Another early start! Early enough to see the sun rise over the harbour. I spent a few hours over another leisurely brekkie, doing some domestic chores and catching up with Gaz on Skype. I headed into town under clear sunny skies. I started my outing with a two hour tour on a topless London double decker bus, taking in all the main sites in Hobart. After a yummy chicken salad wrap in hopped into a packed shuttle bus to the top of Mount Wellington. Our driver was v...

I woke up early after another cold night (I wore my hat in bed!)!and a possum visitation. I had my last camp breakfast whilst listening to and watching the birds, including a couple of swift parrots. I packed up the car making sure all my camp gear was clean. My friend is very kindly taking it back to the UK to give me some luggage space. Some of the bugs were not keen on leaving my tent but I was not having any hitch hikers! Having packed I gave some items to th...

Before I forget to put this in... as I was dozing off last night there was lots of scuffling to be heard close to the tent. I assumed it was the pademelons messing around so I ignored it. But the noise was close and persistent. I saw a shadow of an animal right by my tent so I shone my torch to frighten it. Instead I just found myself face to face with a possum! Initially it went but kept coming back and sticking its head under the fly sheet. I eventually realise...

When I was about 19 or 20 years old I used to get a rock climbing magazine called High. I can still see the picture on one of the front covers in about 1995 of a sea stack called the totem pole. I was so amazed by it I always hoped I'd see it one day. Today was nearly this day!Having had a lazy morning and leisurely brekkie after a cold night (sleeping bag zipped up all the way!) I chatted to the rangers about walking and red and black spiders. I learnt that...

A rude awakening by my noisy neighbours at 5.30 was unnecessary to say the least. I dozed until sunrise when I took some photos of Maria Island, the location for today's adventures. Maria (pronounced as in Mariah Carey not Maria from the Sound of Music) Island was named after Van Diemen's wife and is now a national park and wildlife haven. Having driven to Triabunna I boarded the Maria Island Ferry complete with comedy captain who managed to get a Costa C...