I fell in love with Tasmania, not just for it's stunning scenery but also the fact that each individual town beholds it's own character and has a story to tell. There is so much to see and do.

On our first day in Hobart we walked around the town centre and headed to the docks where we ate fish & chips as we admired the view of the boats. Surprisingly there didn't seems to be much of a celebration for Paddy's day. I noticed straight away how it seems to be a haven for retired people. The place was full of cauliflower heads and dog walkers! Perhaps we were in the wrong part of town.

Day two, my birthday! We decided to hire out a car and to my relief had a much needed 'chat'. Matt suggested that we head our different ways when we get back to Melbourne. This now means that I can go and meet my friends in Bundaberg and make a head start on completing the 3 months of fruit picking work I need to do in order to apply for a 2nd year WHV.

Once we picked up the 'vintage' car, from Bargain Car Rentals (at only $39 per day!) we drove to Richmond, a quaint little town that is ever so slightly OTT, pretty houses, pretty gardens, pretty church, you get my drift. We hunted down every antique shop to try and find a cassette because that's all the car would play! After a fruitless search, we stopped off at the next town, Sorrell, where we found a charity shop with a far from extensive collection of music cassettes. From this dreadful selection we managed to find a few that weren't country or classical music so we were happy, for now that is. I am now in a position to confidently say that the Field of Dreams soundtrack is dire, and the Bros and Tina Arena albums we picked up are also s***e. We were saved by Britney Spears first album (moreso because we knew all the words) and Darren Hayes debut album as a solo artist.

Port Arthur was our first proper stop. It's an ex convict site, used back in the day to house re offenders and soldiers who acted as prison guards. In the evening we took part in the ghost tour. The guy who took us round was very talented at narrating the stories and had our whole group spooked to the core. Sadly we didn't see any ghosts, but that we had our own excitement in the form of road kill. Yes, Matt hit a poor defenceless Tasmanian Devil on the way home and gave me a heart attack in the process by screaming as he did it! Gayboy!

On the third day we drove to Launceston. Another big town centre like Hobart but different in it's own right. As it was such a beautiful day we decided to spend it at Cataract Gorge, a wonderful natural reserve with a chair lift and a swimming pool! Afterwards we booked a cabin at Cradle Mountain and decided to make the three hour journey there in the dark so we could wake up early the next day and fit in Cradle Mountain AND Wineglass Bay which is about 5 hours away! We just couldn't wait to get there and were luck a couple of excited children.

We got to our cabin in Cradle Valley at about 9pm and got our heads down. The cabin was really cool, reminded me so much of a school camping trip. It was cold as well but luckily we had a fully functioning heater.

The next morning we woke up late and didn't get to Cradle Mountain until 10am. The only walk we could fit in was the 2 hour Dove Lake walk. The scenery was impressive but the walk was less than. Built in wooden steps the whole way through hardly makes you feel at one with nature. We were a little bit gutted because had we have known we would've stayed here for longer and done the 5-7 day overland trek. We ploughed on with our adventure and drove to Wineglass Bay, reportedly the most beautiful and picturesque part of Tasmania.

Unfortunately we didn't arrive there until 6pm. After stoping for food and parking up we realised that it would be dark before we even got there. So, after a moment of spontanenuity and possibly insanity, we decided to sleep there so we could watch the sun rise in the morning. A great idea in theory but minus the requisite sleeping bags and tent that are usually imperative for such a trip, we didn't stand a chance. It took nearly 3 hours to get to the bay and once there it was already pitch black. The wind had a bitter chill and by 3.15am we gave up and headed back! We got to the top of the moutain and the torch ran out, but we soldiered on. By 5.38am we made it back to the car.

Our last day (Saturday) was a mad rush. With virtually no sleep, we had to drive back to Hobart, go to the 'must-see' Salamanca market, drop off the car and make it to the airport for our 12.10pm flight. We just about made it!

XxX