TASSIE TALES!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!

The ‘Spirit of Tasmania’ took approximately 10 hours to cross the Bass Strait on a day sailing. There was plenty of entertainment including films, Tasmanian devil information and cartoon drawing sessions.

Our visit to Tasmania was another extra and unplanned part of Macswayround and we are so pleased that we have been able to add it to our journey. We had been told that we would be reminded of home in the UK, and we were in some parts. We were very surprised by the size of Tassie – it doesn’t look that big on the map! We were reminded of Scotland in a number of mountainous areas too. The weather was kind to us which made our stay all the more pleasant.

In fact, Tassie reminded us of a condensed version of the mainland Australia and our route took us from the east coast to the south and then up the west coast before heading back to Devonport.

We travelled from Devonport towards Launceston and stayed in the Tamar Valley (near Winkleigh). It was very strange to be amongst so many familiar names. We saw a sign that included Winkleigh, Exeter and Devonport on the same post and this was all very familiar to us.

In the village store at Glengarry we were recommended to see Beauty Point which absolutely lived up to its name! Further on, along the Tasman Highway, we went through Launceston and Exeter before camping at Derby. As this was a holiday weekend we met Danny, Sharon and family, also Gus and Faye too. A good time was had by all with the help of a communal campfire!  Jemma, Ben and Jared spent the evening performing a circus act to see how many different ways all three could ride a push bike at the same time!

On our travels we are always on the look- out for wildlife and as we stopped in a gateway to turn around, Jemma spotted an echidna –a real wild one –and the second of the egg – laying mammals.

Next day, the Weldborough Pass Rainforest walk was a blast from the past and beautifully old. It must be treasured as three quarters of Australia’s rainforest has now been lost and Tasmania only has 11 % left covering the state.

Passing through St.Helens, Scottdale and Bingalong Bay, we stayed along the Bay of Fires at Cosy Corner. This bay is so called, due to the brilliant orange lichen on the rocks and our stop followed a trip up Mount Elephant for a taste of the famous European style pancakes.

We loved our time in Bicheno, where the blow hole was a novelty. We were also lucky enough to see the Little Fairy Penguins coming home to their babies and to rest for the night. It was fantastic to see then waddle past us, as a part of their daily routine, within an hour after night fall. We watched from a great quiet spot and shared the moment with two friendly, Irish Sheila’s, who could have spoken for ever with those accents!  

The Glass Bottom Boat trip out from the Gulch as Bicheno was another of our highlights. Maitreya (our skipper) made our trip very enjoyable and extremely informative. We would also like to say Hi to his Mum, who we met later, by coincidence, at the Milton Vineyard along the Freycinet coast. We had stopped off for a quick wine tasting session and got talking about Bicheno and the glass bottom boat!! We also saw the famous wine glass bay, with a perfect crescent of pure white sand.

Travelling onwards towards Port Arthur, we camped near the dog-line at Eagle- Hawk Neck. Along the way we saw another blow hole, the Tasman’s Arch, and the Devil’s kitchen which have all been eroded as the sea bashes against the coast line, creating tunnels and caves as it goes.

The Tahune Airwalk and Swing-bridge walk in the Tahune Forest Reserve, on the banks of the Huon River, was an excellent experience. We walked 48 metres above the forest floor. We also saw the biggest tree in Australia (not the tallest at 87 metres) but the heaviest, weighing in at 405 tonnes!

We arrived in Hobart on a Saturday and so the Salamanca market was buzzing with the traditions of the Island. Many local arts and crafts were available and Phil managed to kit himself out with an authentic ‘Mac Dundee’ hat!

A very wet night was spent at Lake Burbury and it was strange to feel rain! Next day was bright again and we went to see the infamous Cradle Mountain, which has an unusual shape and spectacular scenery all around the area. We passed Queenstown which has a lunar landscape due to the past mining that has moved the earth, and where its sulphur fumes have either poisoned the vegetation or burnt it in their furnaces. It was a very strange landscape and equally unique.

 We also all enjoyed the Tasmanian Devil Centre @ Cradle where we learnt lots about these very placid and lovable creatures! Their spine chilling screech and instinct to fight for food has helped to create the cartoon and give them their devil name. However, at most times they are usually quiet and shy creatures in their natural territory!

This centre is currently helping to work hard to maintain their stocks and introduce breeding programmes as a shocking disease is threatening their future. Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) is a contagious cancer and many parts of Tasmania has been affected by the disease. It is estimated that 65% of devils have been lost in the last 10 years across Tasmania. There is a calculated fear that if the number of ‘disease free’ devil’s in captivity cannot be built up to a stock of 1000 and the disease continues to wipe them out at this rate, the species may become extinct within 25 years. How terrible it would be to no longer have the devils in the only place they can be found in this world (in the wild), at present.

Ben had a practice with his new boomerang when we stopped off at Waratah – he thought they were supposed to come back?! This town is unique for its spectacular waterfall right in the main street. Much can also be learnt in the museum and the town displays of mining equipment used in the past.

We stocked up at the cheese factory at Burnie, on our way to Stanley. The chairlift up to the top of the Stanley Nut, was hair –raising in places as it was very windy and the chairs were swaying along with the best of them! That said, the journey was well worth it for the fantastic views, and the fresh air blew our cobwebs away at the top! A lady commented to us that she had never been blown uphill before – but we all were on that day!

We were pleased to be able to pay Gus and Faye a visit, in Ulverstone (whom we had met at happy hour in Derby!). This was for our last night in Tasmania and we would like to thank them for an enjoyable time and for their hospitality! Jemma and Ben say ‘Hi’ to Mitchell and say that they enjoyed paying a quick visit to his school!  Later we took a further look around Ulverstone, Penguin and Latrobe before heading back to Devonport. Ulverstone struck us as being a very clean, tidy and organised town with an unusual ‘space-rocket’ themed play area for the children to enjoy. Penguin was another quaint seaside town and Jemma and Ben enjoyed a paddle and a picnic there.

Latrobe is known as the ‘Platypus Capital of the World’. We had a good look for these very shy creatures in the wild, for several hours, but we were out of luck as we had to leave too early and get back to Devonport.

We caught the ‘all night’ ferry back to Melbourne and some of us watched the Star Wars clones!  As we got some sleep in the reclining chairs we dreamt of our time in Tassie and of all our adventures!

JEMMA’S COMMENTS:

·         Tassie was a beautiful place and my favourite animal was obviously the Tasmanian devil. I LOVED the wombats too. I did notice that there was lots of road-kill. I loved all the over-hanging trees.

Here is a little rhyme that I made up while we were on the boat – “We travelled to Tassie by boat,

                                                                                                      But I did not have to wear a coat!

                                                                                                      When we got there it was warm

                                                                                                       But there was no corn!

                                                                                                       It was pretty cool – but we still needed a pool.

                                                                                                       I love Tasmania - like you love Lithuania!

                                                                                                                                      

 

    FACTOIDS-

·         The Tasmanian Island was discovered in 1642 by Hon. Abel Jans Tasman.

·         Tasmania is nicknamed the ‘APPLE ISLE.’

·         Tasmania is 150 miles (240kms) South – East of Mainland Australia.

·         Tasmania constitutes less than 1 % of Australia’s total area but contains some of the wildest landscapes in the country.

·         Little Penguins are the smallest of the 18 species of penguin and the only one to breed on Mainland Australia.

·         Little Penguins can sleep at sea and may spend weeks away from land.

·         Unlike all other penguins, the Little Penguins natural behaviour is to nest in a burrow.

·         Tasmania is said to have the ‘World’s cleanest air (in particular at Stanley) - as there is no land between Tassie and the Antarctic. 

·         Stanley also has the cleanest water........The Nut rises 152 metres (500 feet) and is almost completely surrounded by the Bass Strait Ocean. When you walk on ‘The Nut ‘you will walk on land that is over 13 million years old.

·         More than one third of the Tasmanian State is World Heritage Listed, National Park and Forest Reserve.

·         Was the specimen in Hobart Zoo in 1936 the last Tasmanian Tiger? Even the experts will not rule out the possibility it survives in Tasmania’s primeval forests. There have been a number of reported sightings – with the last two possible sightings being in the year 2000.

·         The Tasmanian devil is the world’s largest meat -eating marsupial.

·         Eastern Quolls are little spotted marsupial cousins of the Tassie devil. They now only survive in Tasmania.  Spot Tailed Quoll (or Tiger Quoll) is the largest carnivorous marsupial on Mainland Australia. They survive in good numbers in Tassie, however they are endangered in Victoria.

·         For over 40,000 years the Tasmanian Aborigines and the Tasmanian devil have lived in harmony. According to legend, the devil has inherited its special colouring from the world around it: BLACK-  the complete darkness of the night. PINK EARS- the red berries of the edible native cherry. WHITE- the prolific white flowers of the common Clematis. Aboriginal children continue to learn about the Purinina or Tasmanian devil’s secrets, its lifestyle, its links to their culture and the magic of the devil.

·         Port Arthur is now an historic site, dating from 1832 when the first convicts were taken there. The site tells many stories to illustrate the Australian convict experience. It is now Australia’s premier convict site.

·         In 1831 a Military Station was opened at Eagle Hawk Neck , to the north of Port Arthur and in 1832 a dog line was formed. This line was made up of 18 ferocious dogs, which were tethered to large barrels.  These dogs prevented the convicts from escaping and some dogs were also put out to sea on platforms to prevent a swimming escape.

·         Located in the North-West of Tasmania, the 447,000 hectare Tarkine Wilderness area is Australia’s largest tract of unprotected temperate rainforest.

·         The Tuhune Forest Reserve is home to the world’s tallest flowering tree –the giant Eucalyptus Regnans which may stand 100 metres high.

·         Launceston is Tasmania’s second largest city and Australia’s third oldest.

·         Hobart is Tasmania’s waterfront capital and Australia’s second oldest city. It was founded in 1804 as a prison for repeat offenders.

·         The Big Penguin, at Penguin (so named in 1861), stands a proud 3 metres tall on the foreshore. It was erected to commemorate the town’s centenary. It has become one of the most photographed landmarks in Tasmania!

·         The Duck Billed Platypus is everyone’s favourite monotreme – a semi-aquatic, egg laying mammal!

·         The Cradle Mountain –Lake Sinclair National Park is 161,000 hectares and is a part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.   

·         L.C. Bernacchi was a Tasmanian who became the first Australian to work and winter in Antarctica from 1898 to 1900. 

 

           TASSIE WILDLIFE HITS:

·         Yellow –tailed Black Cockatoos

·         Laughing Kookaburras

·         Echidna 

·         Wallabies

·         Possums

·         White –bellied Cormorants

·         Gannets

·         Masked Lapwings

·         Sulphur -crested Cockatoos

·         Black Swans

·         Galahs

·         Little Correllas and Sea Lions!

 

 

 

Monday, 13 April 2009 00:31:39 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)      Comments [0]  Australia | Tasmania