Things to do in Strahan
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Strahan
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Warmest and least wet, still rainy. February is driest at about 106 mm. Everything runs, including evening cruises.
Autumn shoulder. Crowds thin after Easter, rain builds, cruises and the play keep running on reduced schedules.
Winter low season, wettest in August at about 264 mm. World Heritage Cruises pauses in August, rail and kitchens reduce.
Spring restart. The play resumes daily from September and penguin trips build, but rain stays heavy, September included.
What's on
- The Unconformity mid October, biennial festival years
Biennial arts festival in Queenstown, about 45 to 50 minutes from Strahan, that fills west coast beds. Check the year.
Best things to do in Strahan
Gordon River Cruises
The premium Gordon River cruise on Spirit of the Wild, with quiet electric cruising, Heritage Landing and Sarah Island.
World Heritage Cruises
The local family owned Gordon River cruise, with Sarah Island tour, lunch and the Heritage Landing boardwalk.
West Coast Wilderness Railway
The Abt rack railway built for Queenstown copper, climbing 1 in 16 grades through rainforest from Regatta Point.
The Ship That Never Was
Australia's longest running play, a funny true convict escape story performed by the wharf with audience parts.
Bonnet Island Experience
A small group evening boat trip to Bonnet Island to watch little penguins come ashore at dusk.
Morrisons Huon Pine Sawmill
A free working Huon pine sawmill and museum shed, with a milling demonstration as the cruise boats return.
West Coast Visitor Information Centre
The booking desk and free Reflections exhibition that explains Macquarie Harbour before you sail or ride.
Where to stay in Strahan
Strahan waterfront and town centre
every visitor, the only sensible base
All cruises, the railway, the play and every kitchen sit on or just behind the Esplanade, so no night driving is needed.
Best restaurants in Strahan
Risby's Restaurant by Risby Cove
Strahan's one fine dining room, modern Tasmanian seafood and produce in a quiet harbour view room at Risby Cove.
View 42 Degrees Restaurant and Bar
Strahan Village's hilltop restaurant, Tasmanian seafood and buffet spreads with the best dining view in town.
Hamer's Bar & Bistro
The town pub bistro, log fires and generous Tasmanian scallops, chowder, steaks and schnitzels at fair prices.
Bushman's Bar & Cafe
A tiny cafe restaurant loved for Thai influenced dinners, northern Thai curry, massaman and sticky rice desserts.
Tracks on Point
The railway station cafe famous for pancakes, loaded shakes and burgers, the best casual lunch in Strahan.
The Coffee Shack
A tiny wharf side shack pouring early espresso with toasties and muffins, the pre cruise ritual in Strahan.
Molly's Takeaway Cafe
Long hours takeaway for flake and chips, burgers and pizza, the fallback when Strahan's few kitchens are full.
Outdoor things to do in Strahan
Hogarth Falls
An easy 2.4 km return rainforest walk to a waterfall, with a chance of platypus in Botanical Creek at dusk.
Ocean Beach
Tasmania's longest beach at about 40 km, wild Southern Ocean surf to watch and walk beside, never to swim in.
Henty Dunes
Giant 30 m dunes 14 km north of town, made for climbing, views and a hired toboggan slide back down.
Strahan Historic Foreshore Walk
A flat harbour walk linking wharf, sawmill and Peoples Park, with signs that tell the whole story of the port.
Macquarie Heads
The harbour mouth lookout facing Hells Gates, where you watch boats thread the channel to the Southern Ocean.
King River Rafting
A full day train in and raft out adventure on the King River, through rainforest gorge and Grade 3 rapids.
Montezuma Falls
Often cited as Tasmania's highest waterfall, reached by a long flat tramway track through rainforest.
Nelson Falls
A 20 minute boardwalk to a wide rainforest waterfall, the perfect break on the winding drive into Strahan.
Best hotels in Strahan
Risby Cove Boutique Hotel
Strahan's top stay, a small waterfront boutique hotel with harbour view suites and the town's best restaurant.
Strahan Village
The town's largest stay, hilltop rooms and cottages that are home port to Gordon River Cruises.
Franklin Manor
A restored historic manor turned small hotel, with breakfast in the dining room and a fire after wet days.
The Quarters
Four vintage styled self-contained waterfront apartments with kitchenettes, harbour views and a shared sauna.
Strahan Backpackers
The town's budget pick, dorms, doubles and cabins a short walk from the wharf and cruise departures.
BIG4 Strahan Holiday Retreat
A big holiday park with sites and cabins near the wharf, the family and road trip workhorse of Strahan.
Is Strahan expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | A$150 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | A$300 a person |
| Splurge | A$580 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Gordon River Cruises: weeks ahead
- World Heritage Cruises: weeks ahead
- West Coast Wilderness Railway: weeks ahead
- The Ship That Never Was: a few days ahead
- Bonnet Island Experience: weeks ahead
- King River Rafting: weeks ahead
- Risby Cove Boutique Hotel: weeks ahead
- Strahan Village: weeks ahead
- Book in this order: bed, cruise, train, dinners, play.
- Cruise decks, railway carriages and the bookable dinner rooms sell out together on summer weekends.
- Buy a Tasmanian national park pass before you arrive for Nelson Falls and other park stops.
Is Strahan safe?
- Avoid driving at night. Wildlife feeds at the road edge, bends are unlit, and the 99 bends into Queenstown have no runoff.
- Carry waterproof jacket and pants, warm layers and closed shoes on every walk, in every month.
- Mobile coverage is patchy to absent outside town, at Ocean Beach and on the river. Download maps and bookings early.
- The nearest hospital is in Queenstown, about 45 to 50 minutes away, and major care is hours away in Burnie or Hobart.
Strahan travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not book both Gordon River boats. They cover the same river, Heritage Landing and Sarah Island.
- Do not arrive at 8:30pm expecting dinner. Kitchens mostly close by about 8 to 8:30pm.
- The visitor centre has been opening Monday to Friday only, so do not leave passes and bookings to a weekend.
- Ocean Beach is not a swimming beach. It is unpatrolled, with powerful surf, rips and cold water in every month.
Getting around Strahan: public transport and more
- You need a car. There are no scheduled flights for visitors and no useful bus network for sightseeing.
- Strahan is about 4.5 hours by road from Hobart and about 4 hours from Launceston, on winding mountain roads.
- In town everything is walkable. Ocean Beach, Henty Dunes and Macquarie Heads each need the car.
- Arrive with a full tank and top up when you pass an open bowser, because fuel hours are limited and towns are far apart.
Who Strahan suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Strahan your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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