Tasmania

March 2017

A 16-day adventure by Jenny Read more

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- Mar 7, 2017
- ☀️ 19 °C
- Altitude: 126 m
- Australia Tasmania West Coast Queenstown Queenstown Airport -42.079323, 145.55445942°4’46” S 145°33’16” E
Day 1
Port Melbourne to Yolla
March 7, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
After mistakenly driving two different routes in Melbourne trying to get to Port Melbourne via Montague Street; finally, success the third time. First time had to cross the West Gate Bridge then return across it.
Well, we were in plenty of time to board and drove on to The Spirit of Tasmania almost as soon as the gates opened. Our cabin was great and we had views from our windows straight out to sea in the direction the ship was sailing.
Had breakfast at Maccas in Devonport then began our tour. First stop was a Bluff in Devonport with a quaint lighthouse and some viewing platforms for the bay. Neil Finn is doing a concert at the Bluff this week.
We tried to drive along the coast roads as much as we could.
The tourist info made claim to there being a BIG penguin in Penguin. Was expecting something on the scale of the Pineapple. Disappointing. Check size against me in photo.
We drove along the coast as far as Wynyard then backtracked a bit to go inland towards Queenstown. Yolla was a very small town with a big General Store.
After Yolla we drove through lots of tree plantations.Read more
Pat Treleaven Sounding good. Are you wearing the new cardigan you were knitting?
3/7/17Reply
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Traveler Tasmania
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- Mar 8, 2017, 4:00am
- 🌙 13 °C
- Altitude: 122 m
- Australia Tasmania West Coast Queenstown Queenstown Airport -42.079405, 145.55464242°4’46” S 145°33’17” E
Day 2
Driving to Queenstown
March 8, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
Some photos taken on way to Queenstown.
Tuesday 7th March 2017
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- Mar 8, 2017, 9:21pm
- 🌙 13 °C
- Altitude: 126 m
- Australia Tasmania West Coast Queenstown Queenstown Airport -42.079413, 145.55447142°4’46” S 145°33’16” E
Day 2
Queenstown Tours
March 8, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
We are staying at The Empire Hotel which is an ageing grand old hotel.
Today we embarked upon two tours; in the morning we caught the steam train and did the 'Rack and Gorge'.
In the afternoon we went on The Margaret River Hydro tour.
Both enjoyable and very informative.Read more
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- Mar 8, 2017, 9:34pm
- 🌙 13 °C
- Altitude: 122 m
- Australia Tasmania West Coast Queenstown Queenstown Airport -42.079456, 145.55473342°4’46” S 145°33’17” E
Day 2
Margaret River Hydro Tour
March 8, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
In a mountainous region just out of Queenstown the mining company set up a hydro power station to supply electricity to the mine and the surrounding towns in 1912.
The workers lived in company houses with free rent and amenities. (water and electricity)
The Margaret River settlement was populated until the 1980s.
Today you can see most of the houses that were built in 1920s.
The hydro station still runs today and is owned by the state. The power is fed into the grid.
Most of the pipes that carry the water downhill to the hydro electric power station are made of (local) Billy Pine wood.Read more
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- Mar 9, 2017, 9:23pm
- 🌙 16 °C
- Altitude: 64 m
- Australia Tasmania West Coast Strahan -42.153239, 145.34861742°9’12” S 145°20’55” E
Day 3
Queenstown, Zeehan and Strahan
March 9, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 16 °C
Today we toured around ourselves in the black Honda.
We drove to Gormanston; an old mining town which is now pretty much a collection of old deserted prefab houses. Then we drove to a stunning lookout area called Iron Blow Lookout. Took some great photos of Queenstown mining surrounds.
We turned around going back through Queenstown to drive first to Zeehan. It has definitely seen better days. There was a large museum there with an entry fee of $25 per adult. Too expensive!
Next stop Strahan, situated in Macquarie Harbour, would have to be the tourist capital of Tasmania's south west. We detoured to look at an ocean beach about 6km from Strahan. Beautiful.
In Strahan we visited The People's Park which had a walking track to Hogarth Falls. It was 40 minute round walking trip. Well worth doing. Easy walk with no steep bits at all.
Next we visited the Information Centre which was super busy with people booking accommodation, boat trips, helicopter flights and asking all things tourist. We paid only $2 to go into a museum attached to the Centre which had displays and information about the area's sad and seemingly violent history from the annihilation of the aboriginal population, the penal settlements on Sarah Island that made Port Arthur look like a luxury holiday Park, the decimation of the Huon Pine forests and the damming of the Lower Gordon River. The one heartening display was of the saving of the Franklin River.
Upon our return to Queenstown we celebrated our last night here with a counter meal in The Empire Hotel Dining Room.Read more
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- Mar 10, 2017, 4:55pm
- ☀️ 23 °C
- Altitude: 12 m
- Australia Tasmania Launceston East Launceston N T C A Ground -41.430428, 147.14695741°25’50” S 147°8’49” E
Day 4
The Empire Hotel Queenstown
March 10, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Just want to share some photos of a grand old lady.
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- Mar 11, 2017, 4:52pm
- ⛅ 22 °C
- Altitude: 13 m
- Australia Tasmania Launceston East Launceston N T C A Ground -41.430405, 147.14685141°25’49” S 147°8’49” E
Day 5
Launceston Day 1
March 11, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Yesterday we arrived in Launceston late afternoon. Settled in to our Airbnb cottage on Cimitiere street and walked to the shops to buy food and a tshirt for me. It has been very warm so far and of course I had packed cooler weather wear.
Today we headed off on foot and accomplished three tourist activities and at the same time happened across lovely parks and many historic buildings.
We began with a Pink heritage walking trail as per the 'Welcome to Launceston' booklet. Highlights were the synagogue, Prince's Square and the old churches.
Our second activity was taking a small River cruise on the Tamar River the South Esk and some of the Cataract Gorge. The Launceston Port has gone from being one of the busiest ports in the 1800s to being so silted up that its current depth is only about 5 metres.
Lastly we walked to The Queen Victoria Art Gallery.
A good collection of Tasmanian art including a painting of Queen Victoria herself.Read more
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- Mar 12, 2017, 5:17pm
- ☁️ 21 °C
- Altitude: 11 m
- Australia Tasmania Launceston East Launceston N T C A Ground -41.430405, 147.14677441°25’49” S 147°8’48” E
Day 6
Launceston Day 2
March 12, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Today we accomplished two tourist treks.
In the morning we drove to the Tamar Island Wetlands which is about 7 km north of Launceston. We went to the Interpretation Centre then traversed the 2 kilometres of boardwalk to a swamp paperbark forest, through reeds, over water courses and onto Tamar Island then back again, passing many wetland birds. On the island there had been European settlement in the 1800's. There were many old large European trees including old fruit trees. We spotted a black snake near the end of our walk.
The afternoon was spent at The Launceston Queen Victoria Museum. That was a 10 minute walk away from our cottage. The museum was housed in the old Launceston railway worships and yards. Of course there was an informative display about the Tasmanian tiger.
Well worth a visit. Both attractions were free.Read more
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- Mar 13, 2017, 7:46pm
- 🌙 19 °C
- Altitude: 45 m
- Australia Tasmania Glamorgan/Spring Bay Bicheno Lynes Point -41.87484, 148.294841°52’29” S 148°17’41” E
Day 7
Bicheno
March 13, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
Left Launceston at 9:30am and arrived in Bicheno at 4:30pm.
We made numerous stops en route:
Launceston for petrol
Scottsdale for morning tea
Derby for lunch and a museum fix ( old school )
Derby was teeming with young people and mountain bikes. So there were many trendy looking cafes to choose from. ( see photo ) Unlike many other country towns.
A Lookout ( only 100 metres off the road )
St Helens for Information Centre maps and an ice cream. Yes the weather has been very warm!
Tassie has so many hills and mountains.
At Airbnb accommodation for two nights - a chic shed conversion.Read more
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- Mar 14, 2017, 7:35pm
- 🌙 21 °C
- Altitude: 53 m
- Australia Tasmania Glamorgan/Spring Bay Bicheno Lynes Point -41.874994, 148.29475841°52’30” S 148°17’41” E
Day 8
Nature World Bicheno
March 14, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
Today we spent the most part of the day at Nature World. It's a nature park dedicated to saving the Tassie Devil, the eastern quoll and the spotted quoll from extinction and providing a haven for other Australian animals. The park is set next to the sea and is quite extensive. There are mainly Australian animals on display. Those animals that can't be released into the bush and animals that need their populations boosting are kept at the park. They have two wedge tailed eagles on display in an open enclosure. They can't fly because their wings are injured. We went to various enclosures at certain times where the park guide Leo fed, handled and talked about the park and the animals. Found out that sugar gliders are not native to Tasmania. They think introduced in the 1880s. The road kill is much more prevalent in the eastern part of the state. It seems many of the parks animals have come from wildlife carers. It's a really well run park considering they get no government funding.
We ate a home cooked lunch in the cafe. Delicious.
Later in the day Neville and I walked from our shed accommodation to the beach. Very windy with cloud rolling in from the sea across the mountain tops.
Atmospheric.Read more
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