Gordon River
The Gordon River is a significant year-round watercourse traversing Tasmania’s central highlands, as well as its south-western and western territories.
Course and features
Rising beneath Mount Hobhouse within the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, the Gordon River collects runoff from the eastern inclines of the King William Range. Its flow heads predominantly southward before turning westward through the Gordon Gap, emptying into Lake Gordon, an artificial reservoir formed by the construction of the Gordon Dam. Together with inflows from Lake Pedder, Lake Gordon serves as a primary water source for hydroelectric power production at the Gordon Power Station.
After passing through Lake Gordon, the river continues westward, navigating the Gordon Splits, a series of rugged gorges once considered unnavigable until conservationist Olegas Truchanas successfully kayaked them in 1958. The river then proceeds north and westward until it reaches its terminus at Macquarie Harbour in Wrights Bay.
Throughout its journey, the Gordon River is fed by 25 tributaries, notable among them being the Gell River, Boyes River, Pokana River, Holley River, Adams River, Serpentine River, Albert River, and the Franklin River.
The river descends through predominantly unpopulated wilderness areas encompassed by the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park and Southwest National Park. The lower stretches of the Gordon form part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, renowned for its cool-climate rainforests and distinctive arboreal species. The river’s fresh waters exhibit a characteristic "weak tea" hue, resulting from tannins leached from button grass found within its catchment.
Proposals for further dam construction downstream—most notably the contentious Franklin Dam near where it converges with the Franklin River—were ultimately shelved following widespread environmental protests during the 1980s.
Tourism constitutes an important economic activity in this area, with boat tours departing from Strahan to explore the lower reaches of the Gordon River, alongside scenic seaplane flights available during warmer seasons.