When to Do the Gordon River Cruise

The morning Gordon River cruises sail through the year from Strahan: neither operator publishes a winter season, and World Heritage Cruises breaks only for Christmas Day and its August maintenance. So the best time is whenever you can be on the west coast. Summer brings the longest days, the mildest weather and the only evening and afternoon sailings with dinner, around the Christmas holidays and in February. Winter is colder and wetter, and World Heritage Cruises is closed from 1 to 31 August 2027. The morning cruise is Strahan: Gordon River Cruise with Lunch & Sarah Island Walk, from US$116 a person (checked November 2026).

The calendar above is Gordon River Cruises’ morning cruise, with 469 reviews (checked November 2026).

The short answer

Go in summer if you can choose: from late December to February the weather is at its mildest, and that is the only time you can take a cruise with dinner in the afternoon and evening. Any other month, take the morning cruise and dress for rain. Avoid planning on World Heritage Cruises in August 2027 or on Christmas Day.

The calendar

Operator dates from the two cruise operators’ and the West Coast Wilderness Railway’s own pages, November 2026. Rain from the Bureau of Meteorology’s Strahan Aerodrome averages.

Summer, autumn, winter and spring

At Strahan Aerodrome the mean daily maximum is 21.2 °C in January and 12.4 °C in July. February averages 69.7 mm of rain on 9 days, August 180.2 mm on 20 days, and the year about 1,500 mm on about 180 days. In practice: summer is mild with rain likely at some point; winter is cold on deck, wet, and short of daylight. The cruises sail in both, on enclosed boats; weather and Hells Gates covers what to wear.

Morning or evening?

The morning cruises are the standard trip. The evening and afternoon sailings cover the same stops, Hells Gates, Heritage Landing and Sarah Island, with dinner instead of lunch, and suit you if you arrive in Strahan in the morning or want the morning free for the railway.

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.