Sailing ships deposited their ballast of blue stone which made ready building material from which the grain store and Van Diemen's Company store were built. The first prefabricated building was shipped from London here in 1853 and became the Presbyterian church and the school house is listed by The National Trust. The landmark called The Nut looms above the town which is a rock foration of 150m in height. Originally a whaling station but now a fishing port where over 200 tons of crayfish are brought in every year. A fabulous holidaymakers playground and in contrast to the National Parks in the East you will find many delightful beach resorts along the coast.
Many visitors come here every year to enjoy the long beaches and superb seafood.
St Helens is the centre of activities being a busy fishing port and the largest town on the east coast. There are beautiful bays here to collect wild flowers and fossick for shells. Hunting is permitted under license for deer and duck in the area. This town in 300 klms from Hobart on the west coast of Tasmania and named after a former governor of Tasmania. The town was eventually taken over by the timber gatherers some time later and then came the mining booms and eventually the Strahan - Zeehan Railway which really put Strahan on the map and allowed it to develop into a busy fishing port and tourist destination.