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We had a very good day in south eastern Tasmania. The day started out with a sobering tour through a penal colony. The men that were shipped here - to Van Diemen's Land - were said to be the most incorrigible of the inmates in the prison system in the early 1800's. They came from England, of course, but also from America (before their revolution) and from Canada. I'm sure there were some who were truly nasty, but some of the crimes that these people had committed sure don't sound like anything that was deserving of being sent away for 14 years or more! Rather, I kept getting the impression that many of these folks were initially healthy men who held political views that opposed the ruling elite of the time, and these blokes were not rich enough to be able to speak their mind with relative impunity. The feeling of oppression was recreated very well by those who have been restoring the site. Miserable for those born on the wrong side of the coin / tracks . . .
After a late lunch we headed back up the coast to see some of the natural beauty of the area. With the cliffs in the area being composed of sedimentary rock, there are lots of areas with jagged cliffs, collapsed blow holes and natural sea arches. The natural vegetation is really dense shrubbery in general. I presume the meadows have now become sheep and cattle pastures. We didn't see any cultivated fields in the area.
We saw a little echidna along the retaining fence on the way to one viewing area. The little guy is about the size of a football, with spines sticking out for protection. Apparently those spines are strong enough to cause a flat tire! Anyway, its only concern was to eat some ants - if only all of the tourists would just leave him alone!
After a good day out we made our way back to the Fox and Hound for a couple of pints of Guiness and a lovely supper of fresh fish and lamp chops. Mmmm
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