G'day --
As you probably know by now, communicating with you has not been easy. Some of you thought we were having too much fun to write. Well, that is certainly a constant threat, but not the case here. Seems like when you cross the Tasmanian border, those little Tassie devils wreak havoc with our computer.
Arrived here in Tasmania (Tassie or Tas, as the natives call it) via plane from Melbourne. Instantly we could see how Tas resembled New Zealand more than mainland Australia. Lush, mountainous, green, with many rivers and rainforests. I must admit, a year ago, I didn't even know where Tasmania was....it always sounded so exotic or brought a mental image of the cartoon character Taz. Mainlanders consider it to be the Aussie state that is 10 - 15 years behind the times, Tassies call it the "Natural State". Both of them are right.
We landed in the capital, Hobart, one of the few port towns we've seen where the working fishing industry takes precedence over the tourist industry. We stayed our first two nights at the Custom House, an inn/tavern built in 1830 directly across from where the ships come in (a bit more expensive than the hostels but it oozed with history). It is also next to the government buildings. As we read about the history of the place one could see the sailors coming in to spend their pay at the tavern (reminded me of that silly song "Brandy"). It was reported that secret meetings between gov't officials took place on the second floor (where we stayed) and that anything said there was considered "off the record". We walked about town, found a cheap hostel to stay our next time through (our budget requires we limit historical B and Bs), and ate at (of all places) an Indonesian cafe.
A side note: Australia, like the U.S. is the great melting pot of cultures. It isn't unusual to see restaurants serving Chinese and Indian food but also southeast Asian, African, Mediterranean, Lebanese, even Polish and Czech. The markets are delightfully international as well. No offense, but Meijers will be difficult to come back to.
We spent the next two days just enjoying Hobart and surrounds. Walked the Botanical Gardens with its extensive alpine plant exhibit and fernery (this is somewhat frustrating since both of us took botany... it is hard to look at the plants and not have the slightest idea what they are and to what they are related). They also had a greenhouse devoted just to fuchsias (I know these) and a display of proteas (huge flowers we first saw in Hawaii). Again, we are victims of garden envy. Shopped the local market for supplies for the upcoming road trip...you know, those absolute necessities like marinated olives, chevre cheese, artichokes, sundried tomatoes, etc.
Hobart is the place for fish/seafood so lunch was eaten on floating restaurant. Actually, its a little boat with three tables serving fish/prawn (shrimp) and chips, but it did rock with the waves as we ate. A motto of a local place is "fish so fresh, its' next-of-kin haven't been notified yet!". It was Valentine's Day (a BIG celebration day here), but by the time we got around to eating dinner, the restaurants were either closed or full. So we spent the evening walking the wharfs, eating ice cream, and drinking sarsaparilla (if I were into that kind of stuff, I might even call it romantic).
Off on our road trip of Tasmania. What a diverse and wild place. We started by seeing some natural features along the ocean, like a huge blowhole where a semi-submerged cave fills with waves then blows out the water with immense power and a natural arch. Also saw the Devil's Kitchen, a large area eaten away by the ocean with little caverns and shelves filled with moss and ocean debris (hmmm....it does kind of look like our kitchen after I go on one of my cooking frenzies).
Then onto Port Arthur. You know that Britain sent many of its undesirables and convicts to Australia in the 1800s; this included not only English criminals but those from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, as well. Those who still couldn't clean up their act (the baddest of the bad) were sent to Port Arthur, a huge (now partially restored) penal colony. It was a self-sufficient prison which also built ships for commercial use. There was also an island where boys as young as 12 were kept when they committed crimes (anything from stealing a box of toys to murder). It is a depressing reminder of how society treated its unwanted; mostly work gangs and barely livable conditions. However, many Aussies visit here to find out about their forefathers and mothers. Records can be searched to find specific prisoner's information (being computerized), and having a relative who served at Port Arthur is somewhat a matter of pride now.
During the next few days we proceeded up the eastern coast of Tas, stopping a several national parks to hike, do some pretty strenuous vertical climbs, see a few waterfalls, eat some locally made pepper cheese and drink really fresh milk (we even saw the cows!). One hike was 4.5 hours in duration taking us up and down a very rocky forest path to an ocean beach (Wineglass Bay), across a rainforest isthmus and to a second ocean beach with another rocky return path over the Hazards. This last section was a bit tricky as the path seemed to stop. Luckily there were some faded yellow arrows on some of the rocks and we followed them (If someone had turned the rock upside down we might still be out there!) We saw a kangaroo alert sign on the road and then, a real kangaroo bounding across. However these roo sightings ceased to be special when we pulled into a campsite and saw roos hanging around the campervans looking for garbage....like our raccoons or U.P. bears. Other wildlife seen included snakes, skinks, and this one particular guy at the hostel.
We ended up at Devonport, the northern city where the ferry from Sydney lands. Another port city, not as quaint as Hobart, but containing three examples of unprotected (small and almost unfindable) aboriginal rock art. Out as far west as Stanley (home of the "Nut": a don't-miss natural rock hill which you could easily miss) and back to Devonport. Along the return trip we surpassed (or at least equaled) the difficulty rating of the Devil's Punchbowl climb in N.Z. This was Detention Falls. You take a dirt road (lacking clear signage) off the main highway until it stops at someone's farm fence. Three hand-painted signs tell you to leave your car and go through two small gates, warning you that the upcoming trail is slippery, steep, and dangerous. Undaunted, we proceeded. (Danger is our middle names...come to think of it, so is foolish.) The signs weren't lying. There was hardly any path and we used trees and roots as hand and foot holds on a truly steep rocky hillside....the falls were small but lovely and there is an excitement in seeing something few people have seen. Tim, of course, courted disaster by climbing out a ways to get that perfect photo. I thought to yell something like "Either be careful or throw me the car keys", but restrained myself.
Next major stop was Cradle Mountain National Park. This is a famous Tassie N.P. with limited and very exclusive (read that expensive) lodging...similar to Yellowstone and Old Faithful Lodge. We stayed in a cabin with woodstove and view of the mountains. Took two long hikes on looped trails. The first took us around Dove Lake (about 6 km) with drizzle, sun, strong wind, waterfalls, old boat house, and a constant view of a lovely lake reflecting the surrounding mountains. After a nap, we took a trail that started at the site of an old camping lodge (1870s) paralleling a cascading waterfall to Crater Lake (not formed by a crater), past Wombat Pool (with no wombats), to great views of the lakes we had trekked by on our earlier hikes and a real wild kangaroo sighting (I mean sighting of a real wild roo). Most of this hike was done in the pouring (but warm) rain, but we didn't really mind it...for several hours you see no other people or signs of human interference with nature (except a rare but well-placed directional sign)...just mountains, clean air, lakes, rocky paths, a roo, and us. Of all the cities and human achievements we have seen, these are the times that I have come to appreciate and remember. Finished the day with a tavern dinner, bottle of wine, fire in the fireplace, and ... well, you can guess the rest.
In the two days left we packed in a several hour dirt road drive to see the Walls of Jerusalem (which we didn't see since it took another 4 hour walk to reach them); a cave tour with great formations; walks about the Cataract Gorge near Launceton (with two swinging bridges); curried scallop pie, homemade pear/ginger ice cream and somewhat tacky murals painted on the building walls of Sheffield; a bridge with 150 panels carved in stone by a convict (later pardoned) in Ross; then back to Hobart in time for our meeting and equipment check for upcoming Franklin River rafting trip.
When you plan a trip based on guidebooks only, it is hard to determine what to see and how long to spend seeing it. We never got to the very isolated but starkly beautiful west coast of Tassie. And we certainly never expected that the east would be so green, full of things to do, yet relatively untouched by tourism. As far as we are concerned, it's fine with us to be 10 years behind ... we would come back here in an instant.
Next update, to follow soon..report on the week-long rafting of the Franklin River.
Take care and keep in touch.
-- Di and Tim
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