Green Tourist Train Engine In Strahan Royalty-Free Stock Photo

Strahan is not a place you arrive at by accident. Even today, getting to this tranquil harbourside village on Tasmania`s west coast requires something of a journey: a drive of about four hours if you are coming from Launceston, five from Hobart. And that`s with the benefit of modern roads skirting the dense rainforest that cloaks most of the surrounding area. So you have to hand it to the people who flocked to Strahan in the 1880s: they were pretty intrepid. Of course, in the delirium of the Gold Rush days, it was not unusual for people to travel vast distances in the hope of striking it rich. Most of those who came to make their fortune left disappointed. Bowes Kelly was the exception, but then he had one advantage most of the other prospectors lacked: he was already rich.