Strahan, Tasmania tops autumn travel list
The lesser-known locale is home to the most-booked travel experience in Australia.
Annual rankings of Australia’s most popular travel destinations tends to include the usual suspects, a mix of thriving capital cities and palm-fringed coastal towns. New data about the most-booked holiday hot spots and experiences for autumn 2023, however, reveals an unlikely addition: the tiny town of Strahan, Tasmania.
Tripadvisor’s Seasonal Travel Index analysed bookings through its online platforms to provide insight into travel behaviours and where Aussies are heading to, including the top international and domestic locations, experiences and trending locations.
The index indicated that 66 per cent of Australians are planning a trip during the autumn months. 72 per cent showed they will travel domestically this season, with 31 per cent planning to travel within three hours of their home.
Alison Orren, Senior Communications Specialist at Tripadvisor, said interest in Tasmania increases as a whole during the autumn season, with two of Tasmania’s bucket-list experiences topping list of the most-booked domestic experiences; Gordon River Cruises and World Heritage Cruises, two local operators that offer scenic and historical river cruises that depart from Strahan, Tasmania.
“The Strahan river cruise was also a trending experience for the recent Summer season, so it looks like this experience is growing in popularity as a ‘must-do’ bucket list item when visiting Tasmania,” she said.
Aboard the two cruises, passengers pass through the notoriously dangerous Hells Gates, where Australia’s second largest natural harbour meets the Southern Ocean. The tours sail by the region’s untouched forests, stopping by UNESCO-listed Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park and end at Tasmania’s first penal settlement, Sarah Island.
Located four and a half hour’s drive from Hobart, Strahan is also known for its access to pristine beaches and mixed forest areas with towering gums, leatherwood and myrtle trees. Must-do adventures include rainforest strolls to reach the spectacular Hogarth Falls and a trip to the expansive Henty Dunes, which extend 15km along the coast and is perfect for sand surfing and toboggan riding (equipment is available for hire in town).
A heritage train ride to Regatta Point Station along the West Coast Wilderness Railway is another highlight, a journey which takes passengers past the King River Gorge before ascending the steepest steam train track in the Southern Hemisphere.