Blogs from Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania, Australia, Oceania

The downside of a panoramic view is the sunrise hits you early. Doesn’t seem to bother Deaks! A quick continental breakfast at Lufra (is it complimentary? Not sure) and we are off to Port Arthur. Every drive down down here is a short drive, by Queensland standards, we are there in 20 minutes. And every drive on Tasman Peninsula is scenic. Always surrounded by water, beach, farm or forest.I must confess I didn’t know off Port Arthur before the mass shooting in 1996. And while the tragedy of the shooting hangs over the place, the historic purpose of the place is equally tragic and harsh.The old buildings - particularly the penitentiary and church - are beautiful. The stories of the prisoners, guards and commandants remind you of the grim and inhumane purpose of the place.Anyone living ... read more

Today was going to be a longer day as the route would take us down the prong of the peninsula near to The Blade, near Cape Pillar before retracing our steps back to Munro and then on to Retakunna to spend our final night on the trail. It felt like the past two days had gone by so fast and hard to believe that this would be our final evening in the cabins. Since we would pass Munro on the way back, we didn't have to carry all our crap. Score! We could just take water, snacks, lunch and cameras. We prepared all our stuff after breakfast. The hike today was 17 kilometres, so it the longest day so far and would be the longest day on the track. We headed out on a path near ... read more

When researching our Tasmania trip, my friend came across the Three Capes Track and after looking into it, it sounded perfect for us. It is a fairly easy hike with accommodation provided, so all you have to bring is your sleeping bag and food. I love being outdoors, but am definitely not a camper, so this sounded like a good compromise to me. No having to lug and tent and pitch it or carry cooking pots and a stove, perfect! There are also only a limited amount of hikers allowed on the trail each day, so we wouldn't be overrun with other people. The hike wasn't cheap to book, but it does cover quite a bit and seeing the pictures of the area, it just looked amazingly beautiful, so sod the cost. The Three Capes Track ... read more

Today we went down to the south east corner of Tasmania to Port Arthur where in 1830 the British opened a prison for men who had become repeat offenders following their transportation to Australia. In 1840 we had 2000 prisoners there. Transportation ended in 1853. Its a stark reminder of our 19th century judicial system. But for all its sad history it is in a beautiful setting and later buildings were sold off and a township grew. In 1884 the name was changed to Carnarvon in an effort to wipe out the 'convict' stain. The site covers 100 acres so we did lots of walking and we learnt a great deal of history its my third visit snd I still have more to learn! Yesterday we spent the day in Hobart. In the morning we went ... read more

4 January 2011 In need of some redneck bogan contact, we decided to camp out at Fortescue Bay. Unfortunately there were no sites big enough for us so we got lumped with the ferrals. Or maybe they just looked at us and decided that was where we belong... The bay itself was nice but the camp ground wasn't great & we were shocked (not to mention disgusted) about the rubbish people had left and all the broken glass. The tent looked like a dog's breakfast- not easy setting up on a small rocky slope! From here we took in the local sites the Tasman Arch & Blowhole and the Devils Kitchen. The coastline on the eastern side of the Tasman Peninsula is very rugged and the texture of the rocky cliffs is pretty extraordinary. Much of ... read more