Saturday afternoon 12 December We drive roughly South-West towards Roseberry and after picking up some groceries from an IGA we head into Montezuma Falls and set up camp for the night. The place is deserted and is just a parking lot on gravel - though through a divider there are two picnic tables and some soft short grass. Beyond that the river runs in a deep bed. It is Saturday night and we do not realize that this is a local haunt. So in rolls a small ca...

Thursday 10th December "Yes I know, another late start - but Mum it's cold and we don't want to get up and get dressed. Oh alright don't start yelling, we are getting up." We wander down and catch the shuttle. We miss the first one and catch the next one - really they are not quite up to the demand. The day is looking good, 75% cloud cover but maybe no rain today We ride through to Dove Lake again but this time take the path upo ay. to Cradle Lak...

Wednesday 9th December Raining and cool, the small tents are dotted around Vicki like a besieging army. Vicki is tall and white like an impregnable castle. A local wades off into the stream with his fishing rod - they build them tough down here, the fish that is. We drive the last few k's into Cradle Mountain, it is like a low level version of Thredbare, commercial facilities to service National Parks (well State Parks actually, but no one seems to admit it....

7th December We wake as the sky turns to mod grey. Mal struggles out to the foredeck camera in hand. Tasmania is a series of thin grey lines. The sunrise is imminent and it is like a sunrise from childhood, big and full of drama. It is wonderful, the wind is fresh, the land looms slowly closer. We berth and all of a sudden we feel like we have been spat out into a new place. Expectations fight with reality as we try and reconcile. What is Tasmania like...