Gordon River Cruises — Attraction in Tasmania

Fantastic tour. Something everyone should go for when in Strahan.

BOOKING We booked and prepaid for our tickets online. All we had to do after that was head to the booking counter on the day of the tour (located just next to the boat, within the souvenir shop), and collect the tickets by stating your name or showing the confirmation email.

GETTING THERE We stayed in Strahan Village (hotel) so it was a just a short 1-2 minute drive to the boarding area. You can also choose to walk down to it if you don’t mind moderately steep slopes. It’ll take you about 10 minutes. You can’t miss the boarding area as Strahan is a small town, and you will pass Gordon River Cruises when heading towards the hotel.

THE TOUR Very nicely organised. It starts off with an introduction to the area, history etc. They played some videos with different characters narrating their stories, e.g. convict, captain of the ship.

There were two stops. A short easy walk through a forest on a boardwalk, and a 1-hour tour of an island that was used as a convict settlement for 12 years. The female guide we had at the convict settlement was very engaging and she brought life to the stories of the settlement. I liked how she gave “5 puzzles” for us to to try and figure out, and gave the answers at the end. It kept us curious, unlike the usual tour narratives we encounter.

FOOD There’s a little area that sold drinks, snacks and small souvenirs.

Lunch was a buffet. But unlike the typical buffet where everyone queued all at once. They had it nice organised and approached each seating area when it was their turn to get their food. It made it much more pleasant.

All in all a good tour that people should go for. It started at 8.30am (boarding is between 8am to 8.15am) and ended at around 2.30pm.

Great timing actually because you can then have a short rest before watching the nearby The Ship That Never Was show (reservations required too) that...

The experience of cruising along the Gordon River is incredible, and an absolute must do if you're in the area. The guided tour through Sarah Island, and learning about life for early settlers in Tasmania was a fascinating and humbling experience that all Australians should do once in their lives, and I would recommend it to my friends and family.

Unfortunately, where the cruise loses points itself is in value for money spent, and service from the crew.

The Premier Upper Deck ticket, which is twice the price, is not the luxury indulgent experience you pay for. It's advertised as including complimentary drinks, and you are encouraged to see staff whenever you'd like one. However on 3 occasions I was denied drinks due to the "timing not being right", as the ship was about to dock for a tour, or meals were about to be served.

Had it been for RSA reasons, I'd understand. But I'm paying for a package that includes drinks, so I'd like a drink when I ask for one. 5 drinks over 6 hours is a disappointment, and I overheard one team member mention that they actually only try to give out 4 drinks per person during the course of the cruise. So why not say that in the price?

So just to sum up, Here's what you get for paying an extra $150. Coffee, a soup before lunch, a slightly larger selection for lunch, and some cheese and tarts. And 4 drinks, which you'll have to ask for at the right times. Imagine paying $300 and feeling like a beggar half way through the day because staff won't give you something "complimentary" which you've actually already paid for in the ticket.

Everything else that you get, you would have got with the regular ticket - which again, is a must do and I did really enjoy.

My advice to Gordon River Cruises would be to treat people who pay double like the VIPs they want to be, or drop...

Overall we had a great experience travelling with Gordon River Cruises.

The seating options are lower deck middle, lower deck window, and upper deck. We chose the lower deck middle seat as it was the cheapest option, and we were not disappointed at all. The middle seats are configure in levels, so everyone’s able to have a decent view outside.

The ship has 2 decks, one on the lower deck and one on the upper deck (exclusive for upper deck passengers). The lower deck is very accessible, and has enough space for 10-15 people to stand comfortably. The best time to be on the deck is when the cruise is travelling at a reduced speed near Hell’s Gate & Gordon River, as otherwise the wind is really intense when at full speed.

The inclusive buffet was decent, options were salmon, chicken wings, ham. Pasta, couscous and bread for the carbs. There was definitely enough food for everyone. One important downside is that all foods are either in room temperature or colder, no hot food. There is a cafe on board, which serves coffees and other hot beverages, along with some bakeries.

The bathroom on board is really modern, stylish and clean, no complains there.

On to the tour. Our cruise traveled first from Strahan to Hell’s Gate, then went across the lake into Gordon River. We stopped at Heritage Landing for a short 30 minutes walk through the forest (on a well maintained, elevated footpath), then headed back to the lake, stopping at Sarah Island before returning to Strahan. You will be exploring Sarah Island on a guided tour, which tells you the rich convict history of the island. Special mention to the tour guide whose name...