Showing posts with label Tasmania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tasmania. Show all posts
CAMPSITE # 76 - Tassie's Top Ten
It was time to go, the Tasmanian adventure was over. 4 states down (NSW, VIC, ACT & TAS) and 4 more to go. Some people forget about Tassie when they do a 'around Australia trip'. We thought about not forking out the $500 return ferry trip and just bypassing Tasmania altogether. I can now safely say that it has been an absolute highlight of our trip and under no circumstances should it be forgotten about. Tassie is bloody brilliant.
We put together a little list of our Top Ten Must Do's while visiting Tasmania-
1. The Gordon River Cruise - at $90 per adult, a 6 hour boat journey along the extraordinary Gordon River... absolutely not to be missed.
2. Wineglass Bay - a 5 hour walk around the beautiful Wineglass Bay.. no guarantees that you'll bump into Dick Smith as well though.
3. Bay of Fires - free camping right on the beach. White sandy beaches & crystal clear waters
4. See a Tasmanian Devil - this is a must! It just wouldn't be a trip to Tassie without seeing a devil.
5. Lake St Clair - A 5 hour walk along the lake amongst beautiful rainforest & Tassie's exclusive Huon Pine.
6. Bruny Island - what more could you want? An island full of cheese factories, fresh (and free) blackberries, wineries, amazing wildlife and super fresh seafood.
7. The Edge of the World - while it may just seem like "just another point to view the ocean" what this spot stands for is more important.
8. Feed the pig a beer at the Pub in the Paddock - how could you miss that?!
9. Visit the tiny town of Corinna - a very quaint little town right on the Pieman River
10. Tarkine Forest Slide - what a rush amongst something so beautiful!
Obviously, this is our list and what worked for us but these Ten items are what, together, really made our trip to Tassie for us. We were really sad to say goodbye but, at the end of the day there is so much more to see and do in Australia and we needed to get a wriggle on. We looked at the calendar and we're 5 months into it with just 7 (ish) left to go. When you look at the map of Australia we have only journeyed across a very small part... we had a crapload left to go!
And how did we handle the boat ride back? We splurged. For just $60 we upgraded ourselves to a cabin where we could only be bothered by each other and no fool with a guitar. It was just like staying in a hotel (minus the swaying). For $60 more, it certainly was money very well spent!
We put together a little list of our Top Ten Must Do's while visiting Tasmania-
1. The Gordon River Cruise - at $90 per adult, a 6 hour boat journey along the extraordinary Gordon River... absolutely not to be missed.
2. Wineglass Bay - a 5 hour walk around the beautiful Wineglass Bay.. no guarantees that you'll bump into Dick Smith as well though.
3. Bay of Fires - free camping right on the beach. White sandy beaches & crystal clear waters
4. See a Tasmanian Devil - this is a must! It just wouldn't be a trip to Tassie without seeing a devil.
5. Lake St Clair - A 5 hour walk along the lake amongst beautiful rainforest & Tassie's exclusive Huon Pine.
6. Bruny Island - what more could you want? An island full of cheese factories, fresh (and free) blackberries, wineries, amazing wildlife and super fresh seafood.
7. The Edge of the World - while it may just seem like "just another point to view the ocean" what this spot stands for is more important.
8. Feed the pig a beer at the Pub in the Paddock - how could you miss that?!
9. Visit the tiny town of Corinna - a very quaint little town right on the Pieman River
10. Tarkine Forest Slide - what a rush amongst something so beautiful!
Obviously, this is our list and what worked for us but these Ten items are what, together, really made our trip to Tassie for us. We were really sad to say goodbye but, at the end of the day there is so much more to see and do in Australia and we needed to get a wriggle on. We looked at the calendar and we're 5 months into it with just 7 (ish) left to go. When you look at the map of Australia we have only journeyed across a very small part... we had a crapload left to go!And how did we handle the boat ride back? We splurged. For just $60 we upgraded ourselves to a cabin where we could only be bothered by each other and no fool with a guitar. It was just like staying in a hotel (minus the swaying). For $60 more, it certainly was money very well spent!
Please excuse the pathetically excited passenger in this photo...
But, there was one more thing that marked the end of our Tasmania leg. That bloody beard! Could he just shave part of it and really live up to his name of Monkey Man? I know there's one Monkey Man who would have approved...
After a Skype session with his mum just as we got on to the boat, Tom quickly decided it was time to shave it all off. Afterall, when your own mum tells you "you look hideous" ... you know something's got to change...
After a Skype session with his mum just as we got on to the boat, Tom quickly decided it was time to shave it all off. Afterall, when your own mum tells you "you look hideous" ... you know something's got to change...
Meet Tom the 40 year old truckie..
Half time...
Ahh... back to normal ;)
Site : Inverleigh Rest AreaRating : 6 / 20
Facilities : A little too close to the road but it is a Rest Area so it was free. Nice view over farmer's land.
CAMPSITE # 75 - Going out with a bang
Rating : 11 / 20
Facilities : Really nicely presented & well maintained. GREAT camp kitchen with a spectacular burning hot fire place (when Tom's around to stoke it that is).
It was almost over. We were almost at the end of one of the most exciting parts of the entire trip. Our final night in Tasmania was spent in Latrobe, a lovely town just 10 minutes drive to the Spirit of Tasmania ferry port. How could it have possibly flown by so quickly? We decided we needed to go out with a bang. We needed to spend our final night in Tasmania celebrating this beautiful state. We figured, what better way than feasting and drinking it's finest... so we made tracks to the shops and purchased ourselves some fresh Tasmanian Salmon fillets with the skin on (my favourite) and 3 long necks (tallies) of James Boag's Draught and 3 long necks of Cascade Draught (I did say we were going out with a bang).
After 5 weeks on this island, we never actually took a moment to discover which of its iconic beers we preferred. So, we had a "beer off". And of course, you need do a lot of experimenting in order finalise the outcome.
This resulted in a undecided conclusion. Tom prefers Cascade and I prefer Boags. This also resulted in getting extremely happy, sitting around the campfire with fellow campers (whose names we will never know) and sharing stories of our experiences in Tasmania. Somehow XXXX got thrown into the mix thanks to Jess & Dave's late night stop at the bottle-o. It was a great send off for us for our final night in Tassie... as I was stumbling into bed at midnight (that's a late night for campers!!) I dreaded the thought of once again clambering on to the Spirit of Tas with a thick head.. AGAIN! This time, there was without a doubt, absolutely, definitely NO WAY we were sitting on the 10th floor!!
It was almost over. We were almost at the end of one of the most exciting parts of the entire trip. Our final night in Tasmania was spent in Latrobe, a lovely town just 10 minutes drive to the Spirit of Tasmania ferry port. How could it have possibly flown by so quickly? We decided we needed to go out with a bang. We needed to spend our final night in Tasmania celebrating this beautiful state. We figured, what better way than feasting and drinking it's finest... so we made tracks to the shops and purchased ourselves some fresh Tasmanian Salmon fillets with the skin on (my favourite) and 3 long necks (tallies) of James Boag's Draught and 3 long necks of Cascade Draught (I did say we were going out with a bang).
After 5 weeks on this island, we never actually took a moment to discover which of its iconic beers we preferred. So, we had a "beer off". And of course, you need do a lot of experimenting in order finalise the outcome.
This resulted in a undecided conclusion. Tom prefers Cascade and I prefer Boags. This also resulted in getting extremely happy, sitting around the campfire with fellow campers (whose names we will never know) and sharing stories of our experiences in Tasmania. Somehow XXXX got thrown into the mix thanks to Jess & Dave's late night stop at the bottle-o. It was a great send off for us for our final night in Tassie... as I was stumbling into bed at midnight (that's a late night for campers!!) I dreaded the thought of once again clambering on to the Spirit of Tas with a thick head.. AGAIN! This time, there was without a doubt, absolutely, definitely NO WAY we were sitting on the 10th floor!!Somehow, I still managed to cook the Salmon without ruining it!!
(you'd want to hope so considering it cost the equivalent to 4 meals in our budget!)
Looking at the map of Tassie, we really were comfortable with the fact that we really had given it a fair crack! :)
CAMPSITE # 75 - Our journey to the edge of the world
With just two days left in Tassie, we were desperate to squeeze in as much as we possibly could. Even though we were both really looking forward to the journey beyond Tasmania, we were really sad about the idea of leaving.
As we set off on route towards the Edge of the World, we stumbled across this a place that took our breath away. Tarkine Forest Adventures at Dismal Swamp truly was hidden out in the middle of nowhere, we're just so glad we found it. It's a forest area that features some "magical boardwalks" around the area once on the verge of being stripped down to become a cow paddock. To help make the boardwalk even more magical, they had some artists hide some of their pieces of art amongst the forest... see if you can spot where this one is...
The coolest part about visiting Dismal Swamp was the slide, a 110 metre slide from the visitor centre at the top, through the tree canopy and down to the forest floor within 15 seconds... and boy was it quite the rush!! We had two slides each for $20 per person, and it was well worth it too! And when you're on a ride like this, you just have to be vocal (and Tom just had to get the evidence!!)
After feeling so awake & alive, it was time to continue our venture to the Edge of the World. We decided to check into the Caravan Park just 5kms from the Edge of the World so that we could settle in while it was still light, have some dinner and wait until sunset. Just before sunset, we headed down there to what I thought would be quite a romantic little adventure. It was romantic, for one millisecond but I think the romance quickly got swept away by the gale force winds... boy it was rough out there! 
On the plaque, it reads...
I cast my pebble onto the shore of eternity
To be washed by the Ocean of Time
It has shape, form and substance
It is me.
One day I will be no more
One day I will be no more
But my pebble will remain here.
On the shore of eternity
Mute witness for the aeons.
That today and came and stood
At the Edge of the World.
Some people believe the Edge of the World to be quite a spiritual place. It is the longest mass of uninterrupted expanse of ocean on the globe. From Argentina the current sweeps unimpeded more than halfway around the planet until they hit this point. While Tom went off for his explore, I sat down on the viewing platform. I realised I was too focused on keeping myself sheltered from the wind than warming myself up to actual take a moment to enjoy this experience. So, I told myself to toughen up, I took off my beanie, took a deep breath, sat up nice and straight and opened my eyes big & wide. And no, I didn't have some amazing spiritual experience but I did take a moment to sit and think about my surroundings and our trip & what we had achieved so far. I realised, while the gods weren't exactly calling my name from the Edge of the World, this was my time to stop and reflect on one of the most amazing adventures of my life. Regardless of the gale force winds & the freezing cold... that spot right there is my happy place that I'm sure my mind will drift back to for years to come.Tom was really intrigued by the huge amount of debris swept up on the beach.
This one even provided proof of its origin.
Site : Arthur River Cabin Park
Rating : 6 / 20
Facilities : Bit of a hole but that was to be expected considering it's proximity to the 'rest' of the world. Shower & toilets were good and clean. Pretty pricey though - $28 for a powered site.
CAMPSITE # 74 - All tea'd out
Time always manages to fly by so quickly when you have company. Mum's four days were almost up and we had to return her back to the airport for her flight back to Brissie that night. One thing I already knew about my mother that has now been burnt into my brain for ever and ever is ... Boy that woman sure can drink some serious tea!!
Just woke up "Oh, time for a tea"
About to finish packing up camp and set off for our day's events "Oh, shall we just have a quick pot of tea before we leave?"
Just before lunch, during lunch and then again after lunch "Wouldn't a cup of tea go nice with lunch?!"
And so it continues.
We figured, there is no way more fitting to have as a final send off with my mum than to celebrate it with... (yep you guessed it) a pot of tea!! We got the 2 hour driving stint out of the way and headed towards Woolmers Estate. Here you can explore convict built buildings and venture through, my favourite, the National Rose Garden.
Oh and of course, the first thing we had to do upon our arrival was make route to the cafe for a Devonshire Tea special... Mum's shout! Freshly made scones with homemade raspberry jam, whipped cream and a big pot of tea. It really was a treat and I have zero complaints about my mother's addiction to tea :)
Here's something I urge you to do. The next amazingly manicured, light and fluffy patch of green grass you see... drop everything and just lie down on it. Stretch your arms out and just enjoyed that grass that some very attentive gardener has put a hell of a lot of work into. There is nothing like lying on great grass on a beautiful day. The hardest part? Getting up!
After spending a lovely afternoon at Woolmers, we had an hour or so to kill before Mum had to make tracks to the airport. We took a drive to a town called Evandale, right near Launceston airport. Tom and I had driven through the town before and thought that it seemed quite quaint and charming. We spotted an 1850's old English pub called the Clarendon Arms Hotel, we thought we would sneak in for an early dinner of Beef and Guinness Pie. Once inside, we were told that we were there outside of kitchen hours and decided to just have a beer instead.
Tom went for a little explore around the hotel, appreciating the extraordinary artwork on the walls and educating himself on its history. Turns out he was a little too well informed on the ongoings of that hotel, when the staff door into the kitchen swung open he spied a rat casually sniffing around on the kitchen benches.... a) I'm bloody glad the kitchen was closed and b) So that's what they're calling "Beef" nowadays?!?!
Site : Sisters Beach
Just woke up "Oh, time for a tea"
About to finish packing up camp and set off for our day's events "Oh, shall we just have a quick pot of tea before we leave?"
Just before lunch, during lunch and then again after lunch "Wouldn't a cup of tea go nice with lunch?!"
And so it continues.
Oh and of course, the first thing we had to do upon our arrival was make route to the cafe for a Devonshire Tea special... Mum's shout! Freshly made scones with homemade raspberry jam, whipped cream and a big pot of tea. It really was a treat and I have zero complaints about my mother's addiction to tea :)
Here's something I urge you to do. The next amazingly manicured, light and fluffy patch of green grass you see... drop everything and just lie down on it. Stretch your arms out and just enjoyed that grass that some very attentive gardener has put a hell of a lot of work into. There is nothing like lying on great grass on a beautiful day. The hardest part? Getting up!
After spending a lovely afternoon at Woolmers, we had an hour or so to kill before Mum had to make tracks to the airport. We took a drive to a town called Evandale, right near Launceston airport. Tom and I had driven through the town before and thought that it seemed quite quaint and charming. We spotted an 1850's old English pub called the Clarendon Arms Hotel, we thought we would sneak in for an early dinner of Beef and Guinness Pie. Once inside, we were told that we were there outside of kitchen hours and decided to just have a beer instead. Tom went for a little explore around the hotel, appreciating the extraordinary artwork on the walls and educating himself on its history. Turns out he was a little too well informed on the ongoings of that hotel, when the staff door into the kitchen swung open he spied a rat casually sniffing around on the kitchen benches.... a) I'm bloody glad the kitchen was closed and b) So that's what they're calling "Beef" nowadays?!?!
Site : Sisters BeachRating : 15 / 20
Facilities : Beach views. No tents allowed. Really quiet area. And some prison-like security system for the toilets, kind of concerning why they needed such high security measures but thankfully we never had to find out.
CAMPSITE # 73 - Devils at Cradle
Since we had already cheated the Overland Track at the Lake St Clair end, we figured why not continue the tradition? Dove Lake is generally the starting point for those crazy hikers who do the entire Overland Track, all 65 kms of it.
At a roughly 600metres above sea level, it is generally raining at Dove Lake over 300 days of the year. Of the remaining 65 clear days each year, only on roughly 16 days can you actually see Cradle Mountain from Dove Lake. We saw it all right, and we had a warm sunny day and clear blue skies to accompany the stunning views.
There are a number of different walks that you can do but we were just there for the sight seeing. We took a short stroll down to the "Boat Shed" to take photos of one of the most photographed tourist destinations in all of Australia... I assume because of how rare it is to get a decent photo on a nice day!!
Tom, once again, spent some time getting a little arty-farty, move over Steve Parish...
Tom and I laughed at how before we started this trip we would have called this cabin something along the lines of a 'dive' or a 'shithole' but to us nowadays, it was far from that. Kitchen, electricity, flushing toilets, boiling water for Mum's one-million-a-day-cup-of-tea and one less freezing cold night in a tent for my Mum. The three of us were pretty happy to have been so severely inconvenienced by BIG4 :)
After cooking up a nice warm meal, we rugged ourselves up in preparation for our night out in the 5 degrees. The bus collected us just before 9pm and we made tracks straight to the first instalment of our evening... night time feeding of the Tassie Devils in the rehab centre called Devils at Cradle. And we even got to have a little pat!!
After our quiet little pat with the 18 month old, we were led outside to witness the feeding of a leg of wallaby into a enclosure of 5 female devils. The noise they make certainly does explain where they got their name from...
We were really glad we visited Devils at Cradle. In total, they care for 19 Devils at this park and prepare those eligible ones to enter the wild.
After the Devils Park, we were looking forward to the really exciting part. When we booked it, the tour operator was selling it to us as though there was a very high to extreme possibility to see a Devil in the wild, and that's what we were dying to do. I know, we'd just been amongst 19 of them at the park but it's just not the same. We just thought it would be incredible to see one in its own habitat roaming free in the wild.
After just a few minutes of the driver with his handheld spotlight, no brighter than Tom's torch, pointing out the "just another wallaby" "oh, and there's a possum over there", we knew it was money not so well spent. If we knew that we would have just been driving up and down the main road that we'd driven along countless times that day, we would have kept our $25 and gone in the Troopie. Obviously, they can't be held accountable for the fact that we didn't spot a wild Devil as we understand that that's completely out of their control but when we found ourselves perusing the carpark and the dumpsters in the hopes that there may be Quolls scavenging in the rubbish bins... all I could feel was disappointment.
Site : BIG4 Cradle Mountain
There are a number of different walks that you can do but we were just there for the sight seeing. We took a short stroll down to the "Boat Shed" to take photos of one of the most photographed tourist destinations in all of Australia... I assume because of how rare it is to get a decent photo on a nice day!!
Tom, once again, spent some time getting a little arty-farty, move over Steve Parish...
During our free National Parks bus ride up to Dove Lake, we were informed about a night time animal spotlighting tour that you can do and possibly see Tassie Devils in the wild. Our ears instantly pricked up, the possibility of seeing a Devil in the wild on our final days in Tasmania would just seal the deal on such a great journey to this little island. So, we altered our plans (of which we didn't have any) and decided to let our guard down and stay at a (dum dum darrrrr) BIG4!!
Considering it was Mum's last night, we certainly couldn't send her home showerless and uncomfortable. Taking into account it's close proximity to such a sought after tourist destination, we were actually quite impressed by the Caravan Park. It is set amongst alot of natural greenery and each site is quite private. As we drove along the driveway, after checking in, we went in search for our allocated campsite. Only to find once we had arrived that someone else was in our site. Hoping to get the other, much larger site adjacent, I returned back to reception to enquire. There I was told that we actually had taken the very last unpowered and/or powered site in the entire park and that they must have made a mistake and double booked. We had already paid and we had already booked in for our night tour so we certainly weren't packing our bags to head off to the next caravan park one hour away. Sometimes, a gentle smile and puppy dogs eyes really can get you places because, for $32 we got...
Yippeeee!!
After cooking up a nice warm meal, we rugged ourselves up in preparation for our night out in the 5 degrees. The bus collected us just before 9pm and we made tracks straight to the first instalment of our evening... night time feeding of the Tassie Devils in the rehab centre called Devils at Cradle. And we even got to have a little pat!!
After our quiet little pat with the 18 month old, we were led outside to witness the feeding of a leg of wallaby into a enclosure of 5 female devils. The noise they make certainly does explain where they got their name from...
We were really glad we visited Devils at Cradle. In total, they care for 19 Devils at this park and prepare those eligible ones to enter the wild.
After the Devils Park, we were looking forward to the really exciting part. When we booked it, the tour operator was selling it to us as though there was a very high to extreme possibility to see a Devil in the wild, and that's what we were dying to do. I know, we'd just been amongst 19 of them at the park but it's just not the same. We just thought it would be incredible to see one in its own habitat roaming free in the wild. After just a few minutes of the driver with his handheld spotlight, no brighter than Tom's torch, pointing out the "just another wallaby" "oh, and there's a possum over there", we knew it was money not so well spent. If we knew that we would have just been driving up and down the main road that we'd driven along countless times that day, we would have kept our $25 and gone in the Troopie. Obviously, they can't be held accountable for the fact that we didn't spot a wild Devil as we understand that that's completely out of their control but when we found ourselves perusing the carpark and the dumpsters in the hopes that there may be Quolls scavenging in the rubbish bins... all I could feel was disappointment.
This is what we saw of the wild Tassie Devils..
Site : BIG4 Cradle MountainRating : 12 / 20
Facilities : Free upgrade thanks to double booking saw us with a fully self contained cabin for just $32!! Very convenient spot, located directly across the road for the Visitors Centre at Cradle Mountain.
CAMPSITE # 72 - This is why we travel.
There are a few rather costly tourist journeys that Tom and I are dying to go on... a helicopter ride over either Kakadu or Lake Eyre, a hot air balloon ride over Ayers Rock and... a day cruise along the Gordon River. While we realise they're not exactly the trips every unemployed traveller would be taking, we figure... a trip like this is just once in a lifetime so we better make the most of it!
So, the three of us, Tom, Mum and I booked ourselves in to take the morning cruise along the famous "Gordon River". At $90 per adult, you are given 6 hours to enjoy cruising out towards the bay along the unusually calm waters of Macquarie Harbour while passing an incredible pod of dolphins coming along for a ride along our wake, through the "Hells Gates" - appropriately named by convicts for its narrow & incredibly dangerous passageway...
Pass some seriously eager fisher-wo-men
who are able to visit their holiday beach cabin only via boat access...
Given a very insightful lesson on aquaculture while passing some salmon & trout farms...
(just to tease us for what's yet to come)...
(just to tease us for what's yet to come)...
With a stop over at Sarah Island, where they first sent the convicts prior to Port Arthur...
Only to return to the boat for a buffet lunch!! Sometimes, buffet lunches are a bit of a let down and you would have been better off just going to Sizzler but anything with endless amounts of fresh Tasmanian Smoked Salmon & Cheese is bound to impress
(particularly when you're an unemployed traveller!!)...
(particularly when you're an unemployed traveller!!)...
As we journeyed along the Gordon River towards Heritage Landing, we were told the history of one of Tasmanian's most prized possessions, the Huon Pine. Huon Pine grows naturally in Tasmania and nowhere else in the world. Its timber is highly sought after by furniture makers, artists and enthusiasts all over the world. It is Australia's oldest living tree and is one of the oldest living organisms on earth. The one pictured here was 'salvaged' in the 1970's when they built Gordon Dam. Like every tree, its age can be determined by the amount of rings around its trunk. This one has been dated back to be over 2200 years old... prior to the Birth of Christ & the Battle of the Hastings. Captain Cooks landing in Botany Bay is labelled right on the outskirts of this incredible tree.
Nowadays, the Huon Pine is protected only allowing the wood to be used if it has naturally fallen or died. One of the huge appeals of this timber is the preserving properties of the natural oil, the wood is therefore resilient to rot from water or fungus. It also prevents insects from damaging the tree. You could dig up a piece of Huon Pine from a swamp, and the wood itself would still be in usable condition regardless of its age.
Entering the Gordon River, almost feels as if you have just been transported to a completely different world. The river itself is surrounded by walls and walls of temperate rainforest that just feels as if they are towering over you...
We were taken to Heritage Landing for a 400metre guided boardwalk tour. I realised, what I was seeing in that short walk was only just the tiniest little snippet into what surrounded me a million times over. We were right amongst one of the purest places I believe I will ever visit for the rest of my life. The air I was breathing would no doubt have been amongst the cleanest air in the entire world. This was nature at its absolutely best. It was simply extraordinary.
This is why we travel.
Site : Corinna Camping GroundCamping Ground Rating : 14 / 20
Facilities : A very remote little tourist village, right on the river. Quirky is certainly a good word to explain this little town. You're camping right amongst nature. We recommend to do the kayaking, we didn't get a chance but have spoken to a number of people who rave about it. The only let down was the road north was closed while we were there so had to pay $20 each way x 2 cars to catch the ferry... which was a painful extra $80 to spend for one nights stay.
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