Tantalizing Tasmania
We landed in Hobart where we picked up our hire car and headed straight out towards Port Arthur which is famous for its convict settlement. This is a historic site dating from about 1830 and they have done much to retain the character of the original settlement and offer interpretive guides and talks that really give you a sense of what it must have been like in its heyday. During our time in Tasmania we mostly stayed in cabins on various campsites and these worked out extremely good value and gave us the option of cooking our own meals or eating out and we were able to use the loyalty cards we signed up to in New Zealand at some of the sites which was even better.
From Port Arthur we headed north up the east coast taking in the Freycinet National Park and famous Wineglass Bay - we hiked to Wineglass Bay lookout and it really is that shape! Our first sighting of a kangaroo was in the car park which was a treat. Bicheno was our overnight stop and we took time out to visit the amazing Blow Hole which put on a great show for us. Bicheno is an attractive resort and we found a nice fishing spot for the boys. Tim & Alistair fished at every opportunity we got, not always successfully but we all enjoyed it all the same and spent time on some great beaches.
Our next stop was St Helens for more fishing and a bit of hiking - I really liked St Helens; a friendly town on a stunning bay with great beaches and lots of pelicans although not as many as we were to see later in our trip on the mainland! It was then across country to Launceston where we took a drive along the Tamar River and wished we had more time to visit some of the local vineyards as the wines we tasted were lovely! We did manage to take a cruise up the Cataract Gorge on the 1890's style Lady Launceston which was magical and very reasonable. Then we were off again this time to Cradle Mountain where we walked round Lake St Clair and did a spot of bird watching - another of Tim's hobbies - it is a great excuse for a good walk!
With no time to spare we were off again this time to the coastal town of Strahan where we booked a trip on the West Coast Wilderness Railway, an historic and scenic rail journey which is part steam hauled and uses a unique rack and pinion system which fascinated the boys. The journey from Strahan to Queenstown is 35km long and it is a major feat of engineering - how it ever got built is amazing as it runs through some deeply forested areas and used to serve the mines. We did it in supreme comfort and were wined and dined on local produce - a great day out!
From Strahan it was a mad dash across country to National Park and the National Park Hotel where we spent the night before walking to Russell Falls. We kept hoping to see Tasmanian Devils but it was not meant to be although we did see plenty of birds, echidnas, wallabies. Then we headed back towards Hobart detouring through the Huon Valley to visit the Tahune Forest AirWalk - a 597m walk through the trees suspended between 20 - 48m above the ground. In Hobart we explored the city centre waterfront and shopped in the weekly Salamanca Market - over 300 stalls surrounded by a great selection of permanent shops and restaurants - a great way to spend a Saturday - just wish we had more time.........