Day 13 – Thursday, 9th October  2003

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Awoke to the sound of heavy rain and hail, which set the tone of the day. Undaunted we drove to Strahan through snow covered roads. Strahan itself is a lovely looking tourist town, if you can afford it as the accommodation is of a high standard and the prices in the cafés require a loan to eat in. [Photo1, Photo2 Photo3, Photo4] Originally the plan was to take a cruise of Macquarie Harbour but the lousy weather put paid to that idea. Darani and Sam will come back one during summer to fully appreciate the cruise. 

We did buy some Huon Pine pieces from a wood mill on the wharf. Strahan is a major supplier of Huon Pine for the world market. It is a very rare and expensive wood; its close grain is highly prized by boat builders and restorers. But maybe it’s not as rare as they say because in every souvenir shop in Tasmania and believe me we went to nearly all of them, there’s Huon pine chopping boards, key rings, coasters, picture frames, vases, urns, clocks, etc, the list goes on. 

Leaving Strahan we briefly visited Tutt’s Whittle World where we saw numerous natural sculptures fashioned from tree branches and roots. [Photo1, Photo2, Photo3, Photo4, Photo5, Photo6] Driving back into Queenstown the stark landscape opened up for us as we descended into the valley.  However you can see that nature is reclaiming those barren slopes bit by bit. Back at our cabin we consumed hot drinks and ham and cheese melts. 

After our lunch/afternoon tea Darani and Sam visited the Galley Museum to view an excellent collection of items all to do with mining and other facets of life in and around Queenstown. One of the exhibits was a giant crab claw found off the coast west of Macquarie Harbour. Other exhibits included a bulldozer, framed photos where the lace work is carved from one piece of wood, movie projectors, brewing gear, vintage electrical gear and an Ediphone. 

Dinner was eaten in the Empire Hotel, over 100 years old with a heritage listed staircase made in England. We all ate till we were stuffed and Sam bet some money on Keno ($10). Jessica reckons he has a gambling problem. [Pamphlet]