Deep South

A state-of-the-art catamaran reveals a stretch of the Australian island of Tasmania's rugged southern coastline that few visitors get to see.

- Justin Meneguzzi

STANDING ATOP a mountain, looking out over Port Davey—an inlet of the Southern Ocean in southwestern Tasmania—Pete Marmion told me the quirky way in which he measures bodies of water.

“It goes milliliters, liters, Olympic pools, and then Sydney Harbours,” joked Marmion, a local guide with more than three decades of experience showing visitors around Tasmania. “Port Davey is three times the size of Sydney Harbour.”

Sydney Harbour is 12 miles long and has a total area of 21 square miles; it’s one of the largest natural harbors in the world. From the top of the mountain, watching a torrential rain pour into the water far below, I thought Marmion’s estimate seemed sound.

Port Davey’s dark, tannin-stained waters lie at the feet of ancient quartzite mountains that look as if they’ve been squished, layered, and stretched toward the horizon like taffy. Just a few hours earlier, I had zoomed over those same peaks in a seaplane to Port Davey Marine Reserve, a nearly 69-square-mile parcel of primordial coastline in Southwest National Park. It is part of a sprawling UNESCO Wilderness World Heritage Area that makes up nearly a quarter of the island. There I boarded my floating home for the next seven days, Odalisque III.

With no roads, towns, or accommodation other than campsites, the reserve once mainly attracted die-hard campers and boaters accustomed to arduous sailing conditions. But now Odalisque III, a shiny 78-foot catamaran from On Board Tasmanian Expedition Cruises, is offering unrivaled access to this beautiful and rugged corner of Australia’s deepest south, which sits some 1,600 miles north of Antarctica. Sailings run from December to May, during which time the region’s unpredictable weather abates for long enough to allow for comfortable exploration.