We packed up had breakfast, said our goodbyes to Tonia and set off for the ferry back to the mainland - we thought we might make the 1000 ferry but if not we would have a coffee at the small cafe and catch the 1135 - Tonia reminded us that the 1000 may not be the 1000 and she was right - as we arrived just after 0930 the ferry had loaded some vehicles and was loading a large lorry and not without difficulty then left - much to the disappointment of a long line of cars - but the ferries are governed by weight and the tide which was quite low which meant if it was too heavy it could ground in the channel. We guessed it would be back soon so we parked in line 2, line 1 was full, and I went and bought 2 coffees and ate one of the apple fritters I had 'doggy bagged' last night - it was nearly as good cold and we still had two left for later! The ferry returned at 1015 this time most if not all the cars got on and we were off the other side and heading towards Hobart by 1100 - ahead of schedule ( by the 1135 sailing!) The trip to Fentonbury and Hamlet Downs was relatively quick and easy - we stopped in New Norfolk for petrol and dressings for my finger - which continues to mend - we also ate the last two apple fritters!
We arrived at our very nice overnight accommodation just past 1pm; it allowed self catering or catered stays - we opted for them to provide dinner and continental breakfast - dinner was served in our conservatory and breakfast was left in the fridge for us to DIY when we wanted. Before going off to Mount Field national park - 10 minutes up the road - we ordered our dinner - rump steak for John and salmon for me followed by icecream with homemade berry sauce for us both.
At the national park we bought a pass for $60 which allows us to go to all the national parks, as many times as we like, for the next 8 weeks ( if only we could stay that long) and not have to pay the $24 day rate each time - a good deal which I read about in the guide book. Before heading off on our walk we had tea and scones ( including cream and home made raspberry jam) in the very nice parks cafe.
We decided to do the 2 hour round trip walk taking in the sights of Russell Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Lady Barron Falls and the tall trees circuit where you could see 79 metre high eucalypt regans trees - the tallest flowering trees in the world ( redwoods the tallest trees don't flower!) They were massive and crooked your neck just looking at the tops and several hundred years old. The waterfalls were some of the most picturesque we have seen particularly Russell and Horseshoe. As we went passed the fresh water streams we looked for platypus as they had been seen earlier today -but no luck though. We did however see and hear sulphur crested cockatoos perched high up and squarking as they flew overhead. The killer sting in the walk was the steps back to the visitor centre - over 230 - I have a nice picture of John exhaling heavily near the top!
Back at the car we decided to drive some of the way to Lake Dobson but got to the first viewpoint and decided to return as it was a very twisty road and not a pleasure to drive - a good move as when we got to the bottom I saw a family looking at something - I joined them to see my first echidna - snuffling and probing in the undergrowth. It was like a hedgehog but with a longer snout and not so prickly - lovely little animal - I could have watched it for hours! (today's photo).
Back at our accommodation we showered - today was very hot- it registered 29 degrees in the car for the outside temperature. The conservatory in our accommodation was stifling but they had put the fan on and windows were open so I was hopeful that by our 7pm dinnertime it would be pleasant -and it was - the sun was going down and we had a lovely dinner looking over the hillside -afterwards we had port and coffee sitting in the easy chairs taking in the balmy summer air and saying it would be lovely to do the summer months in both hemispheres as it's the cold that makes people old! We watched one lone wallaby bound across the field; John thought he saw a white one but further examination with binoculars revealed it was the back leg of a black and white cow!
A lovely comfortable king size bed saw us drift off .........after another day exploring the unique corners of Tasmania.