Exploring Australia

Tuesday, 16 December 2014

8 - 9 December 2014 - Somerset, Stanley and The Nut

We left Cradle Mountain in drizzle and drove the 105 kms to Somerset on the north coast. On the way we stopped at Hellyer Gorge for a short walk along the river among the tree ferns. We arrived at the caravan park in beautiful sunshine - what a difference 100 kms and 700 metres of altitude can do! We setup and had a nachos at the local cafe before heading to Burnie just 6 kms away to do a little shopping. The day was fast coming to an end so we had champagne cocktails and fresh salmon and brie cheese for supper.

The next day started out drizzly but looked like it may clear so we visited the visitor centre to get some info on the area and then headed for Stanley which is about 70 km west of Somerset on the north west coast. We drove past vast fields of light pink and white poppies! We later found out that Tasmania produces about 50% of the world's opiates for the pharmaceutical industry. The area is hilly and lush and hence full of dairy farms too. We arrived in Stanley with the weather having cleared into a beautiful day. Stanley is a charming country town with quaint buildings and houses with the main attraction being The Nut which is a large volcanic plug forming a natural harbour for the town. You can either walk up The Nut or take the chair lift, we chose the chair lift. After the short ride we embarked on a 2km walk around the top to take in the views and even a small rain forest on the southern side. After our walk we found a local restaurant that is associated with the local fishing industry - so we had some fresh crayfish (rock lobster, actually) and then headed home to prepare for the return ferry ride the next day.

Giant tree ferns

The inside of a tree fern with very new fronds

Poppy fields

Poppies

The Nut

View from The Nut

Santa's latest transport

Saturday, 13 December 2014

5 - 7 December 2014 - Cradle Mountain

We left Queenstown in drizzle and low cloud/mist so we could not really see the scenery as we headed to Cradle Mountain. We only had about 130 kms to travel but it took us three hours, including a coffee stop, to get to Cradle Mountain. By the time we arrived the weather was looking pretty good with some sun which was quite warm. We setup and had a quick lunch before stocking up on a few items and visiting the visitor centre. We got all the imformation we needed so went back to the caravan to prepare for a short walk at Dove Lake. The clouds started looking rather ominous and as we started the car we noticed an echidna very close by. This fellow was so placid he continued to stick his nose in the ground all over without even bothering that we were taking photos and videos of him. Eventually we needed to go as it had started to rain and we wanted to see the famous Cradle Mountain. By the time we approached the mountain it started raining heavily and when we stopped at the car park it was not worth getting out into the rain. We studied the map and the actual scenery to see what would be good to walk over the next two days. We drove the 7 kms back to the caravan to prepare dinner and drink the last of our Wild Brumby gluwein from the Snowy Mountains while the rain pattered on the roof of the caravan.

We were up early and had breakfast then set out to the Dove Lake car park which is the departure point for most walks in the area. We decided to go up to Marion's Lookout which is high above both Dove Lake and Crater Lake. The weather was drizzly with low cloud but we had hopes of it clearing. We stopped by the old boat shed on the lake then proceeded up the very steep climb to the lookout. It was fairly tough but we took our time and we reached the lookout in a little mist but it was clearing. We did the usual photo shoot and enjoyed the scenery for quite a while. The lakes in the area are all glacial lakes with waterfalls cascading into them. There was an amasing variety of trees, shrubs, ferns, flowers and lichens so wherever you looked there was something new and interesting to see. We decided to go a little further to see what was over the ridge nearby and to get a closer view of Cradle Mountain itself. We almost reached the foot of Cradle Mountain before heading down via a different, but longer and less steep path past Wombat Pool and Lake Lilla to the carpark. We were very weary when we got back to the caravan so relaxed a bit before doing the photos, having dinner and dropping into bed.

Our second, and last, day in Cradle Mountain dawned clear which was contrary to the weather report so we took advantage by doing our washing while having breakfast at the cafe. We then set out for Dove Lake again where we walked to the glacial rock which still shows evidence of glacial scouring from 20 000 years ago. We walked on a little further to get photos at different angles from the previous day. We found a beautiful beach with some lovely trees which gave us some nice photos. We had a snack while a currawong begged for scraps. This bird was so tame he ate out of our hands. Next we headed down the road to another car park where we strolled along a river and found a very old wooden house which was a perfect subject for some photos. We also found a lovely old pencil pine and while taking pics Vlasta was horrified to find some leeches crawling up her legs! After removing and photographing the leeches we felt it was prudent to move on. We took a short walk along the boardwalk then headed home for a rest and some lunch. While chatting to a fellow camper a Spotted-tailed Quoll sauntered by looking for food. This is a rare sighting indeed and we only managed one out-of-focus picture despite spotting him a couple of times with the help of the currawongs and their alarm calls. Next we went down to the tavern for a drink and some fish & chips, the fish was baked Tasmanian salmon! After supper we did the 20 minute Enchanted Forest walk which was stunning in the falling light. On our way home we came across some wombats feeding on the button grass so we hopped out the car for a closer look. Well, one fellow was so chilled we could even touch him while he ate at our feet! We were again attacked by leeches so we retreated to the road and headed home for a well-earned night's rest.

A Tasmanian Warratah

Some lichens found around our caravan

Some other small flowers near the caravan

An echidna hinting for ants and termites

An echidna's hind legs face backwards unlike almost all other mammals

That nose is actually attached to the skill and is bone all the way to the end

An old boat shed on Dove Lake

On the way to Marion's Lookout

Marion's Lookout with Dove Lake in the background

Crater Lake which is a glacial lake

Cradle Mountain

Near the foot of Cradle Mountain

Cradle Mountain from Dove Lake

Vlasta enjoying the view of Cradle Mountain

A begging Black Currawong

An old pioneer house

The beautiful setting for the house

A leech that almost had a feed from Vlasta

Pademelons

A wild Common Wombat feeding on Button Grass

Vlasta with a wild wombat

Keith touching a wild wombat

Tuesday, 9 December 2014

2 - 4 December 2014 - Queenstown, Strahan, The Wall, Macquarie Harbour, Gordon River

We left Huonville on a glorious day and had to drive through Hobart to head west. We drove into the central plains and had a Devonshire Tea in Hamilton at a cafe and art gallery called Glen Clyde House. The gallery was stunning with all sorts of things made from Tasmanian wood. The four most popular wood are: Huon Pine, Myrtle, Sassafras and Blackwood. We purchased some items and continued out journey to The Wall.

The Wall is a personal gallery of the most spectacular wood carving you could ever see. Greg Duncan is in the process of carving a wall 100 metres long and 3 metres high illustrating the story of the land. The carvings should be completed in 2015 and is a stunning piece of art. There are additional free-standing wooden sculptures scattered aroung the beautiful hall in the forrest. You cannot take any photos so you won't see anythong here but we did purchase the book so you will have to wait for us to get home before you can see it.

Continuing our journey we headed for Queenstown and went over one mountain pass after the next with the last one in mist and drizzle before dropping down a long steep and winding pass into Queenstown. The area is beatiful and will have to be explored so we checked into the only caravan park in Queenstown. The weather is not looking good for the rest of our stay in Tasmania so we will have to make the best of it as we can.

Well the weather turned out really good so we retraced our route to see some of the scenery we missed comming in. We drove out along the pass to a lookout over the old mines that started the settlement in the 1800's. We met some other tourists and had a good chat and exchanged info on what to visit and see. Next we visited Lake Burbury which is huge and has brown and rainbow trout - much to Vlasta's delight. We the turned around and headed for Strahan via Queenstown. The road from Queenstown is 40 kms long but has 99 turns and takes 45 minutes to drive - another winding road over the mountains. The scenery is wonderful and Strahan is a cute town where we booked a cruise on the Gordon River. We had fish and chips for lunch and took a look at the Wilderness Woodworks which makes wooden items from Huon Pine and other wood. You can actually see the craftsmen making items which is fascinating. Vlasta then drove us home for drinks and supper.

We headed out to Stahan early to get on the cruise at 8:30. The weather was grey and drizzly. We bought a cup of coffee and boarded the catamaran cruiser and dropped our jackets in our seats which were on the top deck right at the front with panoramic views in front of us. This boat holds the record for towing the most skiers, 145, on the 27th January 2012 thus becoming the largest skiboat in the world! We visited the captain on the bridge and we departed out into Macquarie Harbour which is twice the area of Sydney Harbour. Our first point of interest was the entrance to the harbour known as Hells Gate. Although the weather was grey and drizzly there was no wind so the sea was very calm so we could cruise through and out to Cape Sorell with its lighthouse and fishing huts. We turned around and cruised back into the harbour and headed for the fish farms where they farm salmon and trout in the waters which are not as salty as the sea due to the fresh water from the Gordon River. After a close-up view of the fish pens and commentary from the captain we headed for Sarah Island which was a penal colony for 12 years preceding the building of Port Arthur. We had a magnificent tour made all that better by a brilliant guide who really got you involved in the history of the Island. Next was lunch as we cruised towards the Gordon River. Once in the river we cruised for about 14 kms up the river to the Heritage Landing where we took a guided walk throigh the temperate rain forest along a boardwalk. We saw a fallen Huon Pine that is 2000 years old. We were told that the oldest Huon Pine ever dated is 10 000 years old which is the second oldest tree in the world with the oldest being the Bristlecone Pine in the USA which is 12 000 years old. Google has different figures so this information is subject to correction but these trees may be considered 'composite' organisms because they fall over and then sprout new trees which also fall over and the cycle repeats for about 12 000 years, the original tree was found to still be growing. We then cruised back to Strahan for a talk on the different timbers in the saw mill in town followed by the drive back to Queenstown.