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Published: April 11th 2011
Having our own vehicle is really making this part of our trip more enjoyable and possible. If we were using buses we would have to pay 50$ a night for a crappy room or camp out in the woods which are somwhat inaccessible because there is a distinct lack of buses here. Right off the bat we don't even spend that on food and petrol in a day as well if we were to rely on traveller services we would be at the mercy of many dodgy institutions and only be able to access jobs and countryside via tourist buses. All in all its a big circle jerk to be stuck in that world and we are largely free to do as we please. We have a map book that lists 1000's of free camping sites across OZ and there are dozens just within 50 Km of where we landed port in Tassie. Fromt he first day we arrived here we have been looking for work but have managed to only find a couple days of it so far. We picked organic apples on an orchard but the variety we harvested is finsihed and we have a week until the next variety comes on. We are in a sort of limbo between finding decent work and driving between the little townships of northern Tassie catchin some sights in during the day and camping at free sites every night. It is a weird sort of way to get by but we are having a blast and get to see picturesque valleys and rivers every night that are only 30 minutes by car from the nearby cities. It will be nice to either find a solid job or abandon the idea for now and try again in another part of the country but we wake up when we want and go fishing as we please and aren't wasting money or spending much more daily than in Asia so all in all things are great.
Ever since we arrived i have been rising early to try and spot wild platypus in the rivers we camp near. Apparently you have be very quiet as the little guys are skittish and it is one of our major goals of coming to Oz to see one. Two mornings ago i was fishing for brown trout in the Wilmot river and saw a fish jump near my lure and got excited to have fish for breakky then realised that i was actually seeing a freaking platypus. I wasn't being quiet and it was not THAT early but low and behold there one was. I set down the rod and steped away quietly then once 4 metres from shore jumped wildly up a hill to our car where Jenna was still asleep, flung open the door and began yelling and gesturing towards the river somewhat incoherently but managed to get out in some words that i had indeed seen a platypus and she should come see him. As silly as the scene was and although i had woken her, Jenna was nearly as excited as i was and came down to the riverside to spot the little guy diving for fish and floating passively. Funnier yet is that Jenna had foretold this whoel scene a week previous, telling me jokingly that one morning i am going to come runnign up yelling about seeing a platypus and well.. that is exactly how it went. Truth be told we never saw all of him; not all of the bill nor the hind feet with the poisonous barb but it was awesome to see a platypus finally and i will continue to check all rivers and streams we cross to see more.
The countryside here is magnificent and the quintessence of quaint. Rolling fertile hills, forrested mountains, and lush river valleys all condensed into a rich palate of a landscape, endlessly diverse yet continually threatened at the same time. Tasmania is the birthplace of the Green party and they are a strong force here but the logging companies have more money than them and practically run the government. Everytime i have been near massive forests it seems the chainsaws are always nearby. As true in the fir forests of Bc as the eucalyptus groves of Tassie. None the less there is much winlderness here and many more mountains to explore. Regardless of whether we find work or not we will continue to explore this rich land and try to catch some damned trout. Only 1 bite so far and no strikes but our angling and adventuring shall continue unimpeeded. Our hour of free internet at the library in ulverstone is up so i must go. Until next time we wish you all, all the best.
Cheers
Aspiring anglers,
Brian and Jenna
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Dean
non-member comment
Platypus
Neat sighting! My one view of a platypus was so brief and from such a distance that I did not count it as real. Meanwhile, Orion is right side up and the temperatures are up and down and up and down. Snow one day. + 19 the next. Below freezing the next. Windy almost all of the time. Springtime in Ontario. Some plants beginning to bloom including the Coltsfoot. (Still looking for a blue one.)