Welcome to Hell!
Hells Gates in Tasmania
You might be interested in why such a beautiful area is called Hells Gates.
Hells Gates is the name of the mouth of Macquarie Harbour on the West Coast of Tasmania. It is a notoriously shallow and dangerous channel entrance to the harbour.
It was given this name by the convicts who were sent to the penal colony, as they felt it was like entering hell as they were taken through the heads of the harbour. Source
In some ways they probably were entering hell. Tasmania was very much a penal colony in the early days when European settlement started. The Aboriginals had managed to live there for 40000+ years before they arrived though.
We visited Tasmania in 2017 and had an absolute ball during our 2 week stay. We had taken our car, with our bikes, over on the ferry from Melbourne, and had a loose plan of what we wanted to see and do. I wrote a series of posts about our Tour de Tassie travels back then and this top 10 tips post was a favourite – Top 10 Tips for two weeks of Travelling in Tasmania
The Gordon River Cruise was 5.5 hours on the Lady Jane Franklin II, which I was pleased to hear was designed to have minimal impact on the environment. The cruise took us out through Hells Gates in Macquarie Harbour, past the fish farms and up the Gordon River to Heritage Landing, where we walked amongst the ancient rainforest and saw huge Huon Pines still growing. Hells Gates were so named by convicts as they came through the heads of the harbour and was perhaps a reflection of the life they knew was ahead for them.
Deb’s World Tour de Tassie #4 – The Wild and Wonderful West Coast
The reflections on the water were magnificent and the whole area was very moving and ethereal especially with the low cloud. We went ashore at Sarah Island and explored the convict ruins with an entertaining tour guide. The stories are fantastic and would make great works of fiction except they’re true! It was an unforgettable day with the journey through the World Heritage Wilderness into the pristine temperate rainforests of the Gordon River, a real highlight.
The Gordon River Tasmania
The Gordon River is a beautiful area with a great history. I vaguely remember the hue and cry, and the protests that resulted in the Franklin River being saved from being flooded for the proposed damming of the Gordon River in the 1980s. The area is now safely a part of Tasmania’s World Heritage Area. Floating serenely through some of the area, and seeing and feeling the beauty, I am so glad this was the end result.
This week the theme for Terri’s Sunday Stills is Gates, and I’m thrilled to share these photos with you.
I always enjoy hearing your thoughts.
Have a great week ahead.
Debbie 🙂
All my Sunday Stills posts can be found here – all photos by me
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Deb's World 
Absolutely gorgeous photos tempting me to visit New Zealand. This harbour doesn’t look like it should be called The Gates of Hell but it must have felt like that to the ship’s crew and the convicts.
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Yes Tasmania’s penal colonies had a dreadful reputation as one of Australia’s hardest. Thanks for your comment, the area was indeed beautiful to us!
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Your photos here are absolutely STUNNING, Deb!
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Hi Donna, so lovely of you to say! It was a beautiful day out there and so picturesque 🙂
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I loved Tasmania on my one visit, hard to believe it has such a dark history for both convicts and the original inhabitants.
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I agree, the history is very dark and looking at it now it’s hard to imagine what went on there! Thanks for visiting and commenting.
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Lovely photos Deb, and fascinating history.
New York City has a Hell’s Gate in the harbor, know for its swirling currents…as well as a Hell’s Kitchen which was the immigrant slum of history’s fame.
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Yes that’s another interesting thought Nancy! I’ve never been there but have heard about it. Thanks!
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Yes, indeed stunning shots of the gates of Hell and all the rest, Debbie. A perfect and creative post to share for Sunday Stills!
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Thanks Terri, I really had to put my thinking cap on for this one!!
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Your images are always lovely, and your commentary interesting. I must admit the area does look a bit treacherous, and I imagine not all the convicts made it to the penal colony if a mishap occurred in route.
I also imagine that once they got there by boat, they were there with little hope of escape from whatever awaited them. After all, this is not what you’d readily imagine when you think of a “gated” community. So yeah, I can definitely understand why they felt “hell” more than described their fate!
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Yes Jen, a different view of a gated community! Thanks for the positive response to my take on the prompt, I enjoyed sharing my photos with you 🙂
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Perfect post for the challenge! Even with the obvious beauty of the area, it isn’t hard to imagine the despair the convicts must have felt going through that gate.
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I agree with you, the despair must have been palpable. They were dark days indeed. Thanks for your response to my take on the challenge, I always try hard to think of something that fits the prompt but is out of the box a little bit.
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Your post brought back memories of our time spent in Tassie. The whole island is stunning. I too remembered with gratitude the protests over the Gordon below Franklin dam in the 80s. Thank goodness the protesters won out.
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Hi Chris, Yes I know it was an awful time back then and I’m glad they won out too. I agree it’s a beautiful island with so much to see and do. We loved it and will get back there one day.
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Isn’t Strahan a fantastic spot in Tasmania? I remember going a boat trip through the Gates of Hell and it was a big highlight of our trip to Tassie. The scenery and history around the Wild West of Tassie is astonishing.
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Yes Kathy Strahan is amazing as is most of Tassie! I’m glad you’ve also been out on the boat too, through the Gates of Hell, such an impressive place. Thanks 🙂
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