Strahan - West Coast, Tasmania.
Strahan, located on the shores of the spectacularly beautiful Macquarie Harbour is the only population centre on Tasmania’s very exposed wild-west coast.
The first recorded European presence in Macquarie Harbour came in 1815 when Captain James Kelly passed through the harbour’s narrow entrance with four companions and spent three days exploring the waterway. Kelly reported very large tracts of quality timber and within a year timber cutters had moved in and were working along the shoreline. Within five years the value of that timber had led to the establishment of a penal settlement at Sarah Island, at the eastern end of the harbour, and the convict population was used to harvest the precious Huon Pine. Before long they had named the entrance to Macquarie Harbour Hell’s Gates and Sarah Island had become known far and wide as the cruelest of all convict establishments.
A small port was established on the site of present day Strahan and known initially as Long Bay, then Regatta Point and finally, in 1877, Strahan after Major George Strahan, Governor of Tasmania from 1881 to 1886. The ports importance increased dramatically following the discovery of tin at nearby Mt Heemskirk and its good fortune continued with the development of mines at Zeehan and Queenstown both of which were linked by rail to Strahan in 1890 and 1899 respectively. Strahan's population peaked at about 2000 and it was recognised as the second busiest port in Tasmania.
Strahan's prosperity continued until the 1960’s when the rail links to both Zeehan and Queenstown were shut down. Its importance as a port declined rapidly but the township soon found itself facing another boom, this time tourism.
In the 1980 it was the base for a concerted and dramatic ecological battle to save the Franklin River from being dammed as part of a Tasmanian Government plan to dramatically increase the States hydro-electric capability.
In 1983 the Gordon-Below-Franklin Dam scheme was vetoes by the Federal Government in the face of ‘green” opposition and the whole area ultimately received World Heritage listing.
Today Strahan is a quaint fishing village offering both comfort and convenience to a seemingly never ending stream of visitors to what remains one of the world’s most pristine and readily accessible natural wonderlands.
This Tassie Local snapshot was produced by Footloose Photographic & Media Solutions
Things to see around - Strahan
Strahan - West Coast, Tasmania
