Australia
Strahan
Cruise the Gordon River past Huon pines that were saplings when Rome was still a republic.
The Gordon River is the colour of amber — tannin from buttongrass staining the water so deeply that the reflections of rainforest create a mirror image more vivid than the forest itself. The boat engine cuts. Silence. Huon pines on the bank were saplings when Rome was still a republic.
Strahan sits on Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania's west coast, the departure point for Gordon River cruises into one of the last temperate wilderness areas on Earth. Huon pines along the riverbanks are among the slowest-growing and longest-lived trees in Australia — some specimens are over 2,000 years old, their wood so rich in oil that it resists rot for centuries. Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour was the most brutal convict settlement in the colony, where prisoners logged the surrounding Huon pine forest under conditions designed to break them. The West Coast Wilderness Railway, running between Queenstown and Strahan, follows a rack-and-pinion route through rainforest gorges originally built to transport copper ore.
Couple
A mirrored river, ancient trees, and the silence of undisturbed wilderness — the Gordon River cruise is Tasmania's most meditative shared experience.
Family
The heritage railway, the river cruise, and Sarah Island's convict stories — Strahan makes Tasmanian history and wilderness accessible to all ages.
- Gordon River cruise passes Huon pines that were saplings when Rome was still a republic — 2,500 years growing.
- The river's tannin stains it amber — the reflections of rainforest create a perfect mirror on still days.
- Sarah Island convict settlement was the most brutal in the colony — the ruins sit on the river's mouth.
- Heritage railway runs from Queenstown through rainforest gorges to Strahan — a route once used for copper ore.
Strahan's waterfront restaurants — local crayfish and ocean trout from waters as clean as any on Earth.
Gordon River cruise lunch — smoked salmon and Tasmanian sparkling wine served as Huon pines reflect in the mirror water.
Visingsö
Sweden
A car-free island in Lake Vättern where oak forests planted for warships never sailed.
Inverewe Garden
Scotland
Himalayan rhododendrons and Tasmanian tree ferns flourish on a Highland headland warmed by the Gulf Stream.
Percé
Canada
A cathedral-sized limestone arch rises from the sea beside North America's largest gannet colony.
Lake Toba
Indonesia
A volcanic island the size of Singapore floating inside the largest caldera lake on Earth.
Wave Rock
Australia
A 15-metre granite wave frozen mid-break, striped with mineral stains in the middle of wheat country.
Huon Valley
Australia
Huon pine colonies possibly 10,000 years old — a living organism older than civilisation itself.
Kangaroo Island
Australia
Sea lions lounge on beaches, koalas sleep in roadside trees, and the air tastes of eucalyptus.
Barossa Valley
Australia
Stone cellar doors, century-old shiraz vines, and the weight of six generations in every glass.