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Michelle CreasyMichelle Creasy
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  • Michelle CreasyTasmania 2023
    111111
    Day 20

    Tahune Air Walk

    November 8, 2023 in Australia

    Having driven all the sealed roads on Bruny Island I headed for the ferry. Like yesterday I saw it leaving as I arrived and was once again first in line. Unlike yesterday the wait was only about 10 minutes.

    I’d been undecided about what to do today and ended up heading to Huonville. There actually wasn’t a lot in Huonville and I had plenty of time so I made the drive out to the Tahune Air Walk which is on the Huon river. The drive from Huonville along the Huon river was very picturesque.

    I got there in time for a guided walk through the Huon pines. I’ve heard a lot about these trees throughout this trip and for such a remarkable tree it looks extremely unremarkable. A fire went through the area in 2019 and while the visitor centre and the area surrounding it was spared there was a lot of evidence of damage.
    The walk took about an hour, longer than I had expected. From there I did the actual air walk. I was the only person on each part of the the walk while I was there. There were others two sections ahead. I’m glad there weren’t a lot of other people, it was bouncy enough with just me. It has been cloudy most of the morning and rained a bit while I did the Huon pine walk. Just as I got to the beginning of the air walk it started to rain big fat heavy drops. It was still quite warm though so I started the walk. It stopped about half way round. Towards the end there is a part that sticks out (counter lever) and that was extra bouncy. As I walked out there I heard a voice yell “jump” and looked down to see a couple who had already done the walk. I couldn’t resist giving a little jump and the whole section did move quite a bit.
    As I walk the last section I could hear thunder. I wasn’t anxious to be on a metal structure in a thunderstorm so hurried to the end. I was met by a staff member who was there to lock the gate to the structure do the danger of lightning. Apparently the structure has been hit by lightning in the past. They had a golf buggy and offered me a lift down. There was a couple there who had walked all the way to the top to start the walk only to have it shut when they got there. They are staying in the area for a couple of days so will go back tomorrow for another go.

    The storm hit as I was driving back to Huonville, lots of lightning and heavy rain. It only got heavier as I headed towards Hobart. That was a long drive as I hit peak hour traffic. I’m staying near the airport so had to come through the centre of Hobart.
    Tomorrow I fly to Melbourne for a few days. Catching up with family and friends.    Read more

  • Michelle CreasyTasmania 2023
    111
    Day 19

    Bruny Island

    November 7, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Possibly unfair to Bruny Island but I think it’s probably the least spectacular place I’ve visited in Tasmania.

    After a stop at the Tasman Arch on the Tasman Peninsula I made my way to Kettering which is where the ferry to Bruny Island is located. It usually runs every 20 minutes but the next one after the 12:10 is 12:50 as they break for lunch. I arrived at 12:11pm. So I had time for some lunch - seafood chowder which has been occurring on menus recently.
    I was first on the ferry and thus first off. The trip was quick and uneventful.
    First stop on Bruny Island was Get Shucked. Before this trip I would have said I could eat 2 oysters at a time. Several times this trip I’ve had half a dozen as that was the minimum number. These ones had a trio of toppings, two tomato based and one cream sauce, the two tomato based ones were nice. I felt for the two blokes who where in the kitchen shucking oyster after oyster.
    Next up was Bruny Island Cheese. They make raw cheeses there and they tasted good. It was too busy to chat to though.

    The neck is a very narrow strip of land separating north and south Bruny Island. It’s home to shearwater birds and penguins.
    I had intended to drive down to the lighthouse but hadn’t done my research and realised that the road was a gravel road (forbidden to my hire car). So I drove down to Adventure Bay and walked along the beach. That was the end of the bitumen road so I turned around and headed for Alonnah which is where I am staying. My accommodation is surrounded by bush and there are wallabies in the bush. I’ve seen a few.
    I had dinner at Hotel Bruny and then followed this bitumen road until it ran out. It was after 7:30 at this stage and lots of wallabies out. There was no one else on the road so I was able to drive at about 30km/hr, giving me plenty of time to stop for wallabies.
    Being a small area with not many attractions means Bruny Island feels crowded compared to other places I’ve seen. Tomorrow is my last full day in Tasmania, still not sure what I’m going to do.    Read more

  • Michelle CreasyTasmania 2023
    111
    Day 18

    Port Arthur

    November 6, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    I visited the Port Arthur historic site today. There’s a walk from my accommodation to the site along the water so I walked there. I didn’t factor how much walking I’d do when there and ended up walked just 500 steps less than the day I spent at Cradle Mountain.
    It was a pleasant walk, punctuated by lots of rustling in the bushes. I did see a pademelon.
    They’ve done a good job preserving the site but it’s the photos on display that really show just how busy the site was during the time it was a convict settlement.
    I did the complementary boat tour and as it was such a nice day we went out towards the mouth of the harbour and then around the Isle of the Dead. I declined to do any of the extra tours available. I didn’t want to hear about deaths and ghosts. I did catch a couple of the free talks though and they were interesting.

    I walked back for a late lunch and then a rest. I had originally panned to eat lunch at the site and make my own dinner. There was no food open at Port Arthur so I ate my dinner for lunch. The only food I have left is cheese. There wasn’t much open around here for dinner either but I did find a takeaway. I went for a drive out to Nubeena than back to Eaglehawk Neck. I had a bit of trouble finding the dog line which was a line of dogs across the narrow stretch of land there. Another couple were also looking for it. We eventually found it. The statue wasn’t exactly cute but the dogs were to deter convicts from escaping.    Read more

  • Michelle CreasyTasmania 2023
    111
    Day 17

    The Inland Route to Port Arthur

    November 5, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    I hadn’t had a chance to visit Richmond earlier in my trip so today was a good opportunity to visit. It meant taking the inland route down to Port Arthur.
    The route is full of convict and colonial buildings and history.

    First stop was Campbell Town. There I found a statue of Eliza Furlong who walked though Saxony in 1828-30 buying merino sheep. I first heard about her earlier in the year when I read Ming and Hilde Lead A Revolution by Jackie French.
    Campbell Town was a garrison town linking Hobart and Launceston. It contains a convict built red brick bridge which is the oldest surviving brick arch bridge in Australia. There is also a red brick line with details of convicts on each bridge.
    The park by the bridge has 3 trees with carvings depicting Campbell Town history.

    Ross was up next, I stopped at the bakery. Then onto Oatlands where I checked out the old mill.

    Richmond was interesting and obviously very old. Most of the buildings along the Main Street were old. I went to the Old Hobart Town model village. It was interesting to compare it what I saw in Hobart.

    From there I drove down to Port Arthur which is where I am for the next two nights.    Read more

  • Michelle CreasyTasmania 2023
    Day 16

    Wineglass Bay

    November 4, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Another beautiful day here. I went on a boat cruise around to Wineglass Bay. The sea was quite flat and the sailing smooth apart from about 1/2 hour on the way back.
    I met another female solo traveller, poor woman sprained her ankle on her first day. She was happy to have someone to chat to and compare notes with, as was I.

    There was a lot to see on the way there. Numerous beaches and rock formations. We were lucky enough to see seals on rocks and had one frolic in front of the boat while we were stationary watching for whales. We saw glimpses of whales and dolphins. We also saw various birds including a white bellied sea eagle, an albatross, black faced cormorants and mutton birds.
    We only spent a short time at Wineglass Bay as the skipper wanted to get to calmer waters before we had lunch.
    Lunch was lovely. We stopped at Passage beach and had chairs brought out to the back deck and sat in the sun. My new friend doesn’t eat seafood so I swapped my ham and pastrami for salmon and smoked salmon. I got the better deal.

    After the cruise ended I came back to my accommodation to read some more of my book before going to explore Honeymoon Bay. Of all the bays around here it is probably the least pretty bay. It was secluded and would be a nice place to swim though.    Read more

  • Michelle CreasyTasmania 2023
    111111
    Day 15

    Down the coast

    November 3, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    I only had to travel 116km today and google maps said it should take 1 1/2 hours. It took me over 5. Nothing out of the ordinary, that’s just how I like to travel. I stopped at a couple of bays on the way down then saw a sign for the “famous Elephant pass”. I like a good mountain pass so I drove up the mountain. Turns out I didn’t read the sign correctly and it was for the the famous elephants pass pancake place. Well I don’t eat pancakes and it apparently closed several years ago. I kept going to St Marys then as there wasn’t really an alternative that would take me further out of my way I turned around and went back down. It was a picturesque drive with most of the road winding up/down the mountain. There wasn’t anywhere to stop and take photos though.

    I continued on to Bicheno. Had lunch at The Lobster Shack which has been recommended by the guy in the boat yesterday. From there I went to the Bicheno Blowhole. It’s doesn’t produce a huge spout but it is frequent. I had planned to walk along the foreshore but at least part of it was on rocks and you were meant to follow yellow arrows on the rocks. Also it was freezing.

    So I continued onto Coles Bay which is my base for the next two nights. The constant travel is starting to catch up with me. I usually try to half a half day per week when I rest rather than go out. I haven’t done that this trip and I can feel it. I had a nap in my cabin and then set out for a couple of walks as I hadn’t done much walking today. The receptionist at checkin pointed out two easy walks to me. The first was Cape Tourville where there is a lighthouse. The walk was indeed easy although extremely windy. Lovely views around to Wineglass Bay.
    Next I went down to the start of the Wineglass Bay Lookout walk. The information boards listed it as moderate to difficult. So I went down to the beach instead and walked along there. I did see an Aboriginal midden. There are apparently a lot in this area and they are protected.    Read more

  • Michelle CreasyTasmania 2023
    1
    1111
    Day 14

    Bay of Fires

    November 2, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Yesterday’s beautiful weather disappeared as the cloud came in today. It was cool but no rain.
    This area is the Bay of Fires so named by the English navigator who saw the fires the local aboriginal people had set to manage the flora and fauna of the area. I did a boat tour of the various small bays. The boat was a small one, not a jet boat but similar in style. I don’t think I will be going on a jet boat soon. No sea sickness though which is good (I did take medication just in case).

    The bays all have brilliant white sands, turquoise water and orange covered rocks.
    Further out the sea was a dark inky blue. We took it slowly in the bays and fast between the bays. There were only 5 of us on the boat (plus the skipper and tour guide) and I was glad I didn’t have to worry about the person in from as I gripped the seat in front of me. On the way back we went straight across the water and it was rough, bouncing up and down. It was also really cold. They provided us with jackets and the neck gaiter I bought at Cradle Mountain came in very handy.
    We did see two seals on the way back. One of the other tourists spotted them. I have no idea how given the speed we were going and the colour of the water. They froliced around the boat for a few minutes.

    I went to Pyengana Dairy for some lunch and cheese tasting. They make chedder cheese there. Out the back is the milking shed. It’s all automated with the cows coming in for milking whenever they want. They wear a tag that records all the details of the milking for each cow. Very interesting process to watch.

    I took a look around St Helens then returned to Binalong Bay to see the bays from the land. This evening I took another walk around the sanctuary. The walk last night was better. I did spot several superb fairy wrens and native hens than are also known as turbo chooks as they run around like crazy.    Read more

  • Michelle CreasyTasmania 2023
    11111
    Day 13

    Bays and Birds

    November 1, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Another travel day. I definitely prefer staying three nights rather than two in each place. I don’t know which places I would have left out though to accommodate that.
    I had no real plan for the day except to drive to St Helens around the coast. The coastline is absolutely beautiful. First stop was Georgetown lookout. This overlooks Georgetown and Low Head. Thanks to some locals at the lookout I was able to see Burnie. The lookout used to be part of a semaphore relay system that announced ship arrivals to Hobart. The signals from Georgetown were passed onto Mt Direction.

    On the way to Bridestowe Lavender Farm I came across a sign pointing to Fork To Farm. I saw them at the Farmgate Markets in Hobart and purchased products from them so called in and bought some smallgoods and a serve of wallaby pie filling. I had this for tea and it was delicious.
    It’s not lavender flower season but the lavender farm was still pretty. It would be gorgeous during flowering season.

    Bridport is on the coast and the start of the amazing coastline. The sea is turquoise and the rocks extraordinary. I had lunch at a little cafe there. The Facebook group I’m in for travelling in Tasmania and where I’ve sourced a lot of information has mentioned scallop pies frequently, often comparing different pies. So I finally tried one. This was a curried scallop pie and it was good. Would I have another? Probably not but I’m glad I tried one.

    I followed the coast around to Tomahawk and that is another beautiful bay. If I’d brought my bathers with me and it was 10 degrees warmer I would have been tempted to go for a swim. From there I wanted to head to Mount William National Park which is on the north east tip of Tasmania. The road was a bit rough though so I turned around. This happened to me several times today with the road starting out sealed and smooth and deteriorating to what I assume is a gravel road in Tasmania although it’s nothing like a gravel road from WA. The road from Bridestowe Lavendar Farm to Bridport was particularly rough.
    One of the sealed roads brought me past Little Blue Lake, a vivid lake whose colouring is caused by the minerals (from mining) in the lake.

    Eventually I found my way onto the Tasman Highway and onto St Helens. I’m staying at a bird sanctuary. The property has previously been a farm and a golf course. After unpacking I went for a walk to see how many birds I could identify. The accommodation provides binoculars and a guide to the birds. The ones I saw that were easy to identify include black swans, pelicans, magpies, green parrots and ducks. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to see more tomorrow.    Read more

  • Michelle CreasyTasmania 2023
    11111111
    Day 12

    Platypus World and Cataract Gorge

    October 31, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    The second reason for coming to Low Head was Platypus World (the first being penguins). While I have looked for platypuses in the wild I haven’t seen any. This was the next best thing. It’s a rescue centre for monotremes. I learnt quite a bit about platypuses. Their food needs to be alive for them to find it as they close their eyes under water. It’s extremely difficult to breed platypuses in captivity. We saw one male and several females.

    The echidnas were very cute. It’s hard to tell the difference between the sexes and when Eddie and Edwina arrived they got it wrong. So Edwina is male and Eddie is female. The third echidna is a male Thomas. We saw them have a meal of bugs. I didn’t realise they had such long tongues (about 20cm).

    From Platypus World I could go north east along the coast or down to Launceston to see Cataract Gorge. I chose the later. After a quick lunch on the river I did a boat cruise on the Tamar River/Cataract Gorge. The Tamar River isn’t actually a river, it’s an estuary which means it is tidal and has tides of 4.2m. We went down the Tamar river and then up the Cataract Gorge as far as we could go.
    From there I went up to the first basin which is a lovely area which a chair lift and suspension bridge. I did the basin walk which took me over the bridge.

    Next up was Trevallyn Dam which is on the same river system. The South Esk river is home to eels who migrate between it and Queensland. An eel bypass has been added to the dam wall to try and prevent the eels being caught up in the dam turbine although there is debate as to how well it works.

    A nice drive on the east of the Tamar river bought me back to my accommodation.    Read more

  • Michelle CreasyTasmania 2023
    11111
    Day 11

    A day in the dark

    October 30, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    I woke to lots of rain but no snow on Cradle Mountain. It made me aware just how lucky I’d been with the weather yesterday. It was a day for indoor activities so I set off for the Mole Creek Caves.

    Not long after I’d started the low pressure light for the tyres came on. There wasn’t a lot I could do except check to see if I had a flat tyre as there were no service stations around to check the pressure. I know from the work cars that these warning lights can be very sensitive and finically. Every time I stopped I checked the tyres and couldn’t even tell which type was likely to be low. At some point the warning light went off.

    I got to the Mole Creek Caves in time for a tour of the Marakoopa cave. It was really interesting, a bit tight in a couple of places but really interesting formations. There were also glow worms in the cave.

    I stopped off at the Mole Creek Hotel for lunch. It is very Tasmanian Tiger themed and very much a country pub serving good food.

    From there I made my way to Low Head which is at the mouth of the Tamar River. The main reason for coming here is penguins and platypuses. The penguins were tonight. I was worried about the wind but apparently the three things you need for good penguin sightings are high tide, dark night and the wind coming in from the Bass Strait. We had the wind. The wind makes it easier for the penguins to communicate. The high tide makes it easier to get up the beach and the dark night means less predators although they don’t have many predators at Low Head as there is a fenced reserve for them. There was 9 of us on the tour and we saw 5 groups of 10-20 penguins over the space of an hour. It was definitely worth the cold weather. I added a neck gaiter to my cold weather gear yesterday. I can wear it in a variety of ways but it’s to cover my face.

    Platypuses are tomorrow.    Read more

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