A place Julie and I have always had on our list, Tasmania. We spent 3-weeks on the island, the first week doing the Overland Trek and a further 2-weeks touring the east coast.
Before travelling to Tasmania Julie and I spent a couple of nights in Adelaide, primarily to visit d'Arenburg. It had been 10-years since we last sampled their great produce.
|
|
|
d'Arenburg has changed a lot in 10-years. This stunning Rubik's Cube has now replaced the old tasting barn; each floor presents a different theme.
After staying in Adelaide just long enough to enjoy d'Arenburg's Veranda Restaurant we took a flight from Adelaide to Launceston, in the north of Tasmania.
|
|
|
|
We had a couple of nights in Launceston before we started the Overland Trek. Launceston has a number of good restaurants, night one we dinned at Hallam�s and night two was the Mud Bar and Restaurant. They were both very good, and much recommended.
We booked
ourselves with the Tasmanian Walking Company for the 6-days trek on the Cradle
Mountain Overland Route.
(This photo was provided by http://www.taswalkingco.com.au/)
The beginning. We meet Sean
and James, our guides, and our band of merry walkers.
The trailhead:
start of the adventure.
The Overland
Route takes you south from the entrance of the national park for 50-miles to
Lake St Clair. The average backpack weight was 12kg (depending upon water
volume), a weight that takes a few days to get used to.
Day-1 is the
longest day, both in distance and time, and is also the lions share of the climbing for the trip.
|
|
|
Cradle Mountain,
after which this World Heritage Site derives its name.
The ground,
being soft peat, is very susceptible to trenching. Boardwalks cover around half
of the 50-miles!
|
|
|
The terrain is
very mixed, and usually easy-going.
The views are
often fabulous.
We also had the
opportunity to climb Mt Ossa, Tasmania's highest mountain at 1617m.
(This photo was provided by http://www.taswalkingco.com.au/)
Leaving our
heavy rucksacks, we travel light up the track to Mt Ossa.
Clouds were
hugging the summit, and we also had rain - warm rain compared to Scotland!
|
|
|
The climb
approximates nicely to that of climbing a Munro, with a total accent of 500m
over rugged terrain.
The view from
the summit was cloudy, but also very atmospheric.
As luck would
have it the weather improved as we descended!
Back down we
collect our heavy sacks and head to that night's hut.
The view from
the hut's dinning room.
We saw some
great waterfalls.
|
|
|
Great Australian
flora.
Approaching the
end of our trek, we are now heading for the ferry at Lake St Clair.
|
|
|
At Lake St Clair
jetty awaiting the ferry.
|
|
|
Sean and James:
two weary guides.
(This photo was provided by http://www.taswalkingco.com.au/)
Bruised,
blistered and aching all over, we've completed the trek:-)
After emotional
farewells, we went our separate ways. For Julie and I that meant picking-up a
car and heading to Bicheno.
We spent 4
nights at Bicheno, allowing us three-days to explore
the area.
|
|
|
We visited
Wineglass Bay.
Giving Julie an
opportunity to paddle.
|
|
|
Bicheno has a nice
blowhole and an atmospheric gorge.
We drove a
little further south and visited Maria Island.
We hired
bicycles to explore the island.
There are
stunning silver-sand bays.
Kangaroos
everywhere.
|
|
|
However, the
wombats stole the show!
|
|
|
After visiting
Maria Island we drove further south again to Eaglehawk
Neck.
Eaglehawk Neck is a good
centre for visiting the Tasman Peninsula, and it's
spectacular capes presenting the tallest cliffs in Australia!
We start to make
our way to Cape Hauy.
|
|
|
Nearer to the
cliffs.
|
|
|
300m vertical!
Another walk in
the area is the Maingon Peninsula.
|
|
|
The Southern
Ocean is very violent here cutting fabulous caves and arches.
|
|
|
The Maingon Blowhole is certainly worth a visit. The noise
rattles your chest cavity in a disturbing way!
|
|
|
Another fabulous
isolated bay: Crescent Bay on the Maingon Peninsula.
Also accessible
from Eaglehawk Neck is the World Heritage Site of
Port Arthur.
Port Arthur was
a British penal centre during the 19th century. The geography of the
Tasman Peninsula made it the perfect 'open prison'. In more recent times the
site was the scene of a massacre: 35 people were killed and a further 23
wounded during a terror attack on people visiting the museum in April 1996.
|
|
|
The museum is
very much worth a visit. And there is a quite respectful memorial to the
victims of the massacre.
The holiday was
rapidly approaching its end: we headed to Hobart for our last night.
We enjoyed our
all-to-brief a visit to Hobart, and the highlight was MONA
Mona (Museum of
Old and New Art) is one of the most fabulous manmade spaces I have ever
experienced!
|
|
|
Art is
everywhere: parking the car and trying to find the entrance!
|
|
|
Every part of
the building inspired observation: was this really a tennis court, or more a
guide to find the entrance?
The museum is
free-entry for Tasmanians, which is truly an excellent thing. The outside art
is freely available to everyone.
Some of the art
could not be photographed, only be experienced: not by edict but rather the art
itself would not work in a photo.
|
|
|
Some pieces were
visually disturbing.
The messages
presented by this display could only be viewed if you moved your eyes, or the
camera, to draw-out the words.
|
|
|
It is difficult
to describe the effect of large blocks of colour. The blue pigment was dust,
and the black was oil!
MONA is
fabulous, so good these photos do it little justice - only a visit would truly
reward you.
We may be back
to Tasmania one day, but it is a long way away.
For now it's
back home to Scotland and a British spring - something that the British Isles
does beautifully!