Tasmanian Adventure Part 2

Saturday 25th July – Sunday 2nd August

After leaving the holiday park we set off for a little early morning wine tasting, first up was ninth island which was very nice although the were a little big tight on the amount of wine they poured for tasting, but they had a nice chardonnay so we bought a bottle. After finding the next place shut we went to another winery call Rosevears were the tasting was good and the wines amazing. We bought one of the white wines called a gewuertztraminer (a German grape) and a pinot red wine.

After the wine tasting we had a game of mini golf on a little bit of a water logged course which Wolfie won by 3 strokes. Final stop in Launceston was the Cataract gorge in the city we took a ride on the chair lift before walking back to the car.
The rest of the plans for the afternoon failed to materialise as the honey farm was shut and we missed the last tour of the mole caves on the way to cradle mountain.

We arrived at our posh accommodation around 4.30ish and checked in taking full advantage of the facilities and having a nice dinner and some drinks in the bar ( its called the cradle mountain chateau and the only reason we could afford it was that we had a discounted room). We spent time after tea writing postcards curled up on couches drinking wine in front of the log fire.

Sunday 26th

After a bit of a lie in we headed across the road to the wilderness and wildlife gallery and enjoyed the relaxing music and the photography exhibitions off which some of the pictures were amazing. We then caught the midday tour off Devils@cradle Mountain one of the many sites they are breeding the endangered Tasmania devil which is being wipe out by a genetic facial tumour. We learnt lots about them, petted one and watched them in action in the park making all the crazy noises they make.

We were then going to go for a walk but had been tipped off about the whereabouts of some wombats that were abroad during the daylight. We quickly headed off in the direction and experienced what we had been trying for the last 12 months viewing wombats in the wild and there were 5 off them the closest less than 5 metres away who occasional glanced at us and sniffed the air to make sure that we weren’t a threat. It was absolutely amazing and we took lots of pictures. We had hoped to maybe go on the walk then but the rain came down hard.

Back at the lodge we headed back to the gallery for another little look before getting ready for the spotlighting tour. We saw lots more wombats, wallabies and pademelons and then back at the lodge a quoll! Again after food we spent the night in the lodge in front of the fire whilst the rain poured outside.

Monday 27th

We woke to yet more rain and after breakfast at the lodge we checked out. It was difficult to drag Corinne away from the roaring fires and eventually we were in the car again. We drove to Dove Lake in the hope of being able to walk the trail around it as the rain and weather had cleared a little but about half way round the snow came down and then turned into that horrible sleet / rain and before we new it Corinne’s feet were cold and wet. So we made a dash back to the car by which time we were absolutely soaking wet!!!! Once dry we left Cradle Mountain for Mole Creek NP and the caves there. Arriving a little after an hour from leaving we just made it onto the last off the winter timed tours of the marakoopa cave. The formations of rock we amazing and beautiful taking tens of thousands of years to form as the water slowly seeps and carves its way through the rock.
After our guided tour it was late in the day and we drove north to Devonport and done our shopping for the next 5 days as we were heading off into sparsely populated areas and the Tasmania wilderness. A 2½ hr drive later and we arrived in the surfing town of Marrawah on the north-west coat of the island. The weather was wild the wind blowing the waves you could hear crashing onto the distant beach and the rain started to tinker on the roof off the gorgeous little cottage we had booked.

Tuesday 28th

After a slow start to the day we had a little drive around the local area but a lot of places were closed as the area is very seasonal based. Its having a slight population boom as well the nearby Arthur River Township has gone from one permanent resident to twenty-nine. We found a local lighthouse and watched the rough seas and huge crashing waves around the rocks and cliffs. After a quick drive to the dismal swamp office to check the prices we drove back to the cottage to wait for Geoff King. Geoff is a local farmer who a few years back after showing a visiting scientist around (who is now a very good friend) realised the impact his cattle were having on an important local wildlife habitat for many species of native fauna (especially the threatened TASMANIAN DEVIL) and its also a very important area for aboriginal culture before the Europeans arrived in the 1800’s.

Anyways Geoff met us in his 4x4 with fresh wallaby road kill in the back and after having a little look for some more we took the short drive to his coastal land. It was a wicked off-road drive to the sea’s edge where he explained different animal prints wallaby, pademelon and devil, and there scat (poo) the devils being full off hair and bone because they don’t waste a single thing of whatever they eat! Geoff bought the carcass with him and proceeded to drag it around laying a scent trail. The sky was starting to darken approaching dusk so we got back into the ute and set off wallaby on rope dragging behind us. We saw lots of pademelons and a few wallabies, places where echidnas and wombats had been digging. Geoff explained that the area looks a little different to when it did 10 years ago the grass and general landscape benefiting from the lack of cattle trampling on it. He still has some cattle as does his brother, he also explained that he no longer goes to the pub as some of the other farmers and locals disagree with the direction his opinions and land use have gone and he worries about arguments and run-ins with a fella called Cram (his arch-rival) who keeps sneaking onto his land to launch his cray boat.

We stood watching the waves as Geoff set up the shack as he has down for nearly 10 years, the same way he has for the many journalist, TV film crews for channel 7 and the BBC and more recently the Irwin family. The little shack warmed by log fire lit by battery and candles with a small window resembling something similar to the huts in Antarctica very rustic indeed. As we waited for the night to settle in the winds brushed heavily over the shack and surrounding heath lands. We had some snacks Geoff cooked ocean salmon caught from a secret spot afterwards the battery light went off and the candles provided the light as the devils map the surroundings by silhouettes.

We took our places at the window listening to the wind through the baby speaker hidden in the bushes outside there for the telltale sign off crunching noises from the devils feeding. An hour after dark we sat back down and dimmed the outdoor light which was illuminating the ‘feeding area’ we drank some wine and chatted about various subjects. Over the next 3 hours we each took turns in hopefully sat at the window with no luck. At 10pmish it was announced by Geoff that that this wound be the last hour and the light went back up and the candles placed out of silhouette range. 5 minutes later Wolfie spotted it out of the corner of the eye the tell-tale white strip across the chest which all but 5% of the devils have. It came into the light circling the carcass and sniffing the area making sure it was safe. It was a gorgeous young male around 3 years old with a glossy black coat, bold white stripe and little red ears.

We watch ‘taz’ as it tucked in for around about 25 minutes taking his fill, crunching the bones and occasionally sticking his head deep in the carcass. We got a little worried at one point it looked like it was struggling with some bone but it shifted it then had a nibble on the tale (which Geoff said was desert) and then sniffed the air before running off into the bushes. It was such an amazing experience and one that we will never forget THANKS GEOFF!!! On the way back we spotlighted across the area for more wild life never seen so many pademelons and wallabies. We were soon back at the cottage tucked up in bed watching the video on the camera we had taken of the little fella WOW!

Wednesday 29th

We started the day at the Tarkine ‘dismal swamp’ visitors centre. Corinne made her way down on the 4x4 golf buggy whilst Wolfie slide down on the 110m slide all the way to the forest floor we spent a little time walking around reading the various information and trying to spot the little burrowing crayfish who make little chimney homes up to 40cms high.

Then was the drive off all drives similar to the forgotten highway in New Zealand 6½ hours later we arrived in the wilderness retreat of Lake St Clair. We found the key left for us for the lakeside lodge we were in and settled in for the night.

Thursday 30th

So our first day in the wilderness and we choose just relax and chill out nothing else. The lodge had no TV, Internet access or mobile phone signal so no technological distractions. The weather wasn’t the best apparently it likes to rain a lot in highlands of tassie much like the rain in Manchester. We had a drive around the local town and went to somewhere called the wall in the wilderness. A local artist / carpenter is chiselling out the history of the local area on a 100ft long wall over a 10 year project.

Friday 31st

Another morning of R&R and we eventually went for a walk looking for platypus around Lake St Clair. No platypus but the walk was pretty nice and we got some amazing pics and on the way back we came across an echidna which was pretty cool and Corinne had wanted to see one. It was a little different to the mainland ones more hairy to keep it warmer in the colder Tasmanian climate. We spent the evening watching movies on the laptop and feeding geoff and his mate neil!

Saturday 1st August

As usual we had planned to leave early but it was close to check out time when we had eventually left the cabin. After a drive off around an hour or so we arrived at the Mt Field NP and again it was raining but along the way we had seen a fair few rainbows 6/7 I think we counted. Eventually once the rain had eased we walked the famous and spectacular Russell Falls they were by far the best we had seen since we had been on our travels, over 90m high and breaking over 3 shelves.

Corinne cracked it (Australian slang for paddy / fit) and said she’d had enough of walking on the way to see the smaller Horseshoe Falls but it was worth the extra steps. Once back at the car it was another hour back to Hobart and we had come full circle, we emptied the car and checked back into the hostel, Wolfie dropped the car off and Corinne had a bite to eat.

We headed off for the shops and booked a table at a fancy seafood restaurant called Mures as kind off a cool time in tassie celebrations. First though we had booked onto the Hobart ghost tour which wasn’t to bad and now that we are connoisseurs as this was our 5 we have good reasons of comparison. We went to some exciting places the old powder store for the gun battery recently used by some hippy / devil worshipping cult with a nutter for a leader and some OLD houses. The meal at the restaurant was just amazing and it was the first time that we had sampled gourmet food the only reason that we could afford it was that we had a money off voucher!!! Full and happy after some alcoholic drinks we headed back to the pickled frog and crashed.

Sunday 2nd

Crazy busy morning packing and we headed off for the airport board the cheap hostel shuttle we grabbed breakfast at the airport and took the short flight back that seemed longer than the flight there. Its something that I am starting to notice that the flights on the way when your excited are so much quicker than the ones coming back when you don’t want to leave. We had such a good time in Tasmania and its got us excited for the travelling ahead.

By the afternoon we were back at the flat unpacked, been shopping and doing the holiday washing – thinking about where to go off to next!