Australian Geographic – July-August 2019

July. August 101

Along its 52km course
from the Eldon Range to
Macquarie Harbour, the King
River flows through rainforest
to south of Queenstown.
During the summer,
King River Rafting offers
flat-water kayaking in the
King’s quieter reaches and
Class II and III whitewater
rafting adventures through
King River gorge. Their Raft
and Steam Experience
includes a heritage train
transfer back to Queenstown.

Owner-operators Michelle

Cordwell-Steane and Paul

Steane work with qualified

and experienced guides who

love the Tasmanian wilder-

ness as much as they do.

kingriverrafting.com.au

PADDLE

THE KING

In the 1890s Pillinger, at Kelly

Basin on Macquarie Harbour,

was a busy railway-serviced

port town, until Strahan

became preferred. After the

last permanent residents left

Pillinger in 1943, nature

began reclaiming what is now

part of the Tasmanian

Wilderness World Heritage

Area, but some relics have

survived or been preserved.

The track begins at Bird River

Bridge at the end of Kelly

Basin Road, 43km from

Queenstown (or 5km before

that if the gate is closed or

you’re in a two wheel drive.

This riverside rainforest trail

can be muddy, and scrambling

over fallen trees is common.

parks.tas.gov.au

HIKETO

PILLINGER

Five kilometres from
Queenstown, at the car park
opposite Iron Blow Road on
Gormanston Hill, is the
start of a 500m walkway.
Completed in 2017, it edges
around the rocky hillside to a
viewing platform looking to
Horsetail Falls, where the
water drops more than
50m down a cliff. The flow
ranges from a trickle to
roaring gush depending on the
season and weather, but the
expansive landscape views

are always there. Another

23km east along the

Lyell Highway is a walk of a

similar length to Nelson Falls,

which is located in World

Heritage-listed rainforest.

parks.tas.gov.au

W

WALKS

RoamWild Tasmania tours

explore the relationship

between Queenstown’s

industrial history and the

area’s extraordinary natural

attributes. Mountain

Heights-Wild Nights, for

example, involves driving up

the Mt Owen spur to watch

the sun set over Mt Lyell and

the ghost towns of Linda

Valley followed by rainforest

wildlife spotting. Lost Mines-

Ancient Pines includes a visit

to Bern Bradshaw’s Tasmanian

Special Timbers sawmill and a

walk among living Huon and

King Billy pines in the World

Heritage area.

roamwild.com.au

OFFROAD

PASTAND

PRESENT

Penguin-spotting tours on

2.21

Macq

entra

Gatedh

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  watc
  littlebd
  colon
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  Bonnldl

station and lighthouse

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a

SEEPENGUINS

ON BONNET ISLAND

WATERFALL

WALKS

 

NATURE-BASED

EXPERIENCESNEAR

QUEENSTOWN

5

Penguin-spotting

2.21ha Bonnet Island near

Macquarie Harbour’s narrow

entrance – dubbed Hells

Gates during the convict era

• depart Strahan at twilight
  in a small motorised vessel.
  This intimate eco-tour, run by
  Gordon River Cruises, allows
  guests to go onshore and
  watch the night moves of a
  little penguin breeding
  colony from viewing
  platforms. Stories of
  Bonnet Island’s past signal

station and lighthouse

keepers, and the hardships

and dangers they faced,

are part of the experience.

gordonrivercruises.com.au