Day 9 Hamilton to Strahan


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Oceania » Australia » Tasmania » Hamilton
October 18th 2010
Published: October 23rd 2010
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Today we left the Old School House in Hamilton and drove to Strahan via the Lyell Highway.
Our first stop along the way was at a Gallery called “The Wall”. Greg Duncan has created this stunning sculpture located in a gallery at the Derwent River Bridge. The 'Wall in the Wilderness' is Greg’s commemoration to those who shaped the past and present of the central highlands of Tasmania. It is a work in progress and is carved from 3 metre high panels of timber most of which are rare Huon Pine. I don’t have any photos of ‘The Wall’ as no cameras are allowed in the Gallery. It is an amazing work of art. When completed it will be 100metres long.
Next stop was at the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. Unfortunately it was raining quite heavily and we were unable to do the nature walks there. We walked down and took a photo of Lake St Clair - beautiful; even in the pouring rain.
We then drove on to Frenchman’s Cap Walking Track and took advantage of the break in the weather to walk down to cross the Franklin River on the Suspension Bridge. It was fabulous. This is a very narrow bridge which is only one plank wide. The Franklin River was very fast flowing today and it was thrilling walking across this narrow suspension bridge across this mighty river.
We then drove on to Nelsons Falls. These falls were so powerful and spectacular that we could not get close to them. The power of the water caused a thick mist of spray which precluded the view of the falls themselves. The thundering sound was deafening and we got soaked when we tried to approach the Falls.
After leaving Nelson Falls we continued on our journey, our next stop being Queenstown. Driving towards Queenstown you travel down the mountain side and cross over the most beautiful lake, Lake Burbury. The scenery is breathtaking. The stillness of the lake surrounded by huge mountains is absolutely beautiful. Driving into Queenstown is an amazing experience. You travel down a very narrow and winding steep road that is hugging the side of the mountain. The mountainside is barren and desolate looking. We found out later that this was a direct result of the copper mining in the area. The copper smelter caused toxic fumes which resulted in acid rain which killed off the
Nelson FallsNelson FallsNelson Falls

Spectacular!!
vegetation and destroyed the two main rivers the King and Queen, which now have no marine life. There was also logging of the Huon Pines which also degraded the mountainside.
We were pleased to learn that they are now trying to reverse this damage and restore the area to its former glory.
In Queenstown we stopped for lunch (at 2.30pm!) and then continued on our way to Strahan. Strahan is a beautiful little village and our accommodation is nestled on the side of the mountain overlooking the Macquarie Harbour. We have a harbour view room which has a fabulous view.



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StrahanStrahan
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View of Macquarie Harbour and the Township from our room


24th October 2010

Wow
what a view from your accommodation!!

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