Nathan & Joanna's Australian Adventures

11.02 Sunrise Over Melbourne

2008-03-01T04:00:00.001Z

The Spirit of Tasmania arrived shortly after 6am, and we managed to get back to the apartment by 6.30, so I had a chance to catch the beginning of the sunrise on our terrace before the batteries ran out!

10.02 Tas: Devonport

2008-03-01T03:55:00.003Z

We arrived in Devonport and drove out to the Bluff.

We then waited for the Spirit of Tasmania to come into port, before we headed off to catch a gourmet pizza on the quay side!

This may be a random photo, but we had followed this orange bus from Cape Tourville, Strahan, Cradle Mountain and now Devonport! This bus is run by a company in Germany called 'Rotel'. This bus is not only used as daily transport but also converts into sleeping accommodation! Looks like the road based YHA has been done before, but I still think there is a lot of mileage in this one!!

After nine hours of being in our Ocean View Recliner, how else am I supposed to look? Is there some weird John McCririck sideburn thing going on?!

10.02 Tas: Evandale

2008-03-01T03:50:00.000Z

Our final full day in Tasmania, would see us drive down the east side of the Tamar Valley to Evansdale. At Evansdale we went to the Sunday Market, where the entry fee was just 20c! Once inside you could have a ride on a horse or a steam train!

After our tea & latte stop we headed to Longford to look at the Georgian architecture, before heading back to Penguin via Westby and Deloraine. Enjoyed a lovely 'poverty-corner' special on the beach before making our way to Devonport!

09.02 Tas: Low Head & Penguin Tour

2008-03-01T03:45:00.001Z

After finding our pitch for the night at Low Head Tourist Park, which just happened to have the best facilities we had encountered on our entire trip! Although we were placed in the older section with the 'permanents', as we had asked for an unpowered site!? I was going to say that we were tucked in a corner again, but that was our choice for some natural cover, as the 'rope & pulley curtain system' would have had to extend all the way car if we had stayed where suggested!

We had also seen on our drive down to the Lightstation that there were Little (Fairy/Blue) Penguin tours! So after much pestering I mananged to persuade Joanna that we should go, as I had never been on one before!

Apparently it was the best tour Joanna had ever been on! We had watched the penguins coming up the beach, then we walked around the rockeries looking at their little nests and watched them waddle further up the beach!

09.02 Tas: Tamar Valley

2008-03-01T03:40:00.001Z

Sorry to say that we don't have any more photos of our Tamar Valley exploration. On our journey we did use this suspension bridge...

09.02 Tas: Port Sorell

2008-03-01T03:35:00.000Z

On our way to Tamar Valley, we thought that we'd drop into Port Sorell. Sitting on the beach gave us a chance to write our postcards and watch the bogans ride a bike off the pier into the river!

09.02 Tas: Penguin

2008-03-01T03:30:00.000Z

We had a lunch stop at Penguin, and enjoyed delicious something at the Groovy Penguin Cafe! Penguin itself reminded us of a toned-down version of Mooloolaba!

This, we believe, was the freight train that woke us up on our first night in Deloraine! We didn't just have one that night, I think there were two of them! And surprisingly for Australian standards, were going passed at quite a lick!

09.02 Tas: Boat Harbour

2008-03-01T03:25:00.001Z

A quick stop off at Boat Harbour on the way to Penguin!

09.02 Tas: Stanley - The Nut

2008-03-01T03:20:00.002Z

Woke up to a another bright day and decided that we'd climb the nut - a short, steep walk or there is the chairlift if your feeling flush! Didn't stay up there too long due to the fly issue, but there were some amazing views!

Managed to have a look around Stanley before trying to find somewhere to buy a new tyre! No luck in Smithton or Wynard, as everything is closed on a Saturday & Sunday in Tasmania - this definitely isn't the mainland!

08.02 Tas: Stanley

2008-03-01T03:15:00.001Z

After dinner, we went for a walk to the base of The Nut before we headed back to Stanley Cabin and Tourist Park for another night in the back of the Magna! Oh joy!!

08.02 Tas: Woolnorth Wind Farm

2008-03-01T03:10:00.002Z

While having our picnic at Marrawah Beach, we had noticed the Woolnorth Wind Farm in the distance. From Arthur River we headed back to Marrawah and picked up the unsealed Harcus River Road to Woolnorth.

About 20 kilometers into our journey I noticed that the back end was stepping out a little too much, although the surface was quite rough and loose. So I pulled over and explained to Joanna that perhaps things weren't quite as what they were supposed to be. As soon as I opened the door and looked back, my fears had been realised! There was no hubcap to be seen and we had a puncture!

After a little bit of time rearranging the boot with all our clobber, it was time to make sure that all the tools were in the right place and the spare actually had some air in it!

Something just isn't right here and I'm not just talking about the missing hubcap! How does the air stay in with all those holes? I guess there is no way of telling what caused this or where the puncture occurred?!

Actually the spare was a brand new tyre with plenty of air in it! Phew! A little Cossack dance for luck was performed, before it was firmly fitted in place!!

During our time on the side of the road two people actually stopped and asked if we were okay! Anyway, the unsealed road was much smoother on the final three kilometers with the inflated tyre!!

This was as close as we got, as the wind farm was closed and there were some concerns over our tyre situation! So we went straight to the campsite at Stanley!

08.02 Tas: Arthur River

2008-03-01T03:05:00.001Z

The Edge of the World! There is nothing between here and Argentina - again! It's a great place to collect some driftwood!

08.02 Tas: Marrawah Beach

2008-03-01T03:00:00.001Z

From Dismal Swamp we headed to Marrawah Beach, an amazing place to have our picnic before taking the road down to Arthur River.

08.02 Tas: Dismal Swamp

2008-03-01T02:55:00.002Z

We visited Dismal Swamp, a giant blackwood sinkhole! After questioning the admission fee ($20 each!) and whether we should go in, we decided that we should because we hadn't been able to see/do something else on our journey!

We walked in and were given the choice of how to reach the sinkhole, either by walking down or taking the 110m slide 40m down! Well, you know us, we wanted to take the slide, especially when we had 3 goes each! After we had put our hair nets on, and picked our (cycle) helmets we had to choose what type of sack/mat to use the 'slow' or 'fast'. So being the fearless souls we are, we both picked 'fast' ones!

Once installed in the sack/mat feet first, we were told to hold onto the straps, keep the elbows in tight, and head slightly up! That really wasn't enough to prepare you for the 'bone shaker'! I was wearing my glasses on the way down and thought that I'd lose them, as I didn't realise that corners of the slide were corrugated (not sure why they couldn't have been smooth?!), hence it now been known as the 'bone shaker'! After we left the slide, slightly jarred, we headed around one of the boardwalks to view the installation art, before heading back to the top of the slide!

This time Joanna & I picked the slower sack, as we thought that we might be able to enjoy the ride a little... hmm, the start was just the same as the fast one! The only difference was that you had to walk to the end of the slide, instead of sliding there! Joanna decreed that that was her last run, she was now suffering from whiplash to her head, neck & shoulders!

Being one not woose out too often, I thought that I'd go for glory on my final run, with a return to the fast sack! Just before I set off, my glasses removed, the chap radioed the 'receiver' at the bottom of the slide with 'have a 14'! He turned to me and said 'you'll probably be quicker than that', meaning that it would take me less than 14 seconds to cover the 110 metres! He wasn't wrong, and I even hit the crash pad at the bottom! However, I still wasn't able to control my head through the turns due to the g-forces and I ended up in the cafe with a bit of a sore neck and a slight headache! It was soooo worth it though!!

08.02 Tas: Cape Table Lighthouse

2008-03-01T02:50:00.003Z

A final night in a proper bed was had before returning to the fold-down-flat rear of the Magna! The room in the Cradle Mountain YHA was a very good size, and had very thin walls - NOT that there was any of that business happening on either side! But why do semi-permanent buildings (it's a National Park so I guess there are some standards to adhere to) skimp on quality or soundproofing? If you like the build of a caravan then take one with you! They have a captive market regards visitors to the area, but I'm not quite sure it was worth the $80 a night! The best bit about it though was the common room/kitchen - a good place to meet fellow travellers & generally nice people, while enjoying the heat of the woodburner!!

Anyway, the wildlife didn't disappoint around Cradle Mountain, in fact we had a moment with a wallaby! When driving in Australia you not only have to look ahead, but you must also do a 'sweep' covering each side of the road. As I was 'sweeping' I noticed that there was a fast approaching Wallaby coming from the left! So I shouted my usual 'SH*T!', with Joanna beside me going 'What? What?' - probably had her head in the map planning our route!

The wallaby was going too fast to stop - I saw it try to slow down and then decide which way it would go round the car - one of those cartoon moments! I braked because I thought that he'd run across in front of us, but fortunately he tried to go behind us! I say 'tried' because all we heard was a bang at the back of the car as it struck! Be assured the wallaby was unharmed and continued bounding into the bush!

From Cradle Mountain we headed north on our way to Stanley. We collected some supplies from Wynyard and then followed the signs to Cape Table Lighthouse & Lookout, with views back down the coast towards Devonport.

07.02 Tas: Cradle Mountain - Marion's Lookout

2008-03-01T02:45:00.003Z

On our return to Dove Lake at 4pm we were greeted with blue skies, puffy white cloudy and sunshine! Yes! Sunshine!! And we could clearly see the top of Cradle Mountain!

So we parked the car up and headed out on the walk that we wanted to do at 8am, to Marion's Lookout! We didn't see any wildlife on our walk, and Wombat Pool didn't quite live up to its name, but there was plent of 'scat' balanced on rocks & steps!

It was definitely the worth the wait...!

After a very nice evening meal at the Cradle Mountain Lodge we decided to go for a drive down to Dove Lake again! From the park entrance this is about an 8km drive. The aim was to hopefully see some of the wildlife that inhabit the area, and there is no better place to see it in Tasmania than Cradle Mountain!

By the time we reached Dove Lake it had started to rain again, so we headed back up towards the park entrance. It was at this point that it start to sleet! We're in summer and it' sleeting in Tasmania! We weren't disappointed with the wildife, coming across Wombats, a pair of Possums in a punch-up, Pademelons and Wallabies!! They all come out at dusk!

07.02 Tas: Cradle Mountain - Weindorfers Chalet

2008-03-01T02:40:00.002Z

So while we waited for the rain to stop we ate our picnic and pretty much all the food we had in the car at the time! Then we thought that we could go to Ronny's Creek to see whether there was any wildlife about, but it was probably inside... watching the rain!

Next stop was was Weindorfers Chalet, a tiny settlement for the people who found & explored the Cradle Mountain area. The original chalet fell into disrepair and was demolished and replaced with a replica. The smaller building was the 'Bath House', and we had so much time on our hands waiting for the rain to stop that I managed to sweep the floor!

07.02 Tas: Cradle Mountain - Dove Lake

2008-03-01T02:35:00.002Z

After a night in the Cradle Mountain YHA, which was our first night in a proper bed, we woke to more rain! We had been told when we collected our park pass that the car park at Dove Lake would fill up very quickly, so we got down there just after 8am!

No problems parking, it was just the wind & the rain the prevented us from venturing outside!

The view of Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain (behind the cloud) from the car!!

After an hour sitting in the car we decided that we'd head out for a walk around Dove Lake!

This is a Wombat poo! It is also know as 'scat', and the other interesting fact is that they are cuboid shaped! How do they do that?! The other amazing thing that all the 'scat' we came across was carefully balanced on rocks & the edges of walkway steps! Very clever!?

An hour and a bit later we made it back to the car again, where we watched the wind & the rain again!

06.02 Tas: Wilderness Cruise - Sarah Island

2008-03-01T02:30:00.002Z

Our final part of our Wilderness Cruise was a tour around Sarah Island, which was a penal settlement!

After returning to Strahan I saw Tim Bentinck who plays David Archer in the Archers! I didn't approach him as it looked like that he was catching a scenic flight! Anway, after a food shop and another tank of fuel we left for Cradle Mountain!

06.02 Tas: Wilderness Cruise - Gordon River

2008-03-01T02:25:00.000Z

The second part of our Wilderness Cruise was a short trip up the Gordon River. We passed a jetty leading to a historic fishing hut, which is still used to this day. A circular walk through the rainforest at Heritage Landing was very interesting, and it also included a sighting of a Tiger Snake sunning itself on a log!!

06.02 Tas: Wilderness Cruise - Macquarie Harbour

2008-03-01T02:20:00.000Z

An early start meant that we left before the Strahan Backpackers YHA office was open - oops! I think it just goes to show that Strahan is just too small for the amount of visitors that it attracts, or perhaps you should book your accommodation before arrive! I'm sure that we weren't the only ones without a pitch that night and making use of someone else's facilities!!

Anyway we arrived on the quay side to pick up our Wilderness Cruise on Macquarie Harbour!

The entrance to the Harbour is known as 'Hells Gate' and is only about 80 metres wide! Due to the number of grounding incidents in the 1800's a harbour wall was built. The wall also maintains the depth of the channel by reducing the amout of sand that is drawn in and out of the harbour. A railway was used on the completed sections to drop the rocks forming the wall into the harbour. The original tracks, now rusting and twisted, are still visible!

For every breath you take in Tasmania you, allegedly, live an extra 5 minutes due to the clean air! The reason for this is the next land mass to the west is Argentina, and the winds only pass over the ocean - these winds are known as the "Roaring 40's"!

05.02 Tas: Strahan

2008-03-01T02:15:00.000Z

Our trip from Tarraleah to Strahan took us through the mining town of Queenstown. As we were approaching Queenstown the we noticed that the scrub changed from bush to bare rock! This was caused by trees on the surrounding hills being cut down to fuel smelters and then the topsoil was washed away by heavy rains, leaving the bare, coloured rocks and the odd lunar landscape!

We finally made it to Strahan! We arrived early evening to find that there were no free campsites! After a bit of a drive around we noticed that there was some tents errected out the back of the Strahan Backpackers YHA. However, when we got to the office it was closed! So we just put ourselves in the corner and set up for the night! The facilities were very good, with an excellent kitchen (standard YHA) and shower/toilets!

05.02 Tas: Tarraleah

2008-03-01T02:10:00.002Z

We had a quick picnic stop at the Tarraleah Hydro Powerstation, yes I know all the good places!! Tarraleah is a small town built to house the builders of the powerstation, however the town is now completely owned by a single family. A drive through the brightly coloured town reminded me a bit of the houses in Edward Scissorhands, and even the Truman Show!

05.02 Tas: Bushy Park Hop Fields

2008-03-01T02:05:00.002Z

Our drive through the Derwent Valley gave us some lovely views over the Hop Gardens!

05.02 Tas: New Norfolk Hop Museum

2008-03-01T02:00:00.002Z

Our trip from Hobart to Strahan took us through the Derwent Valley, which is famous for hop growing. Tasmania is unique as the hops are grown without the use of pesticides, as they have no pests!

In New Norfolk they have a Hop Museum, so we just had to go and have a look!!

Links to home! The press (that you couldn't see) apparently came from Maidstone. There wasn't any more specific information than this unfortunately.