view of the rainforest and the size of some of the remaining huon pines… thankfully no longer any logging - just small leases to salvage old timber that has been washed down into river.
The 6
hour trip was really informative - however the "commercial dj"
presentation gave me the pips and his fluffing of the lines he had to read was really annoying as well as his continual - hey guys! - and - we just want to
have fun, that's what its all about - well, I am just a cranky old woman I
guess!
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