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Tasmania - April 2024Tasmania - April 2024
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A 17-day adventure by Daniel & McDermotts Travel Oz Read more
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  • Tasmania - April 2024
    Day 1

    Gundagai

    April 12 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Whilst the kids were at the last day of school for Term 1 we prepared for the trip to meet the Spirit of Tasmania in Geelong.
    The car has been decked out with tour stickers and the quintessential Jack Jumpers membership sticker (the JJs are in their third season and are the 23/24 NBL Champions).
    Our plans to leave when the kids got home from school didn’t go to plan, but we eventually fitted in all our gear and the four of us piled into the car (and a squadron of mosquitoes) and headed for Gundagai for the first leg of our trip.    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    1
    Day 2

    Geelong

    April 13 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today we drove from Gundagai to Geelong. 920 odd kilometres since we left home and we come across our third set of traffic lights in Geelong!
    Arriving in Geelong at 2:30pm we needed to kill time until 9:30pm to board the Spirit of Tasmania - which was late coming into port. We’re expected to board at 11pm.
    We spent the afternoon along the waterfront, which has some curious art installations.
    We had a late lunch at a cafe where nearby a helicopter did 4 minute joy flights for $95. The sweet potato fries were great but was nothing compared to Fiona’s cupcake.
    A walk up and down the wharf before we decided for an early dinner. Not being too hungry we decided on a Mexican restaurant where the paella wasn’t too bad.
    With little else to do we headed to the wharf early to line up for the Spirit of Tasmania - it seems that everyone else was keen too!
    We boarded just before 11pm but it wasn’t until after midnight we set sail as we stood outside on the deck with a drink to toast the start of the Tassy adventure!    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    Day 3

    Devonport to Bay of Fires

    April 14 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We had a fairly smooth ride across on the Spirit of Tasmania. At some stage during the night there was some swell but it wasn't too bad.
    Arriving in Devonport at around 10:30 we headed to Launceston to visit Cateract Gorge. But before we got there we pulled into the Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm Cafe where we picked up a couple of cups of berries before continuing onto the Gorge. The berries were delicious!
    Arriving at the Gorge we found a rather tranquil park with a 50 metre swimming pool, chairlift and bushland.
    We headed over on the chairlift before exploring some of the trails. We walked quietly so as to not spook the wildlife and was rewarded with a lot of birds and skinks and the occasional wallaby.
    We headed into Launceston for a quick late lunch before heading off to Bay of Fires for the next few days. We're sharing a house with the McDermotts - bit of an upgrade from caravans!    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    Day 4

    Bay of Fires

    April 15 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    A busy day of driving around North East Tasmania.
    We headed off to Eddystone lighthouse - an interesting structure but is dwarfed by the alluring rocks nearby and the white sand beaches to the south.
    We explored the rocks for a while before heading to the Little Blue Lake - a former tin mine with the water blue from the aluminium in the water (it isn’t safe to swim in)!
    A drive through some scenic rainforests and over some impressively large mountains we arrived at Pyengana Dairy for lunch and then a little down the road we shared a beer with Priscilla, the beer drinking pig at the Pub in the Paddock.
    About 5km further down the road was the St Columba Falls - a 90 metre drop with rainforest surrounding. Scrambling over rocks we found some different angles to photograph from.
    About half an hour drive back to our accommodation, but we scouted a few locations for another morning shoot, but decided to check them from the air instead.    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    Day 5

    Bicheno

    April 16 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Last year we were in Cervantes, Western Australia where we snorkelled with Sea Lions and sat down to have a seafood platter at Lobster Shack. Today, we're in Bicheno and found our way to the east coast version of Lobster Shack.
    We had booked a table, something they don't normally do, (just like the Cervantes version) and ordered the seafood platter. So how'd they rate? The atmosphere in Cervantes was much better, but the lobster and the prawns were far better in Tassy!
    We had a few stops on the way to Lobster Shack to take in the view of the north east coast of Tasmania, looking out into the abyss of the Tasman Sea.    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    Day 6

    Binalong Bay to Carlton

    April 17 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Today we bid farewell to the North Eastern corner of Tasmania - an area characterised by the large coastal rocks with red lichen, contrasting the fine white sand and blue waters.
    Nearby to Binalong Bay is Saint Helens - the nearest town centre. It seemed fitting and possibly wishful thinking that Helen should get a lottery ticket before we left (so far Michael scratches up $3, but the million dollar draw is tomorrow night!)
    Driving south we went to Freycinet National Park where we trekked the 3km to the lookout for an amazing view. The water below looked tempting with the idyllic turquoise water and white sands, but the 1000 steps down (and same back) was not enticing!
    Whilst in the park we also went to Sleepy Bay where we saw Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoos and Cape Tourville lighthouse, where we came across a very friendly Bennet’s Wallaby.
    After a quick stop in Coles Bay for lunch, we continued south, stopping at Milton Cellar door and the Spiky Bridge as we drove past many sheep filled paddocks, vineyards and beaches.
    We arrived just on evening in Carlton for our second stopover, but after a long day we decided to go to Dodges Ferry Hotel for dinner.
    One thing we really want to experience whilst in Tasmania is the Aureus Australis - the Southern lights. Last night, whilst we had rain overnight in Binalong Bay, the rest of Tasmania apparently experience an amazing show. So tonight we ventured to Carlton Surf Club and posted the lens southward. A few experiments and we were able to capture a very small and insignificant aureus… we hope for more during the week!    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    Day 7

    Port Arthur

    April 18 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    Today we travelled to Port Arthur, the site of one of Australia’s harshest penal
    settlements- Van Diemens land has a worse one in Macquarie Harbour before.
    The settlement operated between 1830 and 1877, the same time period that my Great great great grandmother was also a convict in the Cascade Women’s Factory.
    Her son-in-law, Matt Higgins was a guard in Hobart gaol in 1877. In 1916 he wrote “The majority of those prisoners were quite harmless, and if one only gave them a kind word they were pleased. Most of them were transported from England, Ireland, and Scotland for very tritling offences, such as shooting a hare or a rabbit on some rich man's land, or a row at a fair, or a brawl in a public house, for which at the present day a light penalty is inflicted. For these offences they were sent out to one of the penal settlements in Australia. It is a mistake to be too severe on prisoners, as it only makes men more hardened and more difficult to reform afterwards. I don’t believe any man could be reformed by cruelty, and very often an act of leniency has a good effect upon them. The prisoners who were removed from Port Arthur did not like the change, as they had more freedom there, and those of industrious habits often saved money that was allowed them for growing vegetables.”
    Knowing that family walked the same streets 150 years ago makes Tasmania just a little more interesting.    Read more

  • Tasmania - April 2024
    Day 8

    MONA

    April 19 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    This morning we headed into Hobart to catch the ferry to MONA - the Museum of Old and New Art.
    But before that we tried to see the old Hobart Gaol (Convict Penitentiary). We parked next to TCA Ground in Glebe, high on top of a hill and started to walk down to Hobart town. As we walked it seemed familiar. A quick search and we were one street away from one of the houses of Matthew Higgins (c. 1914) in Service St. So we walked there first.
    Then onto the Gaol, but it was only booked tours and we didn’t have time today. The Gaol is on the corner of Brisbane Rd which also has one of Matthew’s homes (c.1931). We walked the length of the street to find it!
    Afterwards we found a fantastic cafe on Argyle St before joining the others for the ferry to MONA.
    MONA was interesting. A bit unsettling. Very much confusing. And in some circumstances, makes one question what is art and what is social commentary or a science experiment. Claire loved it. It grew on Michael.
    Afterwards we went to The Drunk Admiral for a seafood platter.
    Returning home I noticed that the Aurora indicators were going off. Despite the overcast weather we headed out and caught just a glimpse of colour.    Read more

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