- Starting our Tasmanian trip in Launceston
- The Tamar River Valley
- On the road to Freycinet National Park
- Traveling in the steps of convicts — on the road to Port Arthur
- Hobart and the search for lumber!
- The road to Cradle Mountain — Russell Falls, Lake St. Clair, Queenstown, and Strahan
- Cradle Mountain
- The road back to civilization — Woolnorth, Stanley, Table Cape, Sheffield and trip end
We started working our way down the East Coast of Tasmania. One of our stops was at East Coast Natureworld, a 150 acre wild animal park that showcases Tasmania’s unique animals, birds, and reptiles. They are also a sanctuary for what they call “orphans of the road,” survivors of road kills. They hand raise many of the animals until they are big enough to find food on their own. Within the park they have a 28 acre secure site that is dedicated to the “Save the Tasmanian Devil” program. As you may know the devils have been dying of in droves because of a mouth cancer that forms after some particularly aggressive mating behaviors. This group is part of the insurance population of devils that will hopefully allow reintroduction to safe areas — whether in Tasmania or on the mainland. In addition to the devils, they have wombats, Forester Kangaroos. They also had some deadly King snakes. Glen kept a respectful distance from them!
From there, we stopped outside of Swansea to visit the Spiky Bridge. This bridge was built by convicts in 1843 and what makes it unusual is that it was built from field stones laid without mortar or cement. The top set of stones were laid vertically (hence the “spiky), but it wasn’t for show — apparently, it helps the bridge withstand high winds. From there, we headed to our home for the next few nights — Freycinet National Park. This park is iconic, especially for stunning beauty of Wineglass Bay with its curvaceous white beach and its crystal clear waters. We stayed at the lodge there and just took in all the beauty. The first night we had a welcome dinner with a variety of seafood that was very impressive. We spent the next few days exploring the park with a number of hikes and a lot of photos!
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
