Our Last Days in Tassie!

From Mole Creek we headed back to Hobart. This time to meet up with relatives of friends of my parents - I know, it doesn't matter how many degrees of separation there are, people are always so willing to welcome us to their home. Linda and Art Austin are friends of my parents and their son; Mike and wife; Lisa and daughter; Madison Austin, live in Hobart, Tasmania. Linda kept in great contact with us during our travels and it was agreed that we would stop by for a visit. Linda and Art were in Tasmania for a month to visit and would be in Tasmania the same time that we were travelling so we could all meet up together. We arrived at Mike and Lisa's place and had a great time. We were treated to sparkling wine and a fabulous dinner and met some of Mike and Lisa's friends; Karen & Mark (their children; Josie, Emma and Adam) - all amazing! After dinner we talked more and laughed and just had a fun time!

The agenda for the weekend was a garage sale and to sell as much as possible - including the car. Both Lisa and Mike are originally from Canada, but moved to Tasmania for Mike to attend medical school. After her graduated, they continued to stay Tasmania and Mike continued to work at the hospital in Hobart. Although they love it in Tasmania and have great friends, it was the future plan to move back to Canada at some point. To make a long story short; as I won't do justice on the details, Mike had an interview in Ottawa for a position in the hospital as part of a new medical emergency team project (sorry Mike if I got that all wrong). If he were to get the position, it would be a fairly fast turnover so "thinning out" the belongings was the goal of the weekend. There were some mishaps, but overall, a successful garage sale with a laugh or two thrown in there for good measure. In between our garage sale duties on the Saturday, Delia and I were able to make it to the famous, Salamanca Market in Hobart. It was a great market with local products and entertainment. Because we still had alot of time left in our trip and we had to carry everything on our backs, we did not buy anything, but it was amazing just to look - well worth the trip!

After we packed things in for the day, we headed to a local pool for a swim with the kids. In the parking lot before we got to the pool, Lisa stopped to say hello to a friend. Turns out that we met her on the Overland Track weeks earlier.....again, small world!

That night, Mike had to work, but the rest of the gang (Lisa, Madison, Art, Linda, Mark, Karen, Josie, Emma, Adam and Delia and I) went out for dinner to one of their favourite spots.........D'Angelos.......too funny! We had no problem going back as we loved it the first time. They confirmed that we were lucky to get a table without a reservation! As we were sitting at the table eating dinner - who walks in, but Annette and Mic from Mole Creek. We knew they were coming back to Hobart so we told them about D'Angelos - I guess they were listening - *grin*!!! Since we were the visitors to the area

On the Sunday we helped in the morning with the garage sale then headed out for our "last hurrah" of camping and tramping in Tasmania. We drove to the South West National Park for a couple of nights. We camped 1 night at Crockle Creek right on the beach - cool, then hiked to Cape Rivulet for 1 night - again, camped on the beach! The hike was gorgeous and the campsite was quiet and cute - no one else around - it was divine! I will miss the hiking, the beaches, the quiet camping spots and just the serenity of it all - all my favourite things! When I woke up the morning that we were hiking out, I made a promise to myself to just enjoy the journey and not take any more pictures. Well, that lasted.....hmmmm......5 minutes. Once I started walking along the beach, I couldn't help myself, sneaking in the last few shots. The views and the sea air is amazing and something that I KNOW that I will miss. I did enjoy the walk back, but it was also sad as I knew we were heading out of Tasmania in the next 2 days. On our way out we saw some surfers hiking into South Cape Bay - carrying their full gear - yikes! I am not a surfer, but I think the effort would still be worth it. The beaches were so quiet and the waves were a decent size - a surfer's heaven really.

Once off the track and back in the car, we got our trusty Lonely Planet book out to look for some accommodation options. We had 2 nights before we were heading back to Lisa and Mike's place (before we left to go to the South West National Park, Karen and Mark invited us for dinner for our last night before we left for New Zealand). We searched hard and with our first two attempts as failures, getting hot, tired and hungry, our patience were running a little short. We did remind each other that with our previous experience, "everything happens for a reason", and we have to keep hope - and once again, both hope and the Lonely Planet did not let us down. We didn't want to go right into Hobart, but we wanted to be close. We were trying to aim to be close to Mount Wellington as we would have liked to climb it the next day, but were willing to compromise. We did read in the Lonely Planet of a place called, "Tree Top Cottages" and it was "Their Pick". But we didn't try it until the end as in the description, it read that to get a chance at this 3 bedroom cottage we had to book well in advance. Although there is no specific definition of "well in advance", we were pretty sure that a 3 hour window was not that!!! But with no other choices, we decided to take a chance and with all fingers and toes crossed, we made the call. Shocked and relieved we were lucky once again - it was free. We couldn't believe it. All they asked is that we gave them a couple of hours to get it ready..............a yeah, I think we could do that!!!! The owners Ron and Jenny met us in the driveway and instantly treated us like family. It was a gorgeous, private cottage with 3 bedrooms, kitchen, living room, bathroom, deck, BBQ, laundry facilities - all with an outstanding view of the forest. Although they did not have a computer to use per se, Jenny brought her own lap top computer over to the cottage, set it up for me to use for however long I wanted. Ron and Jenny were fun, generous and great hosts. That night we relaxed ate some left over camping food (no energy to do much more then that) and got a good night sleep for the next day. The next day we hiked Mount Wellington, had a BBQ (porterhouse steak, shrimp, chicken, salmon - all from the local butcher) with salad from a local market, Tassie wine and wildlife in our "backyard" - complete and utter perfection!!! The next day we weren't meeting the gang until dinner so we took a relaxed morning and would do a few things to get ready for leaving Tassie for NZ. Jenny insisted that we stay in the cottage for as long as we wanted as well as to use her computer for as long as we wanted. She was planning on taking the grandkids swimming so would not be needing it - unbelievably friendly and generous! We did a few things and then headed to the Austin's to meet to go to Mark and Karen's for dinner. We got to the Austin's home and received another warm welcoming We got ready and headed for Karen and Mark's place. We had our last taste of Stafino Lubino (Pinot Noir from Tassie), lamb on the barbie, veggies, salad and our first taste of Jafas (orange chocolate candy - a popular candy that is bought in the movie theatres). We looked at some pictures of Karen's tramping (Western Arthurs are her favourite), confirming my need to come back to Tasmania to do more hiking as there is so much more to do.....so much more!!!

The next morning we spoke with Mike on Skype after his interview - said it went well. We said our good-byes then headed for the plane to NZ.

Tasmania is gorgeous - the weather was perfect, the hikes and the places were amazing and above everything else - the people were fantastic. We were truly treated like family wherever we went! Tassie's are great and they will be in our hearts forever! We will miss Tasmania and would love to go back......maybe......one day!

Another Diamond in the Rough

One of the disadvantages of going to the same place twice is that you may miss out on another great place, but the one big advantage of going to a place twice is that you can explore it more and you know some of the good spots already. Between Launceston and Mole Creek; a small town closest to the start of the Walls of Jerusalem hike, is the Raspberry Farm Cafe and the Ashgrove Tasmanian Cheese farm, the places that Dayna took us to on the way to the Overland Track. So of course we had to stop; especially since the raspberry place serves ice cream!!!mmmmmmmm!!!

On our way to Mole Creek we stopped to make reservations for a place to stay. One of the things travelling for 5 months is that you always feel like you are on the move, so we decided to stay in Mole Creek for 2 days and not rush our time or the hike - hike hard, enjoy and sleep in a cosy bed. The majority of our time so far has either been in tents or hostels, so we also decided to take a motel in Mole Creek. We booked at the "Mole Creek Guest House & Laurel Berry Restaurant" and were spoiled! It was quaint, with beautiful grounds and had all the little extras that make life a little easier (laundry facilities on site with treats in the room for guests when doing their laundry, a fabulous home-cooked meal restaurant on site, a large TV room with a library of movies and very generous hosts. We took advantage of it all! We shared a lunch, did a few errands and planned our hike for tomorrow. We decided that we would hike all the way in and out in one day instead of camping. That would be a challenging 8 hour hike, but we would have a home cooked meal and comfy bed to sleep in to come back to - not a bad deal! For dinner we had ocean trout (for me) and steak (for Delia), fresh veggies with salad to start - seriously good food! On our way to our room the owners found out that we were getting an early start for our hike and would miss the complimentary breakfast, so the chef put together a breakfast that we could eat before we left (homemade granola, yoghurt and fresh fruit) - does it really get better than that! Well, just for an added bonus, we saw another platypus in the stream just out in their backyard - cutie patootie!

January 28, 2010 we got up early and weather did not look great. It rained during the night, but the forecast was for clear & sunny! We packed, ate our breakfast and took a chance. We had a map and had directions to get to the trail head, but right near the end, with no signposts, it got a bit tricky on which road to take. We took one wrong turn that lead us to a very steep and narrow road with huge pot holes, but by the time we agreed that it was the wrong way, it was near impossible to turn around - very narrow roads with shear cliff sides! With alot of breath-holding and skillful driving, we made it back around, figured out our mistake and got to the trail head with no difficulty after that. We parked and headed out on the trail.

Once we got to the trail head, the weather was perfect - clear skies, sunny and hot! The trail was challenging for sure, but the views were beautiful - all along the trail! The first part of the trail was a 600m climb to the Trapper's Hut .....man, Delia ate her Wheaties this morning; she all, but ran up, I found it hard to keep up and didn't at times. We continued on the trail and reached the Wild Dog Campsite - a popular campsite to set up to do sidetracks off the main trail. The campsite was isolated and there were platforms which always makes for clean, dry and easy camping. From here we carried on to Damascus Gate and it is here that you can scramble up Solomon's Throne &/or the Temple. We weren't sure of the trail and how long, far and hard it was going to be so we decided to continue on further to the Jaffa Gate to see the East Wall of Mount Jerusalem (saw the West Wall at the start of the hike) and hike up a bit of Mount Jerusalem itself. We stopped for crackers and cheese then headed back on the trail. When we reached Damascus Gate again on our way back, I scrambled up Solomon's Throne to attempt to capture the classic photo of the Walls of Jerusalem. I took several, but I am afraid that all my pictures will not do Tasmania justice. We made it to the end and had a fabulous day and hike. This was one of Delia's favourite - probably because the views were outstanding, but also because she had enough energy to supply the whole of Tasmania I think - I want what she had in the morning....wait a minute, I did - oh well, whatever it was, she loved it!

We headed back to the Guest House and had showers, cocktails and dinner; another amazing meal. Delia had the steak again and I tried a vegetarian meal; sundried tomatos, cheese in a pastry with cuscous - all very good! That night we decided to watch a movie and this is when we met Mic and Annette on holidays from Queensland, Australia. This may be one of those times where you had to be there to appreciate the story, but I will try. Mole Creek was a small town and an even small Guest House, so it certainly was not hard to meet other people that were staying in the Guest House. So as we headed up from dinner to the movie room, another couple who finished their meal also came up to watch a movie. As we introduced ourselves and Delia acted in her usual "initial greeting" way, like only she can, we started to look at the movies that we might want to watch. Annette and I were pretty quiet, but Delia picked up a movie; "Proposition" and instantly Mic leaned over and said, "....mmmm...I could watch that...". It was that immediate connection that Delia and Mic had that made me smile. Not only did we; as strangers, agree on a movie, but with the very first movie that we picked. Delia offered Mic a Bundaberg (a rum and coke drink in a can) and turns out that he not only liked Bundaberg, but he is originally from there.....ahhhhh...a match made in heaven. Annette and I just looked at each other and smiled. The movie was not horrible, but definitely not great, but the company was fantastic! The next morning we enjoyed our complimentary breakfast and found out what we missed by leaving early the day before, the breakfast was brilliant! Delia had french toast and I had the mushroom and cheese omelet with muesli and yogurt as a side....mmmmm......so good! We said our good-byes to Mic and Annette as well as to the owners; Paul and Laurie. Like most places, I just don't want to go, but what I have learned is that it only gets better or at least the same!!!

Aussie Education on Aussie Day

From Mt William National Park we headed to Launceston to visit Anne and Chris. It was great to see them again and it truly felt like family - that is just the "Tassie Way". Before dinner we went to the gorge and toured the Power Plants and dam. With Chris adding the history and the operations, it was very interesting and the gorge was certainly beautiful. Back at home, we caught up on some stories and looked and Leah and Brendan's wedding photos - looked like a fabulous day and Rocky; the dog, "rocked" =). Leah and Brendan joined us for dinner, and we had a traditional Aussie day meal. We had lamb chops, zucchini, egg plant and sweet potatoes on the barbie with some beer and wine to compliment. And no Aussie day would be complete without a bit of cricket. Up until this day, I knew absolutely nothing about cricket and after that day I know just slightly more that might just keep me out of trouble in an Aussie sport bar....or maybe just slightly more that might just get me in trouble. All I know is if in Aussie, I better cheer for an Aussie team and if in NZ, I better not!!! Aussies and New Zealanders have the same relation that Canada and the US have, especially when it comes to sport - so I do understand the thinking! The only other crazy thing about cricket is that it can last for 5 days!!! Chris also took us outside to show us the stars (yes, we stayed up past 9pm - ha!), to show us the southern cross and other constellations that can only be seen in the southern hemisphere - very cool! For being in the city, the starts were pretty awesome. We chatted a bit more, flipping the TV channel between cricket and rugby (just to keep me on my toes), and had a good time! Delia and I were planning on heading to hike the Walls of Jerusalem the next day so Chris got out his pictures to show us what we were in for - sweet. We talked a little more, but being a "school night" (work), for Anne and Chris we headed for bed. We said our good-byes and got back in a car - we will definitely keep in touch and we will definitely be back!

Another Day, Another Adventure......

On January 24, 2010 we woke up, joined Alistair for breakie and then headed off to Mount William National Park. The weather was great and although we like to be spoiled once in awhile, we were looking forward to camping again. As we drove in the park.......oh my gawd....it was stunning!!! Everything they said and more. Okay, let me set the stage......here we were, driving in the park, along a narrow, bumpy dirt road, with only large open fields all around us, that can best be described as an "outback" atmosphere, there, running across in front of us was Mom, Dad and baby Forrester Kangaroos. Forrester Kangaroos are the biggest and not easily seen in Tasmania, but popular in Mount William National Park. It was the stereotypical scene that people think of when they think of the outback in Australia - or at least me. We stopped the car and just watched. At one point we were both just staring at each other. Not sure what they were thinking, but I was so impressed - I really doubt that they were thinking the same - more like, get the heck out of here - oh well, we enjoyed the moment! There were a few spots that we could camp and we chose one that was a little more secluded. The campsites were small, cute and private. Mount William National Park has outstanding beaches & huge open fields. That day we hiked up Mount William (216m) - really easy 3 hour walk. Along the way we saw lots of wallabies. We have seen quite a few since we have been in Tasmania and we will realize later on that they really are not shy at all. We walked along the beach to a private cove (not very many people to start with, so to get a private part of the coast is not hard), soaked our feet and enjoyed some quiet alone time. After dinner we did another 2 hour walk called the Cobbler's Rock Trail. We walked through the fields and then ended up at the coast and was again, beautiful. As I write, it does not sound that interesting or spectacular, but it really was. The best part of our stay in the park was that it was secluded, very few people, the sights were beautiful, not really that hard to get to (some unsealed road, but nothing too difficult) and this was all for $13/night. Nothing in life is free, but if you take the time to look and you don't mind giving up some of the comforts of home - the great spots are really not that expensive and the rewards are 100 fold! We had a great night and then headed down to the south part of the park; Eddystone Point (lighthouse), Anson's Bay and Policeman Point for our second night in the park. After setting up camp, we headed to the sea to walk along the beach. We took a dip; gorgeous, but chilly so it definitely was a dip. It was so hot and for me to say it is hot, you must know that it is hot! We had lunch and went for another dip. You get so hot, you crave the cold water and you think that you will soak forever in the water, but it is so cold, you are more than satisfied with a dip - so we just did several little dips =) We walked to the lighthouse and walked around, then walked around a little further to the top end of the Bay of Fires. It is a long, white sandy beach with the bluest of water, it is so beautiful. As we walked down the sand drift to the water, we laughed to ourselves as the sand is so white and the foot prints were so big that it reminded us of a snow drift with snowshoe prints. We were tempted to take a picture and send it back home to see if you could tell the difference. We reached the water and there was no one there - this type of serenity just does not happen that often so you really have to stop and appreciate it. We enjoyed a few more quick dips in the water and sat on the rocks and soaked our feet in between dips - I just did not want to leave........but then again, I have been saying that alot this trip!

Just a little story about this camping trip. People that camp and know Delia, may be able to appreciate this story - maybe not, but here it goes. When you camp, often it is go, go, go all day, in the sun which inevitably will make you tired. And although, I speak of all the good things about camping; the beauty, the peace, the serenity of being alone, etc., Mother Nature has her way to make sure that we don't stay long and that the numbers stay low.....that would be the New Zealand's notorious Sandfly! I compare them to our black flies and they are pretty persistent in their quest to survive - sucking the blood from humans! So, with the fatigue caused by the daily activities and the constant fight with the sandflies into the night and having exhausted all the stories to tell each other, you really have to work hard to stay awake past 9pm. This is compounded with the fact that we will eat dinner early as we are starving and the dinner can be made and eaten in a matter of 20 minutes - the joy of freeze dried food! So on this camping trip, I was actually able to teach Delia some new card games. Not that she cannot learn, but the surprise here was that she actually let me teach her - Delia hates playing cards, but we played a card game that we played climbing Mt Kilimanjaro (Uno type game) and Gin Rummy - I was impressed. Ahhhh, but alas, even with playing cards and me reading the book to Delia that we brought (this is also another trick that we learned from the West Coast Trail), we did not see the stars - it was lights out by 9:30pm at best!!! I loved Mount William National Park. I probably liked the north a bit better than the south part, but the whole park was gorgeous. We saw Bennett's Wallabies, Forrester Kangaroos, Tasmanian Pademelons and wedge-tailed eagle - all in their own environment. We hiked, relaxed and we enjoyed the sea - all with very little interference with other humans and certainly without any "touristy" feel or crowds - we absolutely loved it!

Tomorrow, we are heading back to Launceston to meet with Dayna's parents; Anne and Chris as promised. And with our fortune, the visit coincided with Australia Day; January 26, 2010. It was on the menu to enjoy a traditional Aussie Day meal - "Lamb on the barbie"!

Things Happen for a Reason

On January 23, 2010 we headed up the east coast of Tasmania.....hmmmmm......deja vu! We were headed for Mount William National Park - "undiscovered" as stated in the Lonely Planet - great beaches, quiet and let the wildlife come to you....yup, just they way we like it. Not really knowing what to expect; weather wise or what the park was like, we decided to stay outside of the Park for 1 night, get details of the park and get our supplies for camping. We tried for a place in St Helen's, but due to the last minute planning, we missed out as they were full. We were a bit disappointed, but we continued to look. As it turned out, it was to our benefit that the place in St. Helen's was full, we found a place in Weldborough; a local hotel, the only hotel, and it was fantastic! Better than fantastic - it was like visiting family - no exaggeration! Weldborough is a small town, but in a beautiful area and it was close to the National Park. We found it through the Lonely Planet book, which has not let us down yet. We arrived and went to the reception desk/bar =) to check in. There was an older gentleman; Mark, and and a younger girl; Sue, that helped us. We chatted and it was instantly apparent that Sue was from Newfoundland - that accent is not hard to distinguish, even thousands of miles away! It was a breath of fresh air to hear her. I mean we loved Tassie and we were ecstatic to be there, but it is always nice to get a taste of home and the Newfie accent was just that. We checked in and Sue walked us to our room and showed us around - that just doesn't happen much anymore; that personal touch - I just love it! The room was small and quaint and perfect for us. Once we put our things away, we went back to the reception desk/bar =) to have a little wee beverage. We got our drinks from Mark and headed out to the back garden. Here Sue introduced us to her partner; Martin, and their friends, Alistair and Adel from the mainland Australia, Martin's mother (I am sorry, I just can't remember her name) as well as another guest; Simon. We chatted, laughed, played cards and had a great time - it was instant - we hung out like we were all close friends and family - a cool feeling - a feeling that you don't get very often. We found out later that Sue and Martin met when they were teaching overseas in England (Sue from NFLD and Martin from Weldborough) and when the opportunity arose, Martin and Sue moved to Weldborough (this is where Martin's parents live) to take on the challenge of owning and running the hotel/restaurant in town. Wow, that is a challenge, but based on our experience, they are going to do great. Alistair and Martin were childhood buddies (Alistair's and Martin's families were originally from Melbourne, Australia). That weekend that we were there, Alistair was celebrating his 30th birthday and it was his request for his birthday, to come visit Martin and Sue and help them out with their new business. Starting a business is always hard so having friends there for support is always a good thing.

Just to give you one last story about this visit. Close to the hotel there is a river where a platypus had been spotted. Being such a rare and unique animal living in NZ, it is sought after to see; by both tourists and locals. So just before dinner, Mark asked us if we wanted to take a walk to the river to see the platypus - well that was a no brainer, of course we did. But it was dinner time and Martin was going to be starting dinner. "That's okay", Mark said, "just give Martin your order and he will get it ready for when we get back." So here we were, standing in the lounge area, with Mark stating what our choices were for dinner (no written menu) and Martin taking our order. It was so casual that I probably could have said that, "I will have a bit of everything please", and they would take it as my order. We took everything in stride, but I have to tell you that the type of service and how they treated us was something that I just was never expecting. It truly was like going to an out-of-town relative's place, for dinner - that's the only way that I can describe it! After our orders were taken, Mark, his wife, Delia, myself, Alistair, Adel and Simon all headed out to the river to see the platypus. Platypus are quite shy and timid, so you have to be quiet when trying to search for one. So when we got to the river, we all started tip toeing around the river's edge, very quietly, trying to spot the platypus. After a half hour or so, we were getting hungry and we decided that it wasn't going to happen and it was time to go back to have dinner. No worries, it was a nice walk and we got to know each other better. It was as we were walking back; stopping, laughing and chatting loudly, crossing the bridge, when Delia started waving her arms frantically and pointing in the river - "Platypus, Platypus, there is the Platypus!!!" And there it was, swimming and turning and just playing around no worries at all. We all started clicking away on our cameras, but with the dark river and the dark platypus - yea, it just looked like ripples in the water. It will have to be good enough that we told you that we saw it. He (or she) was so damn cute! We watched for a few minutes until it finally made it's way up the river beyond our site and then we headed home for dinner. We arrived back at the hotel and Martin and Sue started cooking our meals. There were 5 of us for dinner and we sat on the couches visiting until our meals came out. Sue served our meals and then we went to any table to eat. Again, it was so casual that we were welcome to eat off our laps on the couch, but we felt there were limits. The casual atmosphere did not follow suit with the meals - they were top notch outstanding that could have been served to the most sophisticated and picky palate. We had Trevalla (local sea fish) for our main and for dessert I had ice cream with raspberry sauce (still not as good as Sonia's homemade ice cream, but pretty darn good) and Delia had cherry crapes - seriously delicious. The dessert was so good we were all tempted to lick our plates, but of course we didn't. By the end of our meal, it was fairly late. Martin, Sue and Martin's parents had finished their duties and cleaning up. To relax, Martin, Sue and a student that was working for room and board, sat down at our table (with Alistair, Adel, Delia and I) and ate their dessert. The funny thing is that after Martin finished his dessert he didn't lick his plate, but he took his finger to lap up the rest of the cherry juice from the plate. We all laughed and admitted that was exactly what we wanted to do. We sat and socialized more, said our good-byes and then it was off to bed. Although Delia and I have seen alot and have done alot and have seen some spectacular scenery, this experience was a highlight for us, for many reasons, but mainly for the people and how we were treated. As we headed for bed, we looked at each other and said, that if the place in St. Helen's was not full, we would have missed this and that would have been a real shame. Before we left home for this trip, we certainly planned some things, but wanted to keep open times to take advantage of those spontaneous events that may happen. So, with last minute planning, you often don't always get your first or second choices, but this is when we agreed that if something did not work out, it was probably meant to be and something better will come along - good or bad - most often these are the best stories!

On our Own Again

For the last 2 weeks of our time in Tassie (January 21st to February 5th), we decided that it would be a good idea to rent a car. We have experienced driving on the left hand side of the road already when driving in Cairns, Australia, but this time it was for 2 weeks and it was with manual transmission. Ahh, what is life without challenges......I can say that as I was not the one driving *grin*. However, I will say that it almost feels more natural driving on the left side, it just takes some getting use to. Delia certainly did not have any trouble adjusting, but whenever we would turn, I would causally mention which side to stay on - just as a precaution, as it is easy to forget.

Already over 2 weeks in Tasmania and we have not even touched the surface - really! Having done some previous research, we new some of the places and things that we would like to do, but we still had to plan out our route and decide which things we were going to do, as unfortunately we could not do everything. After Dan and Mark dropped us off and we had our car, we headed for the historic Port Arthur. If looking at a map of Tasmania, it is a peninsula off the south east coast of the island. It is a beautiful area - stunning! It is historic for many reasons, but the main reason is for the prison. In 1830 Governor Arthur chose the Tasman Peninsula to confine prisoners who had committed further crimes in the colony. It was considered a "natural penitentiary", with the peninsula only connected to the mainland by a strip of land less than 100m wide; Eaglehawk Neck, where ferocious guard dogs and tales of shark-infested waters deterred escape. Between 1830 and 1877, 12,500 convicts did hard, brutal prison time at Port Arthur and for most it was hell on Earth, but those who behaved, often enjoyed better conditions than they had endured in England and Ireland. I don't know alot about the town as Delia and I did not take the tour (they had walking tours, boat rides and ghost tours at night that included dinner) , but I know that the town was sustained by convict-labour industries, including timber milling, shipbuilding, coal mining, shoemaking and brick and nail production. Despite the redemption as a major tourist site, Port Arthur remains a sombre, haunting place. In 1996 a deranged young gunman unleashed an indiscriminate fusillade of bullets and murdered 35 people and injured 37 more. He burned down a local guest house and was finally captured and imprisoned north of Hobart. On his file it was stamped, "Never to be Released". They say that the prison is haunted and visited by the spirits of the convicts. Okay, that is the limit of my history on Port Arthur! We did go and read some of the stories at the museum, but other then that, we stuck to the hiking in Port Arthur and it was beautiful. Before you judge us for not doing any of the history tours, let me state my case by saying, that it is really hard to do everything and hiking and the outdoors is what we love. Travelling is all about doing what you enjoy and to make sure that you experience the country and their culture; however you do that - well, that is my story and I am sticking to it!



The first day that we arrived in Port Arthur it was early afternoon and we were a little tired from travelling, so we decided to do something fairly easy and relax. We went to the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Area to see the Tasmanian Devil. They are black, small and not really cute and cuddly, in fact kind of, well, ugly. That may be too harsh a word, but the way they growl and bite each other, it doesn't entice one to want to pick them up and pat them (they were probably thinking the same thing about Delia and I *grin*). Over the past 10 years, they have been on the decline especially in the east. It is mainly due to a cancer that has been infecting the Tasmanian Devil. They are currently doing research into what caused the cancer to begin with, how it is being spread, how to cure it and also the difference between the east and the west side of the island. They don't know alot, but with some of the testing they have done, they are concluding that in the east, the Tasmanian Devil population is more restricted due to the human urbanization and they have less area to roam and therefore, there is alot of inbreeding. And on the west, there is more room to roam and less inbreeding. This may result in the west, one having a stronger immune system that can one resist that cancer and two, if they did contract it, their bodies are able to fight it. There is alot more research needed and although they are not an attractive animal, they certainly do not deserve to die. The conservation area was touristy, but very interesting and even though they were in captivity, we saw the little creatures. It was a conservation area, so we also saw Kangaroos, wallabies and many birds (parrots, frog mouth, peregrine falcon and brown falcon). All the animals were injured and are being rehabilitated. From there we drove around town to decide what we wanted to do the next day. We had a fabulous dinner at Mussel Boys, having local fish and seafood; Oysters and mussel chowder to start and Tumpetter Fish for our main....mmmmmm.......! We stayed 2 nights at Teraki Cottages in Taranna (just outside Port Arthur). It was a rustic cottage that was huge. It also had a fire place in the living room that we took advantage of. The Owners; Colin and Margorie were very nice and definitely made our stay very comfortable. After dinner we went back to the cottage for a nice relaxing night by the fire and had a great sleep in what felt like, "Grandma's feather bed"!!! We had several hikes to chose from with everyone having their own favourites, so we just had to trust ourselves and go with our choice. I really don't think it would matter which one we chose as the peninsula is gorgeous and when you are hiking right by the sea, how can you go wrong. We decided on hiking to Cape Huay; 4 hour return hike to the edge of a sea cliff - it was absolutely beautiful. It was hard as you are hiking along the coast and eventually hiking up and down and back up the ridges to the point of the cliff. The point was outstanding and unlike other places, there were not signs like, "stand back", "no entry", "stay behind fence". Good or bad, you could walk wherever you wanted - right off the cliff if the urge hit you. Me, I stayed well back of the ridge, other than to take a peek. There are two famous sea stacks that you could see from Cape Huay. The Candlestick and the Totem Pole. We were told that there are climbers that will get dropped off by boat and climb up the Candlestick - crazy!!! It was scary enough where we were, I couldn't imagine climbing up that stack. As we sat and ate our lunch on the cliff, 300m above the water, all alone, in the bright sun with the view of the sea and the cliffs (ooops sorry, was that too much.....?????), we waved at all the people, crammed in a tour boat that made its way between the ridges and stacks. It was hard work getting there, but it is so worth it!

After the hike we drove to white beach for a quick walk and then to a lookout of Port Arthur, Cape Pillar, Cape Hauy and the surrounding area. After the touring around, we started to look for a place to eat, but by the time we started looking, everything was closed.....man, Tassie really does shut down early - we must make mental note to self - we obviously did not learn the first time!!! No worries though, we had enough food back at the cottage to make sure that we weren't going to go to bed hungry! Had a nice dinner at home in front of the fire and had another great sleep in "Grandma's feather bed". Tomorrow it is off for another adventure in Tassie!

Destination: Mount William National Park - the most north/west part of Tasmania

And Then There Were Four!

It goes without saying really, that when people travel they are going to experience and learn alot, and unless you try really hard not to (not sure why you would want to, but I guess people have their reasons), you are going to meet people. Certainly for Delia and I, we have met several people and many that we now consider our friends. With travelling, it makes you realize how small the world really is. People that we met on one track as complete strangers, we will bump into them as friends 3 weeks later in a recreation centre in a totally different area (true story). We will also meet people along our travels; miles away from home, that will know an area that is close to our home or they are possibly from an area close to home, that again, makes us again think how small the world really is. It may not seem that interesting in writing, but when you think how big the world is and how many people are in the world, what are the chances that you would meet a person in one place and meet again in a totally different place. I think what I am trying to say is that, our world is smaller than we think and we just need to take the time to realize that there are interesting people all around us, that I am sure cross our paths many times, without us even noticing - we need to take time to notice.

This concept also goes the other way, which brings me to the next part of our journey. Approximately 500m apart from each other, there were two couples planning a trip of a lifetime without the knowledge of the other. Each, frantically reading books, checking the internet, talking to friends and making phone calls, their trips were being formed. One day, in conversation, it came up of their travels, and it turns out that thousands of miles away from their home, they would be in the same place at the same time - very cool. Our neighbours and friends; Dan and Mark (literally living 500m away from us), were going to be travelling in Australia over the same period that we would be there. They were only going to be in Tasmania for 5 days and it was decided that we would meet up and travel together. They would rent a camper van, pick us up after our Overland Track in Hobart and we would travel together from there. Here is our story......or at least my version of our story.....

Just recently coming off of backpacker hostels and tents I think anything would have looked big and luxurious, but when Dan and Mark pulled up in the cadillac of motor homes, we were shocked! Wow, we get to travel in this for 5 days - cool! We didn't have a real plan and with Delia and I only being in Tassie for just over a week ourselves and the majority of that was getting to and from the Overland Track and doing the Overland Track, we did not know that much more than Dan and Mark. That's okay, planning and deciding is half the journey. We threw our "globber" into the caravan, hopped in and we were off for our 5 day adventure with the boys. We didn't really know where we wanted to go, but with Dan and Mark only being in Tassie for 5 days, they wanted to do a quick tour around - an island always looks small until you try to cover the whole ground in 5 days - not the best idea, but we were off and really - and really, anything in Tassie is gorgeous - even if some parts were really, really fast!

The plan was to head up to the top of the east side of Tasmania to see the Bay if Fires via Wineglass Bay. Then head over to Cradle Mountain (middle/north of Tasmania), down the east side of the island and back around to stay at Norfolk for the last night before heading back to Hobart. In Hobart the boys would drop us off and then head back to the airport to go back to the mainland in Australia. Sound fast and furious...?????? Oh it was!!!!! Full of adventure of course, but definitely a whirlwind of a trip. Along the first part of our journey, we looked at maps, gathered groceries and chatted - man, did we chat - with us both on amazing trips and not seeing each other for awhile, you can imagine we were all fighting for "air time" to tell our stories. All while enjoying the views -stunning! Tassie has alot to offer and just to mention one of the things that have, is they do have beautiful beaches.......unbelieveably cold, but beautiful! The sand is so white (from the quartz) and the water is so blue and on a clear day, it is hard to tell the water from the sky. Our goal was to reach the Bay of Fires area for the first night (at the north/east side of the island) to camp, but on our way up, we wanted to stop at Wineglass Bay to do a short hike. It is a very touristy spot, but it was beautiful. We did a short hike up, enjoyed the views, took some pictures and then headed off again. As we drove, we realized that heading to the Bay of Fires was too far, but we could camp not too far away in St. Helen's Camper Van Park, then head to the Bay of Fires for a walk the next morning. As it turned out, even St. Helen's for the first day of travel was too far. We stopped at a Rivers & Rock to camp as the National Park and the other caravan parks were full. These things happen when you "fly by the seat of your pants", but this is also part of this 5 day adventure - everyone knew this and it was all good. Because it was an unserviced area (no power) and wasn't really a park, the sites were free - okay, one little bonus *grin*. By the time we got there it was dinner time and we were all a little peckish, but before I go much further, I must explain something. Dan, Mark, Delia and I have been friends for awhile and we certainly enjoy each other's company, but when travelling for the first time there are sometimes questions of what each other is like and what they like. For the most part the 4 of us are all pretty easy going, so although it was not a concern, things like where do you want to sleep (top bunk, bottom bunk), what do you like to eat or what do you not like to eat, were questions that we needed to ask. Turns out, that we pretty much liked the same things which made things easy. The thing that I needed to explain, was that even though we were all easy going and we all liked similar things, Mark had a strict rule...oh dear, wondered what that could be. As he looked us in the eye with a very stern look, he told us his rule......."Okay, the only thing that I ask is that everyone stays out of the kitchen at dinner time - I will cook the all the dinners." ....hmmm..........Let me get this straight, Mark; a fabulous cook by the way, is insisting that he does all the dinners......that is definitely a rule that we could live with. So with a grin, we accepted, but did insist that we do the clean up.....and with a grin....he agreed =) Most days were filled with sight-seeing and the nights were filled with socializing and eating. With a caravan, although everything is smaller, we basically had everything that we needed. It is a good way to travel for sure.

Day 2 we made it to St Helen's Caravan Campground to camp and in the morning we headed for the Bay of Fires. The Bay of Fires is a long beach; the white sands and blue (albeit freezing) water that I was talking about, but gets it's name because of the red moss that grows on the rock that gives it a red hue to it - absolutely gorgeous! We walked along the beach and with very little encouragement (I think there was some sort of bet that was involved), Dan was in the water and being the type of person that I am, I wasn't far behind.......wwwahhhhhoooooo........cold, but sweet! Oh ya' the dip was "sans clothes" *grin*! After that, we piled back into the caravan and headed for Cradle Mountain. Delia and I were there at the beginning of our Overland Track, but there is always alot to see. The only unfortunate thing about touring quickly around the island is that it doesn't always leave time for the little things. I wanted to take the boys to the raspberry ice cream place and the cheese farm, but we had to keep going because of time. We arrived in Cradle Mountain and although it was raining, it was still beautiful. After yet another amazing dinner (flathead fish and salmon) we went into the cooking hut and met up with a family on vacation from Victoria, Australia (parents: Paul and Kathy, son; Nik and his friend; Jack). Dan played cards and there was alot of "ribbing" going on, but everyone had a good time. My particular favourite was Jack - cutie patootie. I loved Jack! He reminded me a bit of me when I was his age. When he found out that we were from Canada and we were travelling for 5 months, he was clued to us. He hung on our every word and was so interested in every place and every experience. I remember when I was in my teens and meeting people in their 30's and 40's travelling, I was in awe and I was so envious. I remember thinking how much that I wanted to travel and get out there and experience the world and that is the same look that Jack had that night. I made sure to add a few encouraging words and to make sure that he followed his dream whether anyone else was with him or not. Easy to say now that I am in my 40's, but I do remember the fear I had at the age of travelling - the unknown, but it is really nothing at all. When you are travelling, you meet so many great people and there is always someone that will help if you need - you just need to play it smart and safe, that's all - everything else will work out and you will be a better person because of it.

On Day 4...man, time flies, we headed back south on the east side of the island and did a couple of side trips along the way. We did a short hike to Nelson Falls and to the Franklin River. Both had lush forests and great views. We made our way back to Norfolk and camped, had our last dinner together and enjoyed our last night of our journey before the boys dropped us off and headed for the airport.

Although it was quick, we had a great time with the boys (hope they did too)!!! And along with all our other adventures, we can check "camping with friends in a caravan" off the list *grin*!

A Little R 'n R; Well sort of!

...A little R 'n R....???....I am so confused.....isn't that what we have been doing so far...????? *grin* ...ahhh, just sit down little one and let me tell you the story of what happens next!

The Overland Track goes from Cradle Mountain to Lake St. Clair (65 km), and during the peak season; which we were hiking in, it must be hiked from the Cradle Mountain to Lake St. Clair (north to the south) - this meant that we ended our hike in Lake St. Clair; or the aboriginal name, "Leeawaleena", meaning "sleep water". Sorry, I forgot that part of the story of why "sleep water:, but I do know that it is big, deep (the deepest in Tasmania) and beautiful. We decided that because it is so beautiful and there were still things to do, we would like to stay close by and explore it a bit more before heading back to Hobart to pick up our stuff in storage and meet our friends - so we did! We stayed one night in the backpackers in the Lake St. Clair campground and met up with Pauline, Anne and Anne's partner Julie (she met them after the hike - skipped the pain and suffering of hiking the track and met for the relaxing stuff - smart girl *grin*). Julie treated us with some Tasmanian wine; a Pinot Nior from Stefano Lubino vineyard (turned out to be our most favourite - how ironic). We drank wine, chatted and had a great time. With Delia still feeling the affects from the gastro, she was unable to join us and unfortunately the girls were not able to experience the "social butterfly Delia" that we all know and love! This only meant that we would have to meet again.

For the next two nights we stayed at a place called, Derwent Bridge Chalet and Spa...ahhh...spa, that sounds so devine after 7 days of humping a pack around - I mean, I loved the hiking, but there is nothing wrong with some diversity.....my motto in life.....everything in moderation!!! The place Derwent Bridge itself was a very small town, really small. One store, one hotel, one restaurant and of course our little piece of heaven; Derwent Bridge Chalet and Spa. Delia and I tend to get attracted to these places and people often wonder what we could possible do there. And just like most of these places, there is always so much to do and it is always quiet and serene, just the way we like it! Not only was Derwent Bridge a cute town and the Chalet and Spa a beautiful spot, the owners; John and Louise, were so hospitable - they treated us like family instantly. Our visit started off with John picking us up from Lake St. Clair and taking us to the Chalet. John then proceeded to tell us all the little secrets of the town and where to go and offering to take us back to Lake St. Clair to do some more day hikes the next day - just incredible! This was our time to relax and recouperate from our Overland Track, but of course we still had to enjoy some more day hikes. One day we hiked to the platypus bay without any luck of seeing a platypus and another day we hiked to Shadow Lake and Forgotten Lake (about 5 1/2 hour hike). They were beautiful - lakes between the mountains and no one there - it doesn't get much better than that. The only downfall was the water was cold that we could only tolerate dipping our feet in as we ate our lunch, no swimming for us. On the third morning we woke up and had hot chocolate and tea in bed for the last time, ate breakfast and then it was time to hop on the bus back to Hobart. After our initial experience with Hobart I was not looking forward to going back, but I knew the next day we were going to meet up with our friends from back home; Dan and Mark, so I got over it. We said our good-byes to John and Louise and headed for the bus. Funny story when we were leaving, Delia stuck her hand out to say good-bye when John grabbed her and said, "Come over here & give me a hug".......if he only knew what Delia was like - our little "space invador". I got a chuckle out it anyways. As we walked towards our bus, I looked over my shoulder when I spotted Delia, two days earlier. Sitting there, at the side of the driveway, I saw this big, strong strapping looking guy with no more strength in him then to cradle his head between his hands and mutter a few words when necessary to his girlfriend. I knew he was sick, but when I saw his girlfriend carry all their gear; his and hers to the bus and looking helpless otherwise, I recognized those signs of gastro and sure enough, it was. He got it at the same place along the Overland Track that Delia did and like I said before, with that many people and the set up of the water, it is all a matter of luck or bad luck in his and Delia's case. It really is awlful and other then offering those pathetically cliche consoling words, "It will get better with time", we could do nothing. The one good thing is that by the end of the bus ride, he did say that he was starting to feel like eating a burger...strange choice of foods, but at least he had an appetite. Otherwise, the bus ride back to Hobart was uneventful and fairly painless. We were back at the Transit Backpackers in Hobart and all our stuff in storage was there safe and sound; including the lost luggage that the airport delivered - "all is well that ends well"!

For the parts of our trip that was not planned in Ontario before we left, we relied mainly on our Lonely Planet books. Although not everyone has the same experiences and things don't always work out, the Lonely Planet for us has been great. They rate things as lower, moderate and higher end for budget, but also will describe the details of the place and how they rate it and often they will have "their pick" in a town whether it be for accommodations or food or activity. Being in Hobart for only 1 night before meeting up with our friends and having not had the time or resources to go grocery shopping, Delia and I decided to try a restaurant for dinner that was suggested in the Lonely Planet. We had a few places to look at, but with the downtown part of Hobart easily accessible by walking, we took a walk and checked out the city and restaurants. Down by the water, things were pretty busy and because we tend to like things quieter, our "noses" pointed us a bit out of the hussle and bussle to a quaint Italian family owed restaurant called, D'Angelo's. It was a small place and could be missed very easily if you weren't looking.....hmmmm....just perfect. It was about 5pm so one would think that getting in to eat would not be a problem. When we walked in and asked if we could have a table for 2, the host asked if we had reservations. And at the same time that we looked at each other with a surprised look as we were shocked that at 5 pm we would need a reservation, a customer; obviously a regular, spoke out loudly to us in a huff, "....well, you must have reservations, this is a popular restaurant and nobody gets in without a reservation...". Okay then, I guess we are out of luck. But as we were about to turn away, the hostess said she would check with the owner; D'Angelo, of course, to see if they could fit us in - remember this is 5pm - I didn't think anyone else except Delia and I ate that early - *grin*!!! Anyways, D'Angelo came to the door and finding out that we were from Canada, he gladly made room. I have to tell you, I can see why you need reservations, home cooked Italian food, great service and a very fun atmosphere. It was not a big place and in about 10 min of sitting down, the place was full and they were also filling take away orders. Delia and I made a little faux paux on the wine selection, but other than that, it truly was perfection! We were not long, but for squeezing us in, they certainly did not rush us at all. We had a nice walk back and got ready for tomorrow. The hostel was loud, but we survived!

The next morning as we waited for our friends, we got up early and decided to go to a cafe for breakfast; another recommendation from Lonely Planet. It was 8:00am, but thought that we would still be okay to get a coffee/tea/hot chocolate and a piece of toast, somewhere...you would think. As we had our map and trying to orientate ourselves to get to the cafe, walking along, we started to think that maybe the cafe wouldn't be open - it was very quiet. As I said before Hobart shuts down early and as it turns out, it appeared that they don't open until late either - just a little to get use to that's all. It is good to see that people relax a little and people are not always on the go. We still decided to try, because if nothing else, it was a nice walk. As we got close to the cafe I saw someone put flowers out on the patio tables which I thought was a good sign. We went to the door and it was open - yeah! We stepped inside and there was a woman and a man behind the counter working away, obviously getting ready for the day. By this time it was 8:55am. We asked if we could get some breakfast and they said yes, but they were not quite open yet so we may have to wait a bit for our food, but they certainly would start us off with a beverage - cool - we were not in a rush. So as we sat there, we started chatting and knowing that we were Canadians and travelling on their turf, they had a few things to share - always a good thing! Again the food and service was outstanding and as we left we noticed on the door that they did not open 5 minutes early for us, but a full hour and 5 minutes......they didn't open until 10am.....that would never happen in a big city. It was just a great feeling - just like we arrived at a friend's place early for dinner. As we walked back to our hostel to wait for our friend's we realized that Hobart really is a nice place, we just had to give it time and go to the right places!