INSIDE HELL’S GATE
In the south where wild winds can blow, Macquarie Harbour on the west coast of Tasmania offers ultimate protection in a landlocked waterway six times larger than Sydney Harbour. Surrounded by magical scenery and true grit history, there’s also twenty mile access along a world heritage river with rainforest to the water’s edge.
Trevor Norton’s – Macquarie Harbour chart
Available at West Coast Yacht Charters
Strahan
Facilities at Strahan, the only town gracing its shores, are limited but adequate for everyday needs with a well-stocked supermarket, several mechanics, a pharmacy and clinic. Named by convicts interned there in the 1820s, Hell’s Gate, the notoriously narrow entrance into Macquarie Harbour, is not as scary as its name suggests. Sure Tassie’s weather has its bad moments, but Cape Sorrel protects Hell’s Gate from the worst of it. Just do not attempt to enter during strong northerly winds. Full details on our website. Best time to visit – January thru March. If you’d like company, every two years the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania hosts the Van Diemen’s Land Circumnavigation, the next in 2017.
Our DVD Tasmania 1 features climbing to Mount Sorell’s peaks
Off the Tourist Track – Tasmania 1 from JACKandJUDE