Tantalising TASMANIA “ A Five Day Adventure “ by James

We left Melbourne at 8pm on the overnight boat to Davenport in North Tasmania, arriving at 7.00am the next morning. We hardly knew we were afloat - it was a smooth sailing on a modern ship, with comfy bunk beds. We all slept really well. Sam recommends it; “It was really good, the bunk beds were great fun - especially all the boys together in our own cabin.”

Tasmania is just like a “Little Britian” - including the landscape, roads and weather, except for it is very sparsely populated (482,000).We didn’t see many vehicles at all on our 600km drive until we got to the capital Hobart ,where at least a quarter of the population live.It was a complete contrast with the flat, dusty, Australian landscape where droughts are common. Tasmania was really spectacular! - like the Lake District without any tourists!

Day 1 Cradle Mountain Lodge
Rachel, Jake and Helena went on a long horse ride through the bush and up into the mountains. They said it was like being on the Scottish moors. We all tracked down local wildlife; we saw a wombat outside our lodge, and nearly ran over a kangaroo on the drive! I was delighted to finally meet the hero of my youth - Skippy the bush kangaroo! Yes he is real - and boy does he move and look good for his age! It must be well over 35 years since I last saw him. I’m sure the cheeky chappy winked at me……

Day 2
A 6km circular walk at Dove Lake next to Cradle Mountain. The children took it in turns to lead us through emerald forests, Tassie Bush, past gushing waterfalls and around steep rocky outcrops. It reminded Rachel of the many Lake District Walks of her childhood - perhaps because it was raining! It smelt lovely and fresh! Helena discovered a “golden pond” where the glorious golden Autumn leaves had fallen into the clear water (which really did look like glistening gold! )
Later we got the chance to see and even stroke Tasmanian Devils again near Cradle Mountain. A small reserve is dedicated to saving these strange rare creatures from extinction. Their numbers are being drastically reduced by s facial cancer which is very contagious amongst their population - nobody knows what causes this disease or how it can be cured.It is threatening to wipe them out completely in the next few decades unless something can be done.
Tasmanian devils are nocturnal, they only live for approximately 5 years, eat only meat and may look cute but make fierce noises and have really sharp teeth! They are Tasmania’s largest carnivore marsupials. They are black with white markings, looking like a cross between a piglet and a puppy! They run really strangely with a loping gait and can track a prey by smell for miles until the quarry becomes exhausted.
The mother gives birth to over 20 very tiny young (each the size of a penny) but only has four nipples - so only the four stongest survive and live in the mothers pouch. It seems a hard life for the Tasmanian devils. Much of their food comes from road kill and many are killed by cars themselves.
We hope that they do not become extinct like the Thylocenes or Tasmanian tigers who are now extinct. These looked like whippets with distinctive stripes on their backs.They were hunted to extinction in the early 1900’s in return for government bounties. They were perceived to be a threat to livestock…later it made little difference to livestock numbers, but it was too late then.

Day 3 - All day drive to the East Coast. This included a 100km detour around a fallen tree! There aren’t really that many routes to choose from!

Day 4 - We were lucky enough to have clear bright blue skies for our hike through the Freycinet National Park to beautiful Wineglass Bay, voted one of the top 10 beaches in the world.
We can see why - this beach is a real jewel in the crown for Tasmania. (see photos) . We were lucky with the weather (on average only 1 day in 10 is sunny all day!). It was quite a steep and challenging walk but worth it for the amazing views down to WineGlass Bay and beyond plus some great beach action later. This beautifully curved white sandy beach was deserted…wow…Wow…WOW - Paradise! We spent two hours on the beach having a memorable experience full of wonderful moments. The kids got creative in the sand… tracing our shadows and drawing pictures and collecting shells. We were sad to leave. The photos help share our experience below.
We then drove for another 2 hours through more beautiful landscape to Hobart…

Day 5 - You can’t really come to Tasmania without seeing a penal colony and Port Arthur is the biggest, covering 10 acres of land on a remote peninsula South of Hobart. The scale, planning and expense involved in running such a correction facility in the mid 1800’s must have been enormous. The children were horrified to learn of boys sentenced to seven years imprisonment for stealing a handkerchief.
The idea behind Port Arthur was to reform the secondary offenders by applying strict discipline and hard work. Many learned new trades and Port Arthur was nearly self sufficient. It’s hard to judge whether it was harsh and cruel (with it’s chain gangs, cat of nine tails, sensory deprivation and solitary confinement punishment cells) or enlightened with it’s extensive library and emphasis on re-educating the inmates.
It certainly makes a fascinating place to visit. The methods used can still be observed in the British prison system today and begs the questions……What is the best way to treat criminals? Should” the time fit the crime”? ….and should we bring back capital punishment?....a debate the kids enjoyed…4 to 1 against capital punishment. ( I’m the lonely one in favour)

If you ever go near or to Australia and you’re missing Blighty…..go to Tasmania for a top up!

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