The not so sleepy town of Strahan, Tasmania
- delphinegargula
- Jun 20, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 9, 2023
We drove to Strahan from Corinna after taking the infamous Fatman barge across the Pieman River. Strahan has been gaining popularity over the last years as a must-see fishermen’s town in Western Tasmania. And I have to admit it has a lot to offer for a small town!
Henty Dunes
Our first stop was the Henty dunes, which were higher and bigger than I expected. At 30m tall, the Henty dunes are some of Tasmania’s biggest sand dunes and they expand over several kilometers inland.
The sandy way up
There is a small picnic area at the car park and you can either leave your car here or decide to embark on a 4WD sand adventure if you (and you car!) are up for it.
We climbed up the deceptively steep dunes to find ourselves stunned by how big and wide the dunes were, and how far the ocean actually was. You would have to walk over 1h30 to reach the beach from the Henty Dunes car park!
We walked and explored the dunes for a while before turning back, and we bumped into a fun British couple on our way back who were tobogganing down the dunes.
A well worth detour on the way to Strahan.
Tobogganing down the sand dunes
Ocean Beach Lookout
Our second and last stop before Strahan was Ocean Beach Lookout. The small car park is equipped with picnic tables and offers great views of the beach. Despite the strong gusts of wind, or maybe thanks to them, the beach was looking quite dramatic and completely empty, and it made it beautiful.
The easiest is to stop there on the way to Macquarie Heads which hosts a campground, but if not the beach is worth a small detour from Strahan if you are not in a hurry. Although if you have to pick between the Henty Dunes and Ocean Beach lookout the dunes are probably a better pick as it is not a common sight in Australia.
The beach for ourselves
Strahan town
Strahan itself is a cute fisherman’s town with beautiful colonial buildings, a delightful waterfront and a helpful visitor information center.
Hamers Hotel in Strahan town Center
It is also home to the Gordon River cruises which we did not have the chance to experience this time. If you do have time they came highly recommended, and cruises are always such a magical way of exploring a new place. There is also the iconic play “The Ship That Never Was” running every day at 5.30pm from September to May, which happens o be Australia’s longest-running play. More info on this play and how to book here.
Strahan town from View 42 restaurant
We wandered around for a bit and explored the waterfront before heading to The Coffee Shack for our daily dose of caffeine.
Hogarth Falls
After a much needed coffee in town we headed to Hogarth Falls which has a generous picnic area with well maintained toilets and a large enough car park to not worry about finding a spot for your car.
The easy way to Hogarth Falls
The walk itself is very easy and can be done with young children in 40-45min return, and the falls themselves are very pretty. Word out there is that platypus can be spotted in the creek on the way to the waterfalls. We were not lucky enough to spot one but it is worth observing the creek carefully for any water movement while on the way.
Insider tip: do not follow Google Maps blindly and make sure you head to People’s Park which is where the Hogarth Falls car park is. When coming from Strahan town center Google Maps took us to a no-through residential road that was ending opposite the falls but impossible to cross. We had to turn back after a dodgy maneuver in the middle of the road
Foreshore walk
After Hogarth Falls we were still keen to walk a little more and decided to admire the waterfront from the Foreshore walk.
Typical foreshore walk views
The foreshore walk is a beautiful easy 2km walkway along the water, which runs all the way from the visitor centre to Regatta Point where you can embark on a train journey on the West Coast Wilderness Railway. More info on the railway and its train journey here.
And if you are in need of a workout there are a few well equipped outdoor exercise stations along the foreshore walk.
Sunset with an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet
This one was a total surprise for us! We had heard about an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet and after 4 days of camping food the idea seemed very tempting!
We booked a table at 42degree view restaurant for 6pm and were not disappointed! I would recommend arriving 15-20min before your dinner reservation and preferably around sunset as the outdoor terrace is simply fantastic and offers a very nice panoramic view over Strahan.
The perfect terrace to watch the sunset
The buffet itself surprised us with how generous and affordable it was. At $59 per person you can stuff your face with oysters, prawns, smoked salmon, and many other delicious dishes. The staff is lovely and they refill the dishes more regularly than you’d expect. A must-do in Strahan if you enjoy seafood!
The generous seafood buffet
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