More About Strahan

Macquarie Harbour was first discovered in 1815 by James Kelly and was home to four Western aboriginal tribes who gathered in the harbour to collect black swan's eggs. It was first settled by Europeans in 1822 with the establishment of a convict settlement on Sarah Island, situated at the far end of the harbour near the mouth of the Gordon River. The settlement lasted only 12 years and while producing the largest number of ships for any shipyard in the colony for that time, also gained a reputation of being the worst penal settlement in British Colonial History.

At the north-eastern end of the harbour lies the village of Strahan. Once a sleepy mining and fishing port established in the late 1850's, it was also home to the timber cutters (piners) who tackled the dangerous rapids of the upper reaches of the Gordon River and its tributaries in quest of the most prized of all native timbers - the Huon Pine.

In 1982 Strahan catapulted to fame as the town was immersed in controversy, spurred on by the 'Fight for the Franklin', an Australia wide fight to prevent the Franklin River from being dammed. The Strahan Visitors Centre retells the dramatic story.

Today, Strahan is a bustling tourist town, voted 'The Best Little Town In The World' by the Chicago Tribune, and boasts a multi-million dollar fish-farming industry.

Most importantly, it is the gateway to one of the most outstanding wilderness areas on earth, with a multitude of natural wonders to explore in the region.

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