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Published: January 28th 2007
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My Beach Drive
This was an amazing experience! Hello Everyone.
Firstly I must say... Wow! I have had such a good time over the last week... seen some amazing things and enjoyed pretty much all of it!
What I did was... hire a car from the capital city, Hobart... and then made my way clockwise around Tassie. It took me a week. And the roads are not simple... alot of the time you are on gravel roads or winding round mountains! (One thing it has done is made me a better driver!) Alot of the time, you would be lucky to see 10 cars in an hour, as I was the only car on the road mostly.
Also, as I was paying for the hire of the car, I didn't want to pay for accommodation as well. So I have been sleeping in the car (which is actually quite comfortable) and then been sneaking into campsites to grab a shower!!
So where did I go? And what did I do? Well.... I have made it simple (otherwise you would be reading alot of text... blah blah) I have put it in a diary format.
Saturday 20th January - Richmond Went to
Richmond. This is one of Australia's oldest towns. Here I visited Australia's oldest Bridge (made in 1823) and also Australia's oldest existing Gaol. Many convicts from the UK had to come here to spend time and to be punished. The cells were tiny, dark and dingy. I also went to a model village of what Hobart used to look like. Pretty cool and well made actually!
Sunday 21st January - Airwalk I travelled (via the scenic route) to the Tahune Airwalk in the South of Tassie. The Airwalk is a huge metal structure in the middle of a National Park... which has rainforest and great views. You make your way to the Airwalk by walking up many steps to get to it (as it is quite high up to get the best views). But it was well worth it! I also got to see Australia's biggest tree! It weighs 405 tonnes! 87 metres high and 6.2 metres wide.
Then afterwards I travelled up to New Norfolk, where I stayed the night.
Monday 22nd January - Something Wild The highlight of today was visiting 'Something Wild - Wildlife Sanctuary'. Here they look
after injured wildlife. And I got right up close to Koala Bears, Kangaroos, Tasmanian Devils, Emus, Possums and even saw a Platypus! Was amazing! (See the pics to get an idea of how good it was!)
Then I visited Tassie's famous 'Russell Falls'. They use this image on most postcards, as it truly is beautiful. It has 3 different tiers and just looks surreal! I climbed to the top and got some amazing views too.
I drove to Queenstown next. This is a former mining town. And the scenery is evidence of this. The weird colours of the hills and the poor quality of the landscape really does make this place strange. But I enjoyed my time here. I got some great photos.
The last stop of the day was going to Strahan. I was looking forward to going here, as my guide book had said it was a place worth going. But tourism seems to have taken over this place with expensive cafes and boats everywhere! But I still did something really cool. there was the one beach where you could drive you car on it! It was about 10 kms of beach and you could
Me in front of the Model of Hobart Village
This is the first main settlement that the Europeans made when arriving here. Hobart is now the Capital City of Tassie. just drive. That was great fun and was something that really gave me an adrenaline rush.
Tuesday 23rd January - Devonport On this day I drove from tourism mad Strahan to the North coast. I drove past Guildford on the way... but when I arrived, I noticed that I wasn't allowed to enter... as it was a private road and I think it was being knocked down due to the deforestation. Drove along the coast (and through a town called Penguin - see the pic) and arrived eventually in Tassie's 3rd largest city, Devonport. I immediately loved the place. It had a great atmosphere and some fantastic views. It also had alot of cheap places to eat etc. In the evening I would just relax on one of Devonport's many beaches and watch the sun set.
Wednesday 24th January - Devonport I decided, that because I like it in Devonport so much, that I would stay an extra day (this is why it is great having a car, I could decide to stay in places longer!).
On this day I went to the Aboriginal museum, where I saw drawings which are
Richmond's Convict Gaol
Convicts arriving from UK might have come here. It is Australia's oldest existing Gaol. up to 10,000 years old! And then I went to one of the beaches (which I had to myself) and sunbathed in the basking heat.
Thursday 25th January - Launceston I drove from Devonport in land to Launceston. This is the state's 2nd largest city behind Hobart. This was a really nice city which I enjoyed thoroughly! Some great shops (alot better than Hobart's!)
I then visited Launceston's Cataract Gorge. This was remarkable. And I saw it from a chairlift (the world's longest single span chairlift)! Then I took a walk onto the suspension bridge to get some better views.
Friday 26th January - Wineglass Bay Firstly I drove from Launceston to Bridestowe Lavender Farm in the North East of Tassie. This was pretty cool. Apparently it sells Lavender all over the world. They had over 100 acres of Lavender and the smell was something quite amazing. Wasn't great for my hayfever though! I also got to see how they made the Lavender oils.
Then I had some great Fish 'n' Chips in St Helens (even better than Hobart's) and then drove to Freycinet National Park on the East Coast.
Richmond's Convict Gaol
Just one of the tiny cells that prisoners would have to stay in. It is situated on a peninsular. Here, I parked my car in the carpark, and started my hike to the lookout. It was a tough 45 minute treck up hill (rough surfaces as well) to get to the lookout. But it was well worth it! Got some brilliant photos of Wineglass bay. Wineglass bay is voted in the top 10 of best beaches in the world! And I could see why. Then I trecked down to the beach (another 1 hour walk). Overall I did over 2 hours of walking to see the beach, but it was truly worth it.
Saturday 27th January - Port Arthur I went to the famous Port Arthur. This was the main convict settlement in Australia. So if you commited a crime in England, and were transported to Aus, you were more than likely to be sent to Port Arthur. Was great to see the old cells and hear the stories. There were over 30 buildings (most in ruin). I also went on a cruise around Port Arthur which was included in the entry price. I also saw the old cafe where the 1996 massacre took place. A single gunman killed
Richmond's Convict Gaol
Just one of the tiny cells that prisoners would have to stay in. 35 people (visitors and staff) of the historic site... mostly in the cafe. Since then they have gutted out the cafe and left it's shell. And have created a memorial garden around it.
I then went to see some caves etc. One was called 'Remarkable Cave' because if you looked through it, it forms the shape of Tassie!
Sunday 28th January - Back to Hobart I am now back in the city Hobart sitting in an internet cafe writting this interesting blog. I am flying out back to Sydney on Wednesday. So I need to find some things to amuse me before then (maybe the brewery tour?).
Well I hope you all enjoy the pics (there are alot I know - there are loads more, but just don't have the time to upload them - this blog has already taken me over 3 hours!) Take care,
x
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Maria
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Tassie
Loved the blog, you are so lucky, I have been just way too cold in Canada this winter, how I would love to put my toes in the sand and swim in the sea! Pictures are great. No need to tell you to have fun:)