Under Down Under

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Ahhh, Tasmania... The punchline of so many jokes, yet a place that so few people (including Aussies) actually visit. After spending 10 days on the Apple Isle, I would definitely place it right near the top of the list of must see destinations in Australia. It is so different from anywhere else I have been here, and a refreshing change. As soon as I stepped off the plane and smelled the fresh air blowing all around me, I knew I was going to love Tassie.



I started my journey in Hobart, the most southerly capital in Australia. There is a tendency here to point out how each place is "the most" something, which I found quite annoying. None the less, it is a beautiful little city set in a calm bay (when I saw it, at any rate), overshadowed by Mt. Wellington, one of the higher peaks in Tasmania. I spent my first few days walking around, including a fairly large trek on the mountain.



There is only two ways to properly get around Tasmania: by car or by tour bus. Seeing as I was by myself, I decided I would hop on one of the organized tours to check it out. There was only seventeen people on a small bus, and we were to spend three days going up the west coast and a further back down the east. I was fortunate enough to get perhaps the best guide the Adventure Tours company had to offer, and the whole experience turned out really well, although it I was definitely rushed at a couple spots.



Our first destination was Russell Falls and the Tall Trees, a couple hours out of Hobart. The trees range up to 100m high, but most left are less than 75m. I think they are about the same size as your standard cedars, but after so long with only tiny little trees they were a refreshing change. We spent the first couple nights at Tullah Lakeside Chalets, which has a very nice setting but the rooms are just Atco trailers converted into dorms. Day 2 saw us arrive at the ocean via the Henty Sand dunes. This is apparently where they take the standard for air cleanliness and is therefore hailed as having the cleanest air in the world. The final day up the west coast we spent hiking Cradle Mountain, Tassie's highest. Me and an English friend went for the summit while the rest of the group took a slightly easier path. Due to a slight navigational error we arrived atop the wrong peak and therefore a couple metres lower, but the views were still spectacular. After a quick dip in the alpine lake overshadowed by Cradle Mountain, it was off to Devonport on the north coast.



The east and west coasts of Tasmania are strikingly different. The west receives around 10 times the rainfall as the east, and they offer two contrasting climates. Ironically, it was sunny the whole time on the west coast and it rained for part of day on the east. The first stop was the magnificiently titled Bay of Fires. Very nice, although not as spectacular as the name would suggest, this beach was littered with campfires when first spotted by Europeans. The reason is that Tasmania's Aboriginals never learned to make fire, and it was here that they kept the flames alive once receiving them from nature. The next day we hiked into Wineglass Bay, with another interesting story behind the name. The bay somewhat resembles a wine glass, but it was often used by whalers and the leaking blood would turn the water the colour of wine. A little more gruesome than the first story, but no less evocative. The final day of the tour was spent at Port Arthur, Australia's most notorious penal colony. It was reserved for those who committed second offenses after having been transported down under, and there are many horror stories associated with the place. It is hard to picture what it would've been like back then, because now it looks like an English country estate.



I had two days left to spend in Hobart, and to be quite honest I thought they would be fairly dull. I was proven very wrong, due to my first amazing coincidence. I was walking around the harbour Saturday evening with some friends from the tour, when all of a sudden I hear mine name being called out. I turn around, and sitting on a patio having a few beers is Matt Klump! It turns out he is living in Hobart with his girlfriend Kat. The next day we all went to the see the Violent Femmes who were playing at a local winery, and followed our GF-style day drinking up with a party at one of Kat's friends houses. We all did a lot of chilling on my final day in Tasmania, still feeling the after effects of the calm Sunday afternoon the day before.


Tassie is another Australian destination that gets frequently overlooked, but it was one of my favorite places so far (although I'm not sure I've been anywhere I didn't like).

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Photos

Tullah Lakeside Chalet
The view of our lodge from a canoe.

Henty Dunes
A picture of the cleanest air in the world, after adding a little pollution on a quad.

Cradle Mountain
Surveying from the (almost) summit.

Port Arthur
The Port Arthur church whilst on the ghost tour - no luck seeing any, though.

Violent Femmes concert
Matt, Kat, me and a few other Hobart locals enjoying the sunshine.

Comments

[Carol Tirk]

Wow! Wish I were there!
Coach I just loved reading about your Tasmanian adventure. Your pictures are just awesome. I have always wanted to go to Australia but never thought of going to Tasmania. Now you have me thinking! Glad your adventure is so exciting. Love Auntie Carol

[Rob]

Cool
sounds awome, ill have to get off my butt and get down there some time!