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Daniel GiffneyDaniel Giffney
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📍 Australia Read more Sydney, Australia
  • Tasmania - April 2024
    Day 18

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    April 29 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Reality set in this morning - we needed to get home to make it to tonight's basketball games... so we left Wangaratta at around 8am with just a brief stop to change drivers at a truck stop somewhere 2 hours from Wangaratta and again at Pheasants Nest, arriving home just after 3pm.
    Whilst travelling with friends and seeing this great country is fantastic, we have to pay the bills somehow.... work and school tomorrow and preparation for the KLLAC AGM and Presentation Day next Sunday.

    Who knows when the next adventure will be - for now, it is Port Lincoln in January 2025.

    Stats: 17 days - 5,200 kilometres (3.6k km by car, 559 km by ferries (including Spirit of Tas), 25 sea miles (jet boat at Bernie Island), 22 km by bus (Cradle Mountain), 30 km hiking and 4 km walking, 8,415 photographs (dSLR), and lots of beer, wine, spirits and cheese!    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    Day 17

    Wangaratta

    April 28 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Overnight we sailed from Devonport to Geelong, arriving at 9:30am. We were parked on the bottom deck and with one ramp out of service it took until 11am for us to disembark.
    The kids have been reading all trip but have read everything so a visit to a bookstore was required. They paid for their own books and were had a quick breakfast before heading north to Wangaratta.
    The roads are straight. The land is flat. And there are no steering winds. We’re not in Tassy anymore.
    We traveled to Brown Brothers Cellar Door and tried a wide range of their wines before moving on to a nearby cheese maker (but their tastings had ended for the day) and then onto Sam Miranda King Valley cellar door where we picked up some more wine.
    We checked into the motel then walked to Masala Corner, an Indian restaurant that we tried on or east through in January. Worth the revisit!
    And so our trip will end tomorrow. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our time away and sharing it with Macca and Fiona and family. Next trip is already booked for January 2025!    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    Day 16

    Cradle to Coast

    April 27 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Our last day in Tasmania. We started the day with fantastic blue skies. From the visitor centre we could see Cradle Mountain, free of clouds - unlike yesterday.
    We drove to the ranger’s station but could go no further in our car. With bus tickets valid for 3 days we jumped on the bus and headed to Dove Lake to capture the photo that alluded us yesterday.
    When we got to the Lake we raced to the water’s edge and started taking photos.
    The water was still and reflected the mountain. Clicking away with various setting and angles as quickly as possible.
    And then the sun started to warm up the surrounding land and the wind started to create ripples on the water.
    We raced around to the boat shed and got some more photos before jumping back on a bus.
    Our next stop was Sheffield - small town with a lot of charm and at least 3 cafes. We explored the shops before having lunch in a cafe.
    Heading north we once again saw Bass Strait - our “highway” back to the mainland later tonight.
    Stops at Speyton Cider, Ghost Rock Wines, Anvers Chocolate Factory, Southern Wild Distillery, Mersey Bluff Lighthouse and Beer Street before dinner at the Molly Malones Irish Pub.
    Tonight we board the Spirit of Tasmania at 9pm for a 11:30pm departure.    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    1
    Day 15

    Cradle Mountain

    April 26 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    When on a tight schedule you don’t get to pick the weather when doing something like the walk around Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain.
    Dove Lake has a 6km track around it. The lake was carved out by a glacier, the scars of which can still be seen on some of the granite rocks. The adjacent mountains creates a unique microclimate with clouds often circling the peak of the adjacent Cradle Mountain.
    The entire time we were there the clouds encircled different parts of the mountain resulting in not being able to see it all at once. In our travels we came across a photographer who had waited for hours yesterday and was going to wait a few more hours today to capture “the shot” of the mountain. It never occurred whilst we were there.
    Instead of wide angle landscape shots, we focused on macro again. The leaves of unique plants, including the yellow leaves of the only native birch tree. Again we found some mushrooms and mosses everywhere. The walk took us about 4 hours (usually 3 for those not photographing everything!)
    We left the mountain and went to nearby Rory Flats, which is the start of the Overland Trek - a 5-7 day hike back to Lake St Clare. Just on the short bit of the trek we did we came across around 10 wombats - none of which came too close.
    Back to the cabins to relax before dinner at nearby Peppers Bistro.    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    1
    Day 14

    Stanley to Cradle Mountain

    April 25 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    We had an easier start to the day, although Helen did get up for sunrise. The kids had a play on the beach, checking out the various rocks before we headed east.
    We drove through Wynyard and then onto Ulverstone and went past the basketball stadium (where Daniel did a National Championships in 2009) and over the bridge where Daniel took a photo in 2009.... but the bridge has changed and the photo wouldn't be possible today.
    We headed back to Penguin to meet up with the others. When we arrived the ANZAC Day service was just getting underway. We listened to the speeches and paid our respect to those who have served to enable us to enjoy our way of life. Whilst the service was happening I saw a Vietnam Vet in bike leathers. He kept moving around and looked uncomfortable. At the end of the service he was getting his gear together to ride off. I approached him and asked if he was okay. We chatted for a while and we wished him well before he rode off.
    We then went to the Penguin Beer Company, just a few metres away from the service - having a beer paddle to sample their product and hamburgers for lunch.
    Then it was off to Cradle Mountain - some amazing sites along the way - steep and winding roads.
    Tonight we went to see Tassy Devils and Spotted Quolls being fed... tomorrow we climb Cradle Mountain!    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    Day 13

    Journey to the Edge of the World

    April 24 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    Another day of driving through some breathtaking landscapes - from rainforest on the side of mountains to lush green hills filled with cows and out to the Edge of the World where the red jagged rocks cut through the thunderous waves as they roll in from Argentina.
    Overnight in Strahan there was heavy rainfall, but we awoke to blue skies. As we moved north we got to experience the true roaring 40s winds - so much so that the drone couldn’t handle some flights!
    The wind were so send that when we arrived in Stanley, the chairlift to the top of The Nut (a was not operating. We could have opted to walk to the top (143m) but we may well have been blown off!
    We headed an hour west to Arthur River, otherwise known as The Edge of the World - where it is the longest continuous stretch of water before hitting landfall - Argentina, some 20,000 km away. The rocks are jagged, the waves relentless and the beach and surrounds littered with driftwood from around the world.
    We headed back to our digs for the evening, a house with a spectacular view across to The Nut and the open water of Bass Straight - Victoria being on the otherside.    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    Day 12

    Franklin-Gordon Wild River National Park

    April 23 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Today we boarded another river cruise, but this one was a little bit different.
    We joined the Gordon River Cruises for a 6 hour cruise out through Devil's Gates into the Southern Ocean and then along the Franklin-Gordon River, into a World Heritage Area.
    We heard about the engineering to create a faster water flow to ensure that the mouth of the river didn't get silted up and the treacherous stories of the ships coming into the Harbour. The Harbour, which is larger than Sydney Harbour has very little industry around it - but one of the activities is fish farming, a big change from the days when the mighty Huon Pine was felled and floated downriver for milling.
    The Pine is a very slow growing tree, taking around 100 years to become around 20 centimetres thick. But it had great properties, including being resistant to rotting so it was almost harvested out of existence.
    We sailed into the Franklin-Gordon Wild River National Park, entering a UNESCO World Heritage area. As the diesel motors were cut and we went under electric power you could hear a chorus of bird song, including the Glossy Black Cockatoos.
    We stopped at an elevated boardwalk for a walk amongst the rainforest. We noticed so many of the smaller details of the rainforest, such as the mosses and fungi.
    Once back on board we had a smorgasbord lunch as the boat set sail for Sarah Island - the site of a former penal colony and one of the harshest to have existed in Tasmania (or anywhere else for that matter).
    We toured the island with Lyle from the Round Earth Theatre Company whom we had seen perform the night before.
    At the end of the tour the adults booked into 42º Restaurant for a smorgasbord of wonderful seafood, salads, hot food and deserts whilst the kids had chicken rolls and chaos back at the accommodation. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves that night!    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    Day 11

    Western Wilds

    April 22 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Today was a driving day, leaving Hobart and heading to Strahan.
    After a brief stop in Nee Norfolk to check lottery tickets (we didn’t win except for $3 on scratchies) e stopped at a picturesque spot along the banks of the Derwent River for a drone shot.
    We headed west along the Lyell Highway, with a detour along a dirt road (a shortcut) that took us through some amazing forestry regions - some native, some plantation.
    We arrived at Lake St Clair and had a very brief walk in the bush to the edge of the lake (you can walk all the way to Cradle Mountain). Taking a heap of photos of some of the finer details of the plants in the region, and one Black Currawong that was obviously up early!
    Just down the road is The Wall in the Wilderness. One man’s interpretation of Tasmania beautifully hand-carved in a beautiful shed. Unfortunately he also requests no photos, which is a shame… but google it!
    We set off again for Strahan, stopping to get a few photographs of a mountain (with glorious yellow vegetation in the foreground and clouds passing the peak) and spectacle waterfalls in rainforests. We walked along a swing bridge over the Franklin River.
    Driving through what is supposedly 99 bends, but felt like 999 bends we arrived at Queenstown, a copper mining town. The hills are denuded and sharp jagged rocks. A while ago I read about the first convict colony in Tasmania and the story of some of the convicts who tried to escape, having their clothes shredded by the bush and bodies cut up by the sharp rocks. Another indication as to how desperate some of the convicts became to escape their wretched time in Macquarie Harbour.
    In the evening we went to see The Ship That Never Was. A play based upon true events that has been showing for 30 years. A great show, with full audience participation.    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    Day 10

    Southern Edge

    April 21 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Today we headed south to Bruny Island - a short ferry ride across the D'Entrecasteaux Channel to the 362m2 landmass.
    There are two islands, joined by a narrow, sandy isthmus which has a lookout and memorial to Truganini, one of the last native speakers of the Tasmanian languages and one of the last individuals solely of Aboriginal Tasmanian descent.
    The isthmus is also home to a colony of Little Penguins. Michal was hopeful of seeing one and we managed to spot one which was hiding in its burrow.
    We made our way to Adventure Bay for a jet boat tour down the south coast, along the Bay of Islands, past Tasman Head and into the Great Southern Ocean to The Friars island group to watch seals with Pennicott Wilderness Adventures.
    We darted into and out of sea caves, shot between rocks (twice) and watched a “breathing” rock which sucked water in before spraying it out (and over us!)
    Once we started heading back we were facing the sun and going with the swell… perfect conditions for a quick snooze!
    Back on land we had a late lunch at the cafe.
    Michael had wanted to see one of the albino wallabies on the island (no doubt a result of inbreeding and no predators). We quickly searched the back roads (on advice of some locals) and found one in the distance but then another with an albino peacock!
    It was time to head home. We pulled into the chocolate shop and got way too much chocolate, then a beer, bread and cheese place just before they closed and finally “Get Shucked” for a very nice half dozen fresh oysters and a glass of Janz for Helen.
    With only one way on and off the island there was a queue of cars to board the ferry - it took us about an hour to get over (3 full
    ferries).
    Cheese for dinner tonight before packing to start our journey west tomorrow.    Read more

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