Amazing - A steady cruise across the harbour to Pillinger, the heads and lunch at Bonnet Island. Erin gave us a fantastic run through the history of Pillinger and led us through what is left of the town. The rainforest has taken much of it back including an orchid and white bellied sea eagle as extras. Des drove Sofia, ably throughout the trip. Great morning tea and lunch also included.

Exceptional - This is one of the best cruises we've ever done, we were blown away with what we saw and the knowledge that Des and Erin had was amazing. Would definitely recommend this cruise if you come to Strahan

A must do when in Strahan - This was a fantastic experience with Jock an absolutely great driver and guide. We just could not fault this tour from the itinerary , the driver and guide, the food and the boat. All just awesome and cannot recommend highly enough, an absolute must do when in Strahan.

Amazing day in Strahan - This experience was well worth it. The small group tour included lunch and a very detailed explanation of historic Pillinger. Hannah was so knowledgeable and friendly; the perfect guide. A highlight would have to be the sighting of dolphins near Hell’s Gate. So beautiful.

A must do - A must do whilst in Strahan. This was a very personalised tour and well worth the money. Katy was our tour guide with Desmond as our boat captain. The weather was perfect. We were served fabulous food for morning tea and lunch . Katy is extremely knowledgeable and really made our day chatting with the four of us. The ruins at Pillinger are well worth seeing and it is amazing to think that there was once a town there. Cannot highly recommend this enough

Enjoyable experience - We did the Pillinger Explorer cruise a week ago and really enjoyed the experience. Just the 2 of us on the cruise along with Capt. Des and guide Jack who were both very friendly and informative. Very interesting to see and hear about the settlement of Pillinger and the work that was done there. Bonnet island was also very peaceful and a great place to enjoy our excellent lunch (this was after an excellent morning tea earlier in the day) . Yes, the boat is small but it fitted the purpose very well and we have no complaints. Even the weather gods were kind to us on the day. A great alternative to the usual Gordon River Cruise on the larger ship. Highly recommended

Perfect escape from Convid-19 - The day before arriving in Strahan we were notified by email that the Gordon River Cruises had been suspended. Instead, we booked on the small boat Pillinger Explorer, assisted by the wonderful, patient helpful ladies behind the counter who were clearly facing a very uncertain future (who we witnessed being verbally abused by other cancelees for something that was completely out of their control). This was a really fantastic alternative that I really highly recommend. Very interesting guiding by Jock and expert skippering by Desmond, and delicious food and booze. This is going to clearly be a very very difficult time for Tasmania so get down to beautiful Strahan and get on this special experience.

Personalised and enjoyable tour! - Great tour with lots of information and time to explore Pillinger and other areas. Food and crew were fabulous- we were well taken care of and had an enjoyable and relaxing time. We were even able to stop and enjoy dolphins on the way!

Enjoyable but overpriced - The 5 hour boat trip was comfortable. The excursion was quite interesting and gave us an insight into early Strahan and the failed Pillinger township. Nevertheless we thought the historical interpretation, although interesting, was a little light on and relied a bit on the Nat Park’s signage. The fish farm drive by is included, probably because they are there. Navigating Hell’s Gate and viewing the lighthouses is a worthy part of the trip. The ‘gourmet’ food was filling and the fruit, wines and cheeses were very nice. However, ham, chicken and salmon salad rolls and wraps are hardly gourmet. We’d certainly recommend the trip, but not at the current $250 per person.

An Ill-equipped vessel for a 5-hour cruse with onboard gourmet dining, especially considering the local environment. - Hardly the "comfortable cruise ship" described on Gordon River Cruises' web page! This now shabby half cabin has not aged well since this photo was taken by its operators. Gordon River Crises web page states “Once aboard your comfortable cruise ship…” and concludes “Before returning to Strahan, step back aboard MV Sophia to enjoy a gourmet lunch prepared by Strahan Village chefs. Sophia is, in reality, an Ill-equipped vessel for a 5-hour cruise with onboard gourmet dining especially considering the local environment. We were shocked to see the small and relatively shabby half cabin boat that Gordon Rover Crises consider their “comfortable cruise ship” fit for a 5-hour cruise with “onboard gourmet dining”. This ageing boat with its outboard motors falls very short of Gordon Rover Crises’ marketing promises and the expectations it congers for $250.00 a head would-be passengers! Fortunately, it was raining consistently on a very chilly and windy Strahn day, and we were offered the option to cancel given the inclement conditions. I was delighted that Trip advisor refunded the $1,000.00 fee I had paid in advance to secure my misrepresented gourmet Pillinger Explorercruse.