Tasmania

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Thanks to the ferry we got an early start this morning in Tasmania (we disembarked at about 6:30 am and headed over to Dismal Swamp. This is an interesting place as it is a dry swamp, due to the sinkhole in it, which allows the rare blackwood trees to grow there. Also,we were informed by the man who worked there that there are not many people who can claim to have walked around a swamp. Alas a dry swamp looks much like a forest, so the vast majority of people aren't missing too much. Steph also got to go down a 110 metre slide into the sinkhole, which I couldn't do due to my leg.

In the afternoon we then had a walk up the Nut, near Stanley. It was a good walk up and, with hindsight, we probably should have taken the chair lift to the top. The views were quite spectacular around the bay and of the island and it was definitely worth going up; although we did struggle more with the walk down due to the scarily steep path.

We saw some wallabies when we were up the Nut, which were very cute. We also think we saw a pademlon in the swamp which looks a lot like a wallaby but has much cooler name!

We then found a campsite for the night and tried to get the internet to work whilst also having a dip in the pool and doing some laundry. We are intending to head towards Strahan tomorrow, on the West Coast of the island before heading round to Hobart later in the week.

For those still worried about it my leg is doing fine. I now get around at a reasonable walking pace with only a small limp and no crutch assistance. I still have a bit of trouble going down stairs but this has improved a lot in the past few days. Steph is also doing well, but seems to have attracted every biting insect in the country (which at least is less than the number encountered last time we were on holiday in Thailand)

After our first night in Tasmania we headed over to the port town of Strahan for our second day. This is the largest town in Western Tasmania. It is quite a lengthy drive to Strahan as the roads were not the best for driving on. However, they were very good for driving along as they went through Hellyer Gorge which was very picturesque. There were also lots of windy road sections going up and over the hills in central Tasmania which gave great views of the area.

This should have been a very nice and relaxing, if slightly lengthy, way to arrive in Strahan, alas this was not the case. Unfortunately the centre of Tasmania appears to have been hit by an inexplicable shortage of fuel. We didn't appreciate this when we left our caravan site and as such did not fill up the tank at this stage. What followed was about an hour of careful driving as we creeped around the gorge hoping we did not run out of fuel. Our nerves were not helped by the fuel light turning on at the bottom of the gorge, nor that when we got close to the town we were heading for there was a sign up saying “no fuel in Warratah!”. As we sat by the road trying to figure out what to do a local came by and called the petrol station in Warratah which confirmed that they did have some fuel. We were able to make it there and get some more fuel and then enjoy the rest of the drive to Strahan.

When we arrived in Strahan we had a look around the town before doing a scenic walk to Hogarth Falls. Along the way we tried to spot some platypuses in the lake but unfortunately we did not see any. The falls walk was very nice and I was able to cope quite well with only a tubegrip on my ankle. We then headed over to Lake St Clair where we camped for the night. The drive over was a bit longer then we expected and we only just made it before they shut. It was the first time that we had stay on an unpowered site in the campervan but it was fine as we had the backup battery to power nearly everything, We also saw some possums in the caravan park at night.

The next night we got up and headed over to Hobart which is the regional capital of Tasmania. When we arrived we were able to sort out a campsite and head into the actual centre for a walking tour around the city. It was quite a pretty city and we were able to learn a lot about it. They were also gearing up for a large boat race and regatta at the weekend, which we unfortunately were not staying around for. At the end of the day we headed back to the campsite and got a free round of mini golf as I had waited a while to pay when the owner was on the phone. Even better, at the end we got a free bar of chocolate which you are only meant to get if you get a hole in one, which I nearly got.

The next day we headed over to Port Arthur, which was the main convict prison for second offenders (those who committed an offence after transportation to Australia) on the island. It was a really interesting day as there was a lot to learn about not only how the convicts were dealt with but also an early history of the change in the penal system from just punishment to rehabilitation. I would tell you more about it but Steph would no doubt mock me for merely regurgitating what we learned (even though I commented on it all before we read about it or were told it by the tour guide).

We didn't get to spend as long as we would have liked in Port Arthur but we left as a lot of the museums and houses were closing. We then headed over to the town of Ross,making our way back North so that we were closer to Devonport to get the ferry the next day.

On our final day in Tasmania we headed for the second city, Launceston. When we arrived we had a look around Cataract Gorge, sitting in the park and relaxing. It was very nice as we had been traveling around a lot recently and it was good to not feel too time pressured. We then headed for Devonport, with plenty of time to spare, so we stopped off at the Raspberry Cafe on the way. This was a must see, as raspberries are Steph's favorite fruit. The cafe is owned by the same people who own a raspberry farm and feature in almost every option on the menu. We had a some lovely desserts there before we set off again for the ferry.

After that we got on the ferry and had a much better nights sleep then we got the first time. Ready to tackle the Great Ocean road and the trip to Adelaide

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