Cradle Mountain-St. Clair Lake, Southwest National Park and Franklin-Gordon Wild River National Park are all part of the World Heritage Area. Most of Franklin-Gordon is virtually inaccessible unless you raft the Franklin River. We made the best of this beautiful autumn day and stopped for a short hike into the lush temperate rain forest to Nelson Falls. Then we climbed to Donagys Hill Wilderness lookout for a panoramic view of the area. The views were very Tasmania but the commentaries at the lookout were written by Americans; Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and our favorite by Aldo Leopold.
"Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art with the pretty. It expands through successive stages of the beautiful to values as yet uncaptured by language." Hear! Hear!
The road toward the Western Coast twisted as it descended to the scab on the festering sore of a mining town called Queenstown, finally reaching the cute harbor of the resort town of Strahan. It was too early to quit for the day so we pushed on to Zeehan. One hundred years ago Zeehan would have been hopping. Today it looks as though they have given up hoping. The mines have closed and main street was deserted as we drove through to our campground for the night. But Zeehan has a well stocked grocery and a petrol station so we are happy.
