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Published: January 10th 2005
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Horseshoe Falls
Horseshoe Falls The Wild Green West is a three day west coast tour of Tasmania (otherwise known as Apple Isle) booked through Adventure Tours (www.adventuretours.com.au). Day one included hours of travel on the bus (and an opportunity to grab several naps to catch up on the time adjustment) from Hobart to Tullah. In between naps, I discovered the diversity of our group of 21 tourists. Combined, we represented a wide range of areas across the world: America, Asia, England, Ireland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Canada and Holland. Needless to say, I have been exposed to the surface of many cultures and now have a deep fondness for the French accent. Amber and I were the only Americans and were generally picked on by our tour guide, Adam (from Australia) because of our accents and Texas residence.
First stop: Mount Field National Park. This included some light walks into Russell Falls, Horseshoe Falls and the Tall Trees (Swampgum). During the walk we encountered a few wildlife creatures including pademellons and wallabies but since most mammals in Tasmania are nocturnal it was difficult to spot other creatures of the park. Our next stop was Lake St Clair, the deepest freshwater lake in Austrailia, for lunch
Queenstown
Queenstown (a mining town) and a walk along the shoreline. After lunch we traveled into the historic mining town of Tullah where we did various walks along the way and took photos of gorgeous scenery. In Tullah we found our living headquarters for the next couple of nights at the Lakeside Chalet.
Day two consisted of a walk through the Henty Sand Dunes and a try at sand boarding.
Amber and I ventured off with a small group of hikers to reach the western coastline of Tasmania. However, an hour or so into the trek a couple of girls (slightly ahead of us) shrieked at the sight of a snake crossing their path. Since the water did not seem to be getting any closer, Amber and I did not take our chances with some of the world's deadliest snakes inhabiting parts of Australia. We turned around and ventured back across the dunes only to hear later that the shore was only moments away from our hike's end where there were 3 beached sperm whale. Anyhow, I *gave it a go at sand boarding and found it to be just as exhilarating as snow sledding. Adam grilled a traditional *Aussie *barbie which consisted of *snags
Craddle Mtn
Craddle Mtn Bushwalk and fresh *capsicums. Later that afternoon, we journeyed back to the Chalet for some canoeing and mountain biking. It was also refreshing to spend some time lakeside breathing in some of the world's cleanest air and finest views.
Day three included an early morning retreat into Cradle Mountain National Park. The early hours were very wet and cool conditions for *bushwalking. I was relieved to have a waterproof jacket with me since we spent about 3 of our 4 hours in the rain. We bushwalked the Overland Track which included Dove Lake Circuit, Wombat Pool, Lake Lilla and Pencil Pine Falls. Most of the morning skies were filled with fog and although it lifted by early afternoon it was not soon enough to view the mountain range. Since some aspects of nature go unnoticed during the clearest of days I took the opportunity to view other areas of the track. By the time we finished exploring I had hiked around 9 miles (it took some calculating to give you that distance since kilometers are most often used in Australia). We spent that night in Devonport with the rest of the group and caught a plane out the next morning to
Across Cultures
Across Cultures return to Adelaide.
Culture Shock 101
There doesn't seem to be a norm (like the U.S.) of having an accessible water fountains near public restrooms. That makes it difficult to find a source of water to fill my bottle for the day. Now I have a deeper appreciation for readily available water fountains.
Word Bank
Give it a go-to try
Esky-ice cooler
Snags-sausages
Capsicum-bell pepper
Aussie-Australian
Barbie-barbeque
Bushwalking-hiking
Jumper-light jacket
Travel Tips
Might want to consider taking some hand soap or antibacterial soap with you to this region if you are particular about cleanliness (as our friend from France-I was glad to have her along for the ride). It seems that most bathrooms lack the proper tools for a good handwashing and have a separate spout for both hot and cold temperatures. Instead of having one spout and two knobs, there are two of each. This doesn't make much since to me as I often find myself wanting lukewarm water and that is just not possible. It's either scolding hot or bitter cold.
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anonymous
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wow
wow! your pictures are gorgeous, i want to come over and see it firsthand. Got room for us? we wouldn't mind staying right next to that pretty waterfall, funky bugs and all:) - kacy K