But, I know you're all wondering, How was Tasmania??
Well, to answer your burning question -- it was fantastic. It was just the dose of real nature I was seeking in Australia. I went on some awesome hikes/bush walks, saw/explored a bunch of National Parks, and even saw some real wildlife -- in the wild! I did end up visiting a few wildlife sanctuaries, but knowing me, that's to be expected.
Traveling around Tasmania is difficult, if you don't have a car. I chose not to rent one, mostly because it cost about twice as much as my plane ticket to get from Sydney to Hobart! Since I was traveling alone, it was NOT worth the price. The public transport is also not that great. They don't use trains for transport, other than freighting, so that's out. The bus system around town is probably pretty good, but I just walked where I needed to go in Hobart and Launceston. Now, intercity transport was interesting. They have buses that run, but very infrequently. When I needed to get from Hobart up north to Launceston, they had 2 companies that had a total of 3 trips each day, between them. 10:30am, 2:45pm and 5:30pm. So what I did for my general transport, was book a few day tours. They pick you up from your accommodation and take you all over (according to the tours you book), no extra for gas, entry to wildlife parks or national parks, free tastings (wine, cheese, chocolate, etc) and more. I did 4; two out of Hobart and 2 out of Launceston.
I arrived on Saturday, and explored Hobart a little. I discovered a neat outdoor market the locals run weekly, and then hopped on a ferry to MONA, a [creepy] underground museum.
My first tour was on Sunday (Easter!). The major perks of the tour included Mount Field National Park, Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and Mount Wellington.
Monday, my tour took us to Port Arthur (the historic convict sites), and the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park.
Tuesday, I wandered around Hobart some more until catching my bus to Launceston.
Wednesday, I explored Launceston which took me to a fabulous place called Cataract Gorge where I went on a neat bush walk and saw some wildlife, and amazing views.
Thursday, my next tour featured Wineglass Bay, Freycinet National Park and Bicheno, where we went to another wildlife park called Nature World.
Friday, was my last tour, which included the fabulous Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park.
Saturday, was my last full day, and I traveled back to Hobart and checked out the market again.
Below are select pictures from the highlights of my trip (I took over 600 pics -- you're welcome!!). Again, they may be out of order, so bear with me.
View from the Ferry to MONA, in the distance you can see Mount Wellington
View from ferry
(prior to taking ferry...) exploring Hobart
MONA -- creepy underground Museum of Old and New Art. Some of it was really cool, some of it was going to give me nightmares. I was also getting claustrophobic...
The neat thing is they give you iPods to take around for information on the pieces because they are changing exhibitions so frequently. They were setting up some new ones while I wandered through as well.
One of the few pieces I liked from MONA
Mount Wellington
Mt Field NP:
Pademelon!! Smaller than a wallaby, if you can imagine that!
Russell Falls
Horseshoe Falls
I think this is Dobson Lake
It was SO cold.
Pandani. Ancient trees.
What's this??? SNOW???
Walking around the lake
Yum yum yummy Tasmanian boysenberry frozen yogurt :)
On top of Mt Wellington, 1270m above sea level
Also, very very cold.
Feeding the 'roos and wallabies at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
Tassie Devils in action :)
grumpy old farts...
And this is how the facial tumor spreads between individuals...
Good ol' Tassie devil -- yawning before a meal
Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park
Walk around the Tasman Peninsula coast
Tasman Arch (I think)
Port Arthur, historical convict site
Ah, there's the wee little devil!
Something like an exercise yard for the prisoners
Port Arthur
Church, not entirely in ruins...
Port Arthur
Australia's Oldest Bridge - built by convicts
Richmond, TAS
Flat white (AUS) = latte (US)
A latte in Aus, is not the same as a latte as Americans know it.
Japanese Gardens - subset of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
I took way too many pictures, but didn't think anyone would be nearly as excited by those pics as I am... let me know if I'm wrong and I can share more!
This sunflower may or may not be happy to see you...
RTBG
Tassie War Memorial
"The Great War 1914-1919
Lest We Forget
The Korean War, The Malaysian Emergency, The Indonesian Confrontation, The Vietnam War
Peacekeeping Operations "
After completing the full walk around Cataract Gorge, view of the first basin behind me
Cataract Gorge
Bush walking with wallabies!
(There are 2 -- can you spot them? One is hard to see)
Cataract Gorge
Nature World, Near Bicheno:
She is IN the enclosure with them!!!!!
(these are females, not in estrous, so they are not likely to bit your face off)
O hai, you has foods?
Caption:
"He just bit my finger."
These guys were voracious. It was a little intimidating when they all close in on you and then start pulling on your sweatshirt and nibbling your fingers.
They knows we has the foods. They knows, precious...
Tassie Devils <3
I'll let you in on a little secret -- we got to pet them!!! <3 <3
Surprise! A joey!
Here they come!
CUTEST LITTLE WOMBAT EVERRRRRRR
It was SO hard not to reach down and pick him up... OMGGGG I was dying.
We hiked all the way down to the beach and back in less than 2 hours.. whew!
Honeymoon Bay - was originally intended to be used as a secluded beach for couples to consummate their marriages... now its not so secluded, but the idea is still appreciated around the coast.
(Honeymoon Bay)
Another old bridge built by convicts (3rd oldest???)
Ross, TAS
a little war memorial
Ross, TAS
Ha!
Ross, TAS
Sheffield, Town of Murals
on the side of a building
Good ol' thylacine (tassie tiger)
They have a yearly contest with around 10 featured local artists
This one was my favorite
They even allowed us to vote!
This was another contender 2013
last year's winner (2012)
They have a board to keep track of visitors. Can you see my pin?
Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair NP
"We're almost to the steep part"
In fact, it was so steep, they had chains built into the rocks to help us climb...
A wombat. In the wild. Score!
An echidna!!!! In the wild. Hiding. Poor thing.
I feel like I need to talk more about what I did, but I'm not sure I can write it all out in a fashion that won't put you to sleep. Feel free to comment with questions if you want to know more.
There is something! On the Port Arthur/Tassie Devil day tour we drove through a place called Doo Town. Each house has a special name, such as: Love Me Doo, Doodlee Doo, Dr Doolittle, Doo Me, Under the Doona*, Wattle-I Doo?, etc. Some were very clever, some silly and some were... questionable. There was one house that did not follow the rules, and named theirs something like High Field. They were essentially shunned. No one likes them.
*A doona is a duvet. Not sure why the Tassie's call them doonas, but they doo ;)
So, here's the oh-so-fabulous question of the day you were all waiting for!
If you lived in Doo Town, what would you call your home? Please adhere to the rules and regulations of Doo Town house naming -- ie, must have DOO in the name, or you will be exiled.
I might name mine: Whacka-Doo :-P
