Tasmania - a little tour of the northwest

Marcus and Millie had to register their newly purchased car, which meant they had to go to one of the nearby towns, so we decided to combine this rather mundane errand with a little tour of the northwest section of Tasmania. 

After breakfast, we started out for Queenstown, about 110 km from home base. 

On the way we stopped to walk up to Horsetail Falls. This was a short walk on a man-made walkway, so even though the ground was still quite wet, it was pleasant walking. The distance was not long, but because it was a pretty steady climb, by the time we reached the top, we had a wonderful view.

Back in the car, we headed to Queenstown, where Marcus visited the vehicle registry while Millie and I wandered around the town, admiring the beautiful old (sometimes rather decrepit) buildings. It is an old copper mining town, with quite an interesting history and picturesque architecture.

Our next destination was Strahan (pronounced Strawn), more or less on the coast. We had been told that if you stand on its shore, looking out on the ocean, there is nothing until Argentina (because it is south of Africa). Well, we should have looked more carefully at the map because this is not quite true. From the town of Strahan, you can't even see the open ocean, as it is on an inlet. You would have to drive about 20 km, and then take a boat to the tip of the peninsula, and then there would be nothing until Argentina. We contented ourselves with the inlet. 

We decided that if we couldn't look out to Argentina, at least we could walk to Hogarth Falls. The trailhead is located at a lovely picnic ground, so we ate lunch and then started on the walk. The trail was a little wet, but manageable, so we enjoyed walking through rainforest, including groves of tree ferns.

Marcus also spotted this tiny skink running across the path. Unfortunately, after about 20 minutes of walking, the path suddenly became a little river, and since some of us were not shod in appropriate footwear, we decided to turn back.  We had another walk planned just a short drive farther, so we decided to get back in the car and continue our journey.

Next stop, Montezuma Falls. This time, everyone wore proper hiking shoes, and that was a good thing, as the trail was quite wet and muddy in places. It was about 8 kim there and back, and very beautiful.

There is a suspension bridge at the base of the falls. Crossing this is not for the faint of heart! (And not for the fat of body either -- it is very narrow.)

After this walk, we continued north towards Burnie, which is on the north coast of the island. Along the way, we spied this echidna on the roadside, so we stopped to say hello.

We arrived at Burnie at the right time to enjoy a delicious seafood dinner, after which we headed over to the penguin viewing centre. Here a group of volunteers give a presentation and then guide viewers to watch the penguins come up on the shore to feed their babies.

The penguin centre

If you look closely, you can see several penguins making their way over the rocks.

And here are some of the penguin chicks snuggled into their burrows.

 We had to use red flashlights when looking at the penguins, so we wouldn't startle them.

All in all, this was an incredible sight. The tenacity of the parents in making their way over the rocks was truly remarkable, and the penguin chicks were so adorable as they waited to be fed. 

By the end of this event, it was very late, so we went on to our hotel and crashed. 

Tasmania - first impressions

Today I left "the mainland" and flew to Tasmania. My flight was scheduled to leave at 7:15, and I received a text from Tiger Air saying boarding started 45 minutes before take-off time and I should be at the airport early, so I left my hotel at about 5:30. I was also a little concerned about the weight of my bag. I didn't pay for extra weight, so I was allowed a maximum of 7 kg. I borrowed a scale (just the regular step-on bathroom scale) from the hotel desk, and it said my bag was less than 7 kg, but I didn't know how reliable it was.




I arrived at the airport with plenty of time for a breakfast latte, and my bag was indeed less than 7 kg, so all was good.

I had some Christmas goodies for Marcus and Millie and my hiking boots and runners, so I was pretty pleased to be able to bring everything!

The flight was about an hour, and I was able to pass the time speculating on the meaning of this sticker.

Please do not remove. The sticker? The door? The entire cabinet?

Marcus picked me up at the airport, and because it was pouring rain, we decided to check out MONA -- Museum of Old and New Art. The museum didn't open until 10, so we went grocery shopping and did a few other errands first.

 "Mona: a museum, or something. In Tasmania, or somewhere. Catch the ferry. Drink beer. Eat cheese. Talk crap about art. You'll love it."

The guy who created it calls it "a subversive adult Disneyland." I had read a little about it and saw that admission was $30. It sounded kind of interesting, but I thought maybe it would be a complete disappointment. After all, can a small city like Hobart on a remote island like Tasmania really have such a great museum? I don't know if I can say I loved it, but it was definitely worth visiting. The exhibits were different from any other art gallery or museum I've been to, and there was lots of food for thought. We didn't take the ferry, drink beer or eat cheese, but we did talk about the art!

One of my favourites was this exhibit of bicycles built according to random people's sketches made from memory.

My least favourite exhibit, not pictured here, was Tim. A bare chested guy, covered in tattoos, who just sat still waiting for people to check him out. He had his own bodyguard as well. I glimpsed him from an upper level and once I was on his level, I carefully avoided him. According to the website, Tim has been sitting at MONA since 2011, for over 3500 hours.

This truck is made from wrought iron balconies like the ones I spotted while cycling in Melbourne.

After we'd had our fill of art, we drove to Bronte Park, the little village where Marcus and Millie live.  

By early evening it was raining less, so we went to a nearby park at Lake St. Clair, where platypus live. A short walk through the rainforest, and we came to a little bay where a river joins a lake, and sure enough, we saw a platypus or two swimming and catching fish for their dinner.

a pademelon

Also on this outing, we saw an echidna on the way to the park, a pademelon nibbling on leaves at the entrance to the woods (well camouflaged in the photo on the left), and a wombat burrowing in the ditch as we were leaving the park. 





Driving home, we had to stop for this wallaby, and then just up the hill from the house, we saw a whole group of wallabies enjoying the long grass.

Not bad for my first day on the island!

Melbourne— The Great Ocean Road

I am not usually a tour person. When I read about the Great Ocean Road that runs along the coast just outside of Melbourne, I knew that it was too good to miss, so I looked into my options. 

Renting, or rather hiring, a car was one possibility with two problems. First, I am ashamed to admit it, but I don't know how to drive a standard. Second, I was nervous about driving on the left side of the road. On top of that, photos showed the road as somewhat narrow and winding, adding one more level of discomfort. I liked the idea of being able to stop anywhere I wanted, but I had to admit it didn't sound very realistic.

I wondered if there was public transport of some kind -- a regional bus or train -- but no.

So, it seemed a tour was my best choice, and on my first day in the city, I stopped in at a tourist office on my way back to the hotel and booked a minibus tour: The Great Ocean Road in Reverse. The "in reverse" part means that you drive directly to the farthest point (on an inland highway) first thing in the morning and then slowly return along the coastal road, stopping at points of interest on the way.

We set off from Melbourne at about 7:30 a.m. and a had a brief stop for tea and biscuits at a little picnic ground. Along the way, the tour guide told stories about places we passed. This sounds pretty awful, but it was actually very well done. He didn't talk too much, and when he did he had something significant to say. Just my kind of tour guide!

Our first sight-seeing stop was Loch Ard Gorge, the site of a famous shipwreck. Two survivors found a cave to shelter in and were eventually rescued.

the cave

The Razorback

Next we visited the Twelve Apostles. By this time it was rainy and windy, so not the best time to hang around admiring the view, but it was definitely worth looking at.

The Twelve Apostles

From there we went to a picnic ground in Great Otway National Park, where the rain was really coming down. Our lunch spot was under a canopy, so we were out of the rain, but afterwards we went for a walk into the rainforest. It was wet, but still very beautiful. It reminded me of being on the west coast of Vancouver Island. 

Because we had all been good boys and girls, we were allowed a couple of unscheduled stops -- one in a little beach town where we looked in shops on the main street and walked on the beach. 

And then we stopped in another town, at a lookout point where we could see the road we had come on. Definitely narrow and winding!

We also saw a few sulfur crested cockatoos in the trees and in the parking lot.

Next we stopped at a place called Kennett River, where we went for a stroll along the river and saw koalas. They were not in a good position for photos with a cell phone, but as the young German girl who was on the tour said, "I will remember this always." For about 20 minutes, we were able to watch them climbing and eating leaves, and then it was time to go.

We made one last stop, at the Great Ocean Road memorial arch, and then it was back to Melbourne.