Tasmania Trip Day Four

Today was the day I had been looking forward to, the cruise up the Gordon River. This is part of the World Heritage Area of Tasmania, which is pretty much inpenetratable and there fore untouched and unexplored by humans. It is primal forest, part of the lungs of the planet.
We had the best seats on the boat, quite an unexpected surprise, so we enjoyed the whole experience even more. We were right behind the captain, on the Lady Jane Franklin 11, a big 20 metre cat. We left at 8.30am sharp, and Strahan faded away pretty quickly. The day was uncertain weatherwise, it being cloudy with gusts of quite strong winds. We were warned to hang on to our glasses when we were on the deck. Someones sunglasses did blow off and whizzed past my head.We were on the premier deck of the boat, so were plied with champagne almost as soon as we left. We tore ourselves away from the attentions of the stewards to go up on deck as we went through Hells Gate. It is a very narrow entrance to Macquarie Harbour, which is twice the size of Sydney Harbour, and the tide runs through very fast. It was a calm day on the southern ocean so we weren't treated to the massive waves that often feature here making it even more interesting. After a visit to a salmon farm, we arrived at the mouth of the Gordon River. It is hard to see in this photo, but we slowed right down as to not damage the fragile river banks with the wash. The water in the river and Macquarie Harbour is stained with tannin from the surrounding plants. This gives it a tea like colour, although it is very clear and safe to drink. It also means that it reflects the image of the trees and hills above it and when the water is still, it is quite a sight. If we had had a sunnier day I think the photos would have been more interesting. We had a cloudy day and it was a bit windy. Considering how much it rains here, we were lucky it was dry! KISA got to drive the boat once were up the river. Instead of a big wheel like ships used to have, it had a tiny joystick that you operated with two fingers. KISA loved the dashboard though! A washed out shot of the forest. It was actually much darker and greener. Was quite disappointed with the photos. Spent more time enjoying the views, the nibblies and wines they were handing out on the cruise. Was not paying much attention to the camera settings. Here we are on the captains private deck. If you are ever here to do the cruise, pay the extra for the premier deck option. Worth every cent. We stopped at a landing where there was a 400m deck style walk built through a small section of the forest. It was lovely, very dark and cool and very densely grown.The main trees are Huon pine, sassafras, celery top pine and myrtle. Plus tree frens and lots and lots of moss. This tree is over 2000 years old. The Huon Pine is one of the slowest growing and longest lived trees on the planet. They told us they found a log of huon once and had it carbon dated at 30000 years. The timber was till useable. It was this quality that made it so popular for boat building in the 1800s. The tree is now protected and they only use fallen huon timber for products these days. You can see how dense the forest is. We came upon a clearing where 4 snakes were taking the air. Luckily they were cold and quite dopey. This is a tiger snake which is the 4th most venomous snake in the world. I could have reached out and touched it! I didn't though... These are our seats, at the front behind the captain. This ensured we had a 180 degree view through the massive windows. After the walk, they served us a sumptous lunch featuring tasmanian food and wine. I would not struggle being a locovore if we lived here!Our next stop was Sarah Island, a former secondary penal colony. It had the reputation of being a brutal place, even for its day and predated Port Arthur. It is featured in the novel "For the term of his natural life" by Marcus Clarke.This is the ruins of the kitchens and this is a bread oven. This is the remains of the goal or solitary cells which were used as punishment. They practiced total sensory depravation, which basically sent men mad. This is the ruin of the penitentary, which was not a goal, but a dormitory for the prisoners. The island was the goal, there was no way off it. A few tried but most either perished or were recaptured. The guide we had was very entertaining and she told us lots of stories about the people who were here. Over the years the bricks have been plundered by the locals for building their own homes. Once back on shore we wandered over to a harbourside sawmill and wood turning centre. This boat is handmade out of huon pine and is a work of art. In fact it is in the gallery! It can be yours for a mere $15000.I decided against it and KISA bpought me a bread board instead. Being of Huon, it should outlive me! We walked back to our room for a well earned nap, drinking all that wine and eating all that fine food was exhausting!

We wandered back to the village in the evening for a late dinner and on the way back to the room were treated to a spectacular sunset.

Tasmania Trip Day Three

Today we drove from Koonya on the Tasman Peninsula to Strahan on the west coast. It was only 300 kms but it took us 6 hours as we had to go over the mountains. The scenery was fantastic and the weather perfect. Maximum temperature was 23 degrees, lovely. We had to brake twice for echidnas. The echidnas in Tasmania are different to the ones on the mainland. They have more hair and less spines, as it is colder there. A bit of trivia I never knew.

Heading towards Queenstown, the landscape changed dramatically as the copper mining industry destroyed the environment in the early part of last century. It looks like a moonscape.

This is why we need conservationists in the world, all the trees were cut down to power the smelters and then so much sulphur was spewed into the air nothing grew back. They did this for 73 years! We settled into our hotel in Strahan with biccies and wine and cheese with a view.This is the view from our window as I sit with the laptop my lap and type this.

Tasmania Trip Day Two

Another early start, we were showered, breakfasted and on the road by 7.30am. We wanted to see the blow hole, Tasman arch and Devils Kitchen before arriving early at Port Arthur. We were thinking we might book into the cruise for 10am and spend the afternoon at Port Arthur.
It was a wise move. We were able to park easily and the early morning sea views were stunning. This is the blow hole. It was low tide and a calm day so it wasn't blowing. Would love to see it in wild weather! This is the Tasman Arch. Very hard to capture the scale of it with a photo. Suffice to say it gave me vertigo!

This is the Devils Kitchen, very deep I couldn't get it all in shot. We arrived at Port Arthur by 9am and as it was raining decided, regretfully that we would need to leave the boat trip for another time.
This meant we had the whole day at Port Arthur and it took that long and it still felt like we rushed through some things. I think at least two days would be required to see it all.

However we don’t mind leaving things for another trip!!
We also were ahead of the crowds at Port Arthur due to our early start. We did a walking tour first up which gave us an overview and then joined a harbour cruise to pass the Isle of the Dead and the boys prison.
We headed to the bistro for an early lunch, as it was raining, and also to beat the crowds, then started the audio tour, which was excellent. It took about three hours all up for the audio tour and we walked over the whole site. It is a fascinating place and well worth the visit. Even K ISA who probably set out to do the day for my sake, being more of a futurist than an historian, enjoyed the day

We came across this accident on the way to Port Arthur. A truck had overturned, trying to pick up a load of stones.

Lots of lovely old english trees at Port Arthur. Some of the houses on the site. They were open to inspect and restored. A view across the guard tower and barracks ruins. A bushfire swept through the site in 1895 destroying the buildings. As the settlement had closed by then, they were not rebuilt. Only a fraction of the many buildings originally here remain. A harbour cruise was included and was very interesting. This is looking back from the boat. Looking across the ruins from the guard tower. KISA behind bars at last! This was in the hospital ruins. The ruins of the penitentary. It looks so peaceful these days, but it wasn't in its day. The thing around my neck was the player for the audio tour. It was very good value and we recommend it. This is the remains of the church. It was quite an impressive building considering it was only in use for about 40 years. KISA stands at the church entrance listening to his audio tour. There were lovely gardens around for the people "of quality" to stroll around in. On our way out we met this little robin, who kindly stayed in one place enough for me to take his photo.

Tasmania Trip Day One

After an early start we arrived in Brisbane at 8am where we were delayed for an hour or so. We then boarded for our nearly 3 hour flight to Hobart. We arrived about 1pm and cleared quarantine collected our bags and went to collect the hire car. KISA was unimpressed to find we had a Nissan Xtrail.
We headed for the Tasman Peninsula and pulled into Sorrell to get some groceries and some lunch. We had an uninspiring curried scallop pie each then hit woollies and the bottle shop. On our way again we drove for about an hour to reach Eaglehawk Neck, the narrow strip of land that joins the Tasman Peninsula to the mainland. A nearby lookout afforded wonderful views of the coast. We found our accomodation and settled in.
We are staying in an old convict settlement at the Cascades. It was used as a timber logging spot for the building work going on at Port Arthur. We are in one of the officers cottages. It has one bedroom, a sitting room/kitchen with an open fire and a bathroom. After settling in we checked out a little private museum attached to the cottages.
We went for a walk along the waterfront to the old convict jetty from where they shipped the logs and the sandstone they cut from the cliffs. Afterwards we sat at the seafront with a bottle of bubbles and watched the evening arrive. One of the locals, named Noel and his dog Penny, came to entertain us. He even took us to the ruins of the barracks and the solitary cell and gave us a little guided tour. There is a huge walnut tree in the barracks yard. We stayed watching the sea till about 8pm then went back to our cottage to cook tea and build the fire.
We cooked up some gnocchi with a bottled lemon cream sauce and salad and watched the fire. We crashed early as we had started at 4am. Slept very, very well in our iron bedstead. It was a cool night, a very pleasant change from Mackay
Our first glimpse of the magnificent Tasman Peninsula. As you can see the weather is beautiful, cool and not humid. A little museum is part of the group of cottages where we are staying. Among the curios was this huge crab shell We are staying in the old officers quarters of a former convict workstation. Ours is the middle door. The cottages are by the shores of Norfolk Bay. This is about 20 yards from our door. We went for a walk around the shore line. We came across some sandstone cliffs and a jetty from where they shipped the stone they cut and the logs they milled to Port Arthur.

The early settlers planted trees from home as they got so homesick. This is an oak tree and it is nearly 200 years old. We took some wine down to the shore about 7pm. The sun didn't set until 9.15 or so. We were in bed by then! While we were enjoying our wine, one of the locals came down to walk his dog. He was a bit of a character and gave us an impromptu history lesson and tour of the settlement. This is the living area of our cottage. It was cold enough in the evening for a fire. This made KISA very happy! The bedroom. That bed was surprisingly comfy!The bathroom came off this room.