Travels in Tasmania

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February 16th 2007

Published: February 18th 2007

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St. Colombo Falls

At over 80 meters, this was an impressive sight!

Travels in Tasmania February 9-16

How does one describe Tasmania, the smallest state in such a huge country? Much like our own Newfoundland, Tassie (as it is called in the usual Aussie shorthand) is often the brunt of barbs and jokes…the backward state. However, Tasmania seems to be a microcosm of all that this great country has to offer-stunning sea scapes, rolling hills, fertile valleys, magnificent scenery, terrific fresh seafood and produce and friendly people.

Our first week here has continued to provide a variety of experiences that have made each day different. The three and a half hour drive from Devonport, where the ferry landed, to our beach house home in St. Helens was broken by our first taste of the fresh food that has become a highlight of our visit. The best muffins we have ever tasted gave us a pick me up after the ferry ride and we set off for the coast. It wasn’t very far, only 170 km, and we couldn’t imagine it taking that long, but sure enough, the twists and turns of the narrow highway indeed necessitated a pretty slow pace.

We stopped for a picnic lunch and a short hike

Beach House in St. Helen's

We really had a great spot here...comfy, spacious and a good place to catch up on rest for a day or two! Stayed a total of 5 nights.

into St. Colombo Falls, the first of our Great Short Walks of Tasmania (there are 60 promoted as such). Hidden in a deep rain-forested valley, the falls are over 80 meters tall. We were treated to a sighting of a beautiful pink robin (grey with a bright pink breast) along the trail and as we ate.

We were glad to reach St. Helens, a small resort town on Tasmania’s east coast and had no trouble finding our beach house at Beaumaris (meaning beautiful beaches) just a few kilometers farther south. I had made arrangements with the owner, who had posted the house on the digsville house swap web site, to rent for the week since she had already done a home exchange to Canada. The spacious living area, two bedrooms and path to our own gorgeous beachfront seemed like paradise after our tiny berth on the ferry and we settled in for a little R and R.

Along the coast road, we had noticed signs indicating there was to be a bike event over the next few days. What an event it was. The Great Tassie Bike Ride involved between 800 and 1000 bicycle riders who cycled more

Our beach!

Just behind our house was miles of this beach. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and we walked but didn't swim!

than 600 km between Launceston and Hobart. It seemed that we were following the group, (we called ourselves bike groupies) because each town we visited this week was hosting the bikers. They came in all shapes and sizes and ranged in age from children, biking with parents, to a man as old as 82!! Each night the riders would arrive in the destination town where hundreds of tents would be waiting for them in a kind of tent city. The riders could opt for tents being provided, or they could provide their own. Some people chose to ride and not tent, but the sea of tents, and the related support structures such as food tents (meals were provided for them), bike repair stations, makeshift bars with live entertainment, porta-potties, bath stations, massage tents (every rider got one free massage) and photo displays was unbelievable. We chatted with different riders throughout the week and all were having a ball! It was a great event to witness, although none of us yearned to be pedaling up those Tassie hills!

One of the places on our not-to-be-missed list was Freycinet National Park, a stunning park on the east coast and home to

Lunch at binalong bay

One of amny picnic lunches...this one was part of the famous Bay of Fires.

the famous Wineglass Bay. The bay is one of the most photographed spots in the state and has made the list of the top ten beaches in the world (Outside magazine). However, to get up close and personal with Wineglass Bay requires a pretty significant ‘walk’ !It took us just over 3 hours return and involved some 600 steps of rough stones going i both up to the lookout point then down to the beach…and the return trip covered the same route. As we climbed and descended, we could view the crescent shaped white sand beach encircling the tourquoise water and we had visions of taking a dip when we arrived. However, the cool Tasmanian breezes (the wind does indeed blow up from the Antarctic) quickly curbed that desire once we got to the beach. Following our return to the carpark, where we were greeted by very friendly wallabies, we explored several more of the parks lookouts spots, including the gorgeous Honeymoon Bay with its warm boulders for sunbathing and the panoramic Tourville Bay. The latter looked a lot like an Atlantic Canadian coastline, including a small offshore island with nesting and diving gannets.

We ended this great day

Rocks on the hike to Wineglass Bay

The hike to Wineglass bay was through huge boulders.

with dinner in the small resort town of Bicheno where we booked into the Bicheno Penquin Tour. Shortly after 9, we boarded a bus and were taken to a natural beach area where the tiny fairy penquins have been roosting for many generations. From the dark parking lot, we were led by a naturalist guide down a dirt path through fields on either side. Small lights marked the path boundaries and as our eyes became accustomed to the light, the guide began to show us the many small penguins waddling their way to their burrows in the blackness. We could not see them till he shone his special light (the bright light can hurt their eyes and we couldn’t use flash photography) but soon we began to realize that they were all around us.

As we got into the heart of the rookery, we had to be careful not to step on them as they shuffled, sometimes alone and more often in pairs or small groups, back to their ‘nests.’. They have come from the sea, where they spend their days swimming and eating small fish. Each night they climb over rocks, beach, logs and other obstacles to return

No 'Walk in the Park'!

This was a challenging walk...including 600 steps in both directions...but well worth the effort.

to their homes to sleep. We saw mothers and babies, learned about their nesting habits, and even saw an occasional squabble. They seemed oblivious to us, as long as we were quiet. We learned that they stay ashore once a year for about 2 weeks to moult, or shed their old feathers and grow new ones before returning to their daily sea-going vigil. It was a privilege to be able to observe such a natural phenomenon so closely and we all agreed that the day had been one of the most special of our trip.

Another magical day was spent exploring Maria Island, another of Tasmania’s National Parks. After spending the night in the local hotel over the pub (bathrooms and showers down the hall) in the tiny town of Triabunna, we boarded the ferry for the island, which at one time had housed a penitentiary for convicts (more on the convict aspect of the state later). A thirty minute smooth sailing brought us to the island, armed with enough water and food for the day as we had been told there were no shops for food or water on the island. We spent the day exploring this secluded

Wineglass Bay

A stunning Bay...looks just like the pictures in the guidebooks.

treasure (just as Abel Tasman probably did when he discovered it in 1642) and even though there were others who had arrived on the same ferry, there were times we felt we had the place all to ourselves. We hiked to the Fossil Cliffs and marveled at the thousands of fossils, shells and plant life, embedded in the rocks. We went overland and crossed the dry crackling grassland, more evidence of the drought, and gave up trying not to step on the roo poo that was everywhere. There were so many kangaroos and wallabies everywhere. We watched a mother give milk to her ‘joey’, then stand, stretching and scratching while casually observing us. The two then hopped away.
One of the highlights of the island was the painted Cliffs, unique and spectacular formations of sandstone stained with naturally occurring iron oxide to created magical patterns. The island has had significance to the Aboriginal populations, as well as serving as a home to both some industry and the convict population over the years. The combination of the history and natural beauty of the island made it yet another memorable day.

To round out our first week in Tasmania, we traveled

Wineglass Bay Rocks

The bay is surounded by cliffs and enormous rocks.

to the southern tip of the island, where we stayed in a wonderful two bedroom cottage in a caravan Park in the town of Port Arthur. We were here to visit the Port Arthur penal settlement and learn about the era of convict imprisonment in Tasmania. This part of Australia’s history is not without controversy. Some of the country’s first non-aboriginal occupants were convicts sent to ‘Van Dieman’s land’ as Tasmania was first called. In the early 1800’s, Port Arthur became one of three, then the only penal institution where convicts where incarcerated for a series of crimes which might have been as simple as accepting stolen barley, or stealing a tablecloth and forks. The prison site was supposed to be a revolutionary approach to reforming criminals, based on principles of segregation, classification, punishment and religion. The conditions were inhumane by today’s standards, and it is unsettling to think of what these men and women went through. Long periods of solitary confinement, harsh treatment and forced labour…the men actually had to make the bricks then build the prison which housed them! Stories of attempted escapes are fascinating, including the infamous Mr. Hunt, who as he attempted to sneak by guards

Honeymoon bay

The views were just amazing in all directions.

at the isthmus, killed a kangaroo, skinned it and ensconced himself inside the skin before ‘hopping’ past the guards. It was only when he overheard them deciding to shoot the roo for dinner that he threw off the skin and surrendered! The Port Arthur site is extremely well presented and we felt we had a glimpse of this period in time which is an important piece of the history of the country. The last of 73 000 convicts arrived in 1853 and three years later, the state changed its name to Tasmania to try to cast off the negative image.

As we made our way to the capital city of Hobart, we had lots to talk about as we reflected on the amazing experiences the past week. Our impression of Tasmania is all positive!

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