Tasmania - the Bold and Beautiful

Hello! I'm back. Did you miss me?

Before I start with more tales from the road, I would be remiss not to mention the horrible earthquake in Ecuador. 654 people (and counting) died in the quake, over 12,000 were injured, 7,000 buildings were destroyed and 58 people are still missing. Please do what you can to help. There are several campaigns running to help the hardest struck areas. This was an event of incredible magnitude, and I cannot stress enough the need for further relief efforts.

Canadian Red Cross Relief Effort 

World Vision Relief Effort 

I know there are many more options, but any help is gratefully accepted. Or come visit. Your tourist dollars will help with the rebuilding of this amazing and beautiful country and you get to see some incredible places.

Now on with the journey. (Photo heavy blog alert!)

We've had a wild time in Tasmania and beyond. It was our first campervan experience together and like all things new: we laughed, we cried, we broke something.

We started in Hobart, the major city of the state. (Yes, they call them states here, despite being part of the Commonwealth.) It's an interesting little city, right on the bay, which provides fresh seafood and pretty nice views.

Random buildings in Hobart

Market items

Market items

Mt. Wellington from a distance

Saturday market - it was crammed with people

We climbed Mount Wellington, strolled the streets, visited the weekend market and sampled some amazing Vietnamese food.

Hobart from halfway up Mt. Wellie

Teddy enjoying the view from our lunch spot

Hobart, the bay and beyond

Steep and slippy (but worth it!)

The "Organ Pipes" - basalt columns

We also went to an amazing museum/gallery know as the MONA. It has a collection of art that amazes, disconcerts and spurs conversation. It's a must if you visit Hobart.

Ferry to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)

Art on the ferry

Leaving Hobart

Chairs are passe, why not ride a sheep to
the MONA?

On the bay

The gallery approaches

One of the works in the gallery
This was inspired when the artist witnessed the aftermath
of a suicide bombing. He was struck by the serenity on the
face of the 19 year old who had just given his life.

After cramming in as much as we could we picked up our campervan and headed towards Port Arthur, stocking up on groceries on the way. We went on a ghost tour of the old prison and fort the first night we arrived. There were red chested wallabies and pademelons (smaller cousins to the wallabies and 'roos) as well as fairly tame parrots that would eat out of your hand. (I know...that's bad, but who could resist? Not even Ron!)

The Beast (the vehicle...of course)

Pademelon - crow for scale

Hate to say it, but they're kind of like giant rats

No eerie apparitions on this ghost tour

Bird with a toupee

"Wild" parrot

We'd heard about the largest basalt columns in the country and couldn't resist taking a boat tour to check out the soaring cliffs. We were hoping to hike to them, but realized we wouldn't have time, as they were at the end of a three day trek through Tasman National Park. (Nor were we equipped for such a thing.)

Start of the boat tour

The amazing coastline

Pod of dolphins playing in the wake

Australian fur seal

Seal butt...he was playing in the current.

Say "cheese"!

It's a seal's life!

1000 feet high!

Blue water

Soaring above us.

We were lucky enough to cavort with dolphins, see albatross and gannets, as catch a seal hunting pack at rest in the currents. It was a pretty amazing day.

Then we were off to Freycinet National Park. (Long story, but we did a LOT of backtracking in Tassie.) There we took a hike to a fairly well known beach called Wine Glass Bay. Both the hike and the bay are stunning. There's something about unmolested coastline that speaks to our souls. (Not a hotel or luxury condo in sight!)

A peak of Wine Glass Bay

The trail continues

Getting closer

On the beach

Pristine

Then we turned back the way we had come and headed for the little town of Triabunna (pronounced Try-bana, in Aussie, but more on that later.) Why that little berg, you might ask? Well, it's the jump off point to Maria (pronounced Mariah) Island. Home of the totally adorable wombat. You're practically guaranteed to see one there and that was on my to-do list.

Triabunna was the place of "the incident" where we smashed the back window of the campervan. It made our Tassie experience a bit more stressful, but that's life, right? Okay, there was a hidden burl in a tree and, in the opinion of the repairman, the windows are so taught that the slightest bit of pressure blows them to smithereens. I don't think you could recreate the incident if you tried, but we had taken the comprehensive insurance, so it was all good. I'm not superstitious, usually, but we were backing into campsite 13, when it happened. (Hmmmm...)

Cape Barren Goose - favourite snack of the Tasmanian Devil

Maria Island Fauna

Baby anemones

The Painted Cliffs

Wombat!

"Yes, I know I'm adorable."

Another wombat - I love them.

 

The Fossil Cliffs - layer upon layer of fossilized molluscs

 

Couldn't resist adding one more - so cute!

Wallaby, at least I think

Back to the Tassie mainland

With another little jog back to Hobart, in dashed hopes of getting a new camper, we headed to Launceston - also known as Tasmanian wine country. We went on a wine sampling drive on a gorgeous autumn day.

Well deserved glass of wine

And good company

Wine country

Picnic

The view

 

 

After a good night's sleep we got ready for our long(ish) trip up to Cradle Mountain and then on to the ferry to get back to the mainland.

Lake at Cradle Mountain

A couple insisted that we pose together.

A bit closer up, you can see why it has its name.

Our berth.

Teddy gets a little too "into" wine

Then sleeps it off.

 Twelve days isn't enough to see the wonder that is Tasmania. We missed the Bay of Fires (due to our return trip to Hobart) and some other little stops and we didn't even touch much of the west side of the island.

Up next is the Great Ocean Road, or GOR, for those in the know.