Exploring Australia - 2014: 30 November - 1 December 2014

We left Seven Mile Beach and drove through Hobart towards the west. We seemed to climb one endless mountain after the next without even noticing that we had dowhills the other side. The trip was only about 65 kms long so we arrived in Huonville by about 11 am and setup in a beautiful caravan park which is part of a working farm. We were in a large grassed area with a river just outside our door which has 3 resident platypus, which we have not seen yet.

After an early lunch we headed off to see the Tahune Air Walk which is a walking platform high in the forest canopy. The drive was a good 45 minutes along very winding forest roads. The forest is an old logging forest which has been protected and allowed to re-grow and is on the Huon river. There is a very special tree here called the Huon Pine that is only found in Tasmania and is highly prized for ship building and furniture due to its rot resistant wood which is both hard and easy to work. This tree is extremely slow growing and there are specimens that are over 2500 years old. The Air Walk is very similar to the tree top walk in Walpole but with one end suspended out on a limb overlooking the Huon River. After exploring the Air Walk we took a walk in the forest which included crossing two rivers on swinging suspension bridges - fun!

We got up to a rainy day and while eating breakfast we saw something in the river which turned out to be a platypus! Breakfast was abandoned and out came the umbrellas and a camera. We followed the platypus for about 20 minutes and managed to get a few good photos. We finished breakfast and then headed off south to the southern-most town in Australia, Southport. It was a pleasant drive but not much to report except it was wet most of the way. On returning we developed some photos by which time the weather had cleared and we had a drink and chips with a fellow west-aussie, Alan. The sun was actually hot and we had to seek some shade.