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    • TravelerKen And Joy's Big Adventure
      2
      Day 51

      Wed 24 Jan. Launceston Tasmania

      January 24 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

      We arrived in Hobart Tuesday afternoon and had an overnight stop in New Norfolk. The b and b was old fashioned but there was a lovely pub nearby. From the front it didn't look great but had a good restaurant at the back with lovely views over the Derwent Valley.

      Drove to Launceston today, with a stop at a fruit farm for a very nice raspberry and boysenberry ice cream.

      We had high hopes for this Airbnb and it hasn't disappointed, a beautiful apartment in the Tamar Valley nestled in a vineyard with an absolutely amazing view off the balcony and a wallaby or two that visit at 5pm to be fed. She said if you shouted Wally they come hopping out and to feed them bread, so that kept us amused for a good while. This one will linger long in our memory I think.

      Joy had a lesson in how to pronounce the names of the towns we are visiting by the amused friendly butcher we bought our steak from, as we were saying them all wrong. Then barbie Ken cooked them .      Read more

    • Tasmania & New Zealand
      Day 15

      Launceston - we had a problem

      February 27 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      So the electrics issue may have been a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things, but getting it sorted was a major headache. I said a company shows their true colours when they have to fix an issue. I could rant, rage and weep* on this post over the way THL, who oversee the vans, dealt with our issue, but I’ll save that for my complaint comms 🫤

      It took 24 hours for an angel, real name Steve from LES to arrive and fix the fault. LES’s efficiency have been the polar opposite of THLs 😠

      Our new best friend was able to switch out the errant thingymajig and we’re up and running again. It took him 20 mins.

      Col, an excellent problem solver himself, worked out the issue earlier, so was able to point Steve in the right direction.

      Hopefully that’s our drama done and dusted for this trip😬🤞🏻🫤

      * have done all three today      Read more

    • Adventuring Down Under
      Day 54

      CMNP: Picture Postcard Perfect

      February 3 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

      CMNP — officially Cradle Mountain-Lake Clair National Park — is Tasmania’s iconic park. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site … in the midst of 1.4 million hectares of wilderness. When thinking about that number, keep in mind that all of Tasmania is approximately 6.81 million hectares, of which nearly 49% is forested. Plans are ongoing to conserve and protect even more land as monies become available and opportunities present themselves.

      The landscape at CMNP is alpine in nature … described in the brochure as “rugged peaks, windswept moors, glacial lakes and tarns, and deep gorges clothed in tall, ancient forests.”

      Private vehicles are only allowed to enter CMNP before the shuttle buses start operating at 8:00a … and again after they stop at 6:00p. The problem in the morning is that if too many cars enter, the sensor shuts down the gate and a light starts flashing. One has to then wait … and wait … and wait for a vehicle to exit and the light to go steady before being granted access. And then 8:00a comes around … and well, you’re out of luck.

      Our time at CMNP is supposed to be for “taking it easy.” Meaning, we aren’t rushing off to do this, that, and everything. No early morning wake up just to drive into the park either. Instead, we picked up shuttle tickets to use at our leisure.

      When we jiggled our plans after our Enchanted Walk, we initially thought to move the hike planned for tomorrow to today. “Nah,” we thought to ourselves once we got to Dove Lake. Just a short hike today would suffice … more of a stroll down to the Dove Lake Boat Shed for the postcard shots the ranger at the Visitor Center had recommended.

      What a difference I. The weather conditions today from when we popped over to Dove Lake yesterday after dinner. Where the surface of the lake was ruffled with white caps then, it was flat calm with only the occasional ripple today. Where the freezing temps had us shivering then, we were debating taking off our outer layers today. Where iconic Cradle Mountain was veiled by mist and starting to wear its cloud cloak then, it was “out” and the air was crystal clear today. Indeed, picture postcard perfect!

      After enjoying our brief sojourn into the park, we returned to the lodge for lunch at the Tavern and a relaxing afternoon in the cabin. And a few chores … namely, re-balancing the weight in our checked bags for our flight out to the mainland on the 6th.

      And then, off to visit with some carnivores!      Read more

    • TravelerAustralien Roadtrip
      Day 10

      Day 3 - Cradle Mountain

      February 2, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

      Auch heute war es wieder unglaublich regnerisch und kalt. Lisa und ich haben den starken Nachtteil, dass wir als Backpacker nur sehr wenig Kleidung mit uns herumschleppen und demzufolge auch erst recht keine gute Ausrüstung für kalte Tage haben. Somit müssen wir stattdessen 5 Schichten übereinander tragen. Heute ging es auf den höchsten Berg von Tasmanien. Gili aus unserer Gruppe wollte diesen unbedingt auf einem achtstündigen Wander-/Kletterpfad trotz des absurden Wetters besteigen. Wir anderen drei blieben aber für ein paar Stunden erstmal in einem Café zum aufwärmen und machten dann nur eine kleine Wanderung für zwei Stunden durch eine Landschaft zwischen den Bergen. Dieser Ort ist normalerweise für die vielen Wombats hier bekannt, jedoch konnten wir leider keine sehen, da es ja geregnet hat. Dennoch eine unglaublich tolle Landschaft!

      Am Abend ging es dann noch zu einer etwas bekannteren Stadt namens Devonport, die Bilder und der Bericht von dort folgen aber erst im nächsten Beitrag😉      Read more

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    • Australia tripAustralia Trip
      Day 61

      Wallaby et Cie

      February 4, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

      Hello les amis 👋🏼
      Ce matin, nous avons fait un grand nettoyage de printemps dans notre nouvelle maison.
      Nous sommes allés dans un sanctuaire de wallabies semi-libres, de diables de Tasmanie, de wombats, de Qualls et de grands faucons.
      Comme des enfants nous avons nourri les wallabies, c'était un moment magique de pouvoir les caresser et d'être si proche d'eux.
      Avant de rentrer à la ferme, nous sommes allés à Meander (heureusement que nous avions un 4x4) car l’accès était pas mal compliqué. C'était un point de vue magnifique et nous avons marqué notre passage en Tasmanie sur la roche.      Read more

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    • TravelerÜsi Australiäreis 22/23
      1
      Day 42

      Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary

      January 19, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      Da mir üs scho glii uf diversi Wanderigä begäbä, wei mir vorbereitet si, drum si mir hüt i Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary gangä zum chli öbbis über d Tasmanischi Tüüflä z lernä. O di Tour isch wieder mau sehr ufschlussriich gsi u mir hei ä huufä glernt. U mir hei mau ä sones Tüüfeli dörfä striichelä. Erstuunlicherwiis isch z fälli vo denä mega fiin u weich 😃

      Näbscht Tüüfeli hei mir onu Wombat (dörfä striichelä 😍), Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Spotted-tail Quoll, Eastern Quoll, Potoroo, Kookaburra u nu ganz viu angeri Vögel gseh. Umä gha häts aber nu jehnschti angeri tasmanischi Tier, wo mir aber leider nid gseh hei. U vom Pademelon hei mir leider nur 1/4 gseh, wo grad dä Tüüfeli gfüetteret wordä isch 🤦🏼‍♀️

      Aaschliessend si mir nu id Melita Honey Farm 🍯 gangä. Dert het mä 40 verschiednigi Honig chönnä probierä, unger angerem Himbeer-Honig, Mandel-Honig, Manuka-Honig, Schoggie-Honig, Chili-Honig u nu ä huufä angeri. Di meischtä si aber nid so nach üsem gschmack gsi 😬 Zum probierä hei mir ä Nougat-Stängel kouft mit tasmanischem Honig, wo mir bedi würk sehr gärn gha hei.
      Ds Ambiente i derä Honey Farm isch aber super gsi, mä het aues becho dert, eifach i Bienli-Art . Usserdäm hets im Ladä innä nu äs eigets Biendli-Volk gha, womä chli het chönnä beobachtä.

      Ufem heiwäg hei mir nu ä churzä Zwüschästopp in Deloraine gmacht, wo mir si äs Kaffee gah trinkä.
      Jetzt si mir üser Köffer 🧳 wieder am packä, wüu morn geiz de richtig Ost-Küste 😎      Read more

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    • TravelerTime out!
      Day 53

      Just one more 🤭

      February 8 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

      It was a bright and sunny day when I looked out of the window this morning - thus a perfect day for one more hike ⛰️😆🥾
      Since I had to go back to Launceston today anyways I picked a summit on the way and hiked Mount Roland. I actually thought about doing this hikes 3 times now, so today was the day. 😀
      There are 2 ways up to the top...a longer and slightly elevated one, and a shorter but steeper one. I guess it's pretty clear which one I went for 😅
      It was a good hike, actually steeper than I thought it'd be, with a couple of rocks to boulder and a steady incline for almost 2 hours. But I really enjoyed it 😊 and the view was good as well, so it's been worth it! 🤩
      Full of motivation I continued to Mount Vandyke, which wasn't very special, and then headed back down.
      I was so happy about doing the hike, distracted by the surrounding and wrapped up in my thoughts that I almost missed the signs for a date with the man with the hammer 🔨 🥴 Luckily I still had some fruit in my backpack which saved me from being all to weak-kneed on the way down 👍🏼
      Really liked to have a longer (5h) and a bit challenging hike this time! 🥰
      Afterwards just drove back to Launceston, checked in to another capsule hostel & did some planning for my time in Australia 😊

      Soundtrack of the day:
      To the mountains - Lizzy McAlpine
      https://open.spotify.com/track/4jLxibvYRtzEAiTD…      Read more

    • Adventuring Down Under
      Day 51

      Launceston, TAS

      January 31 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 75 °F

      One of the reasons we’ve been traveling such short distances on the road in Tasmania is the descriptions we read about spectacular scenery along what is described as the Eastern Drive.

      The scenery is indeed breathtaking in many places. But you only see it if you go off the road. Yes, we’ve done that … and enjoyed every bit of it. But driving through bushland in between those sights has meant that we’ve not dallied as much on the road. Especially today.

      Yes, we could have stayed in St Helens as we had originally planned. Instead, once we left the Bay of Fires earlier than anticipated, we decided to continue on to our next stop to give ourselves a two-night stay in one place instead of two one night stays on the road. Even better, the new plan would give us more sightseeing time in the Launceston area … with the possibility of adding a few places that we had to drop from our original itinerary.

      Thus we took the Tasman Highway to the Midland Highway to drive through the heartland of Tasmania. Arriving around 4:30p, we got ourselves settled into our room at the hotel at Country Club Tasmania in Prospect Vale … a rural/residential locality of Launceston … conveniently located for our sightseeing needs … and not in need of a “refresh” like some of the hotels we’ve stayed in recently.

      Launceston is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy … one of 50 around the world. It has been recognized as such for “… Northern Tasmania’s unique paddock-to-plate culture” and the city’s “… role as the region’s gourmet hub.”

      That, of course, set the bar high for tonight’s dinner at the Terrace Kitchen, the restaurant at the Country Club.

      We were not disappointed. It was all delicious — from the Tasmanian Oysters Kilpatrick … wrapped in crispy pancetta and served with a Worcestershire dressing; to the prawn & ginger dumplings … with kimchie kewpie mayo; to Wagyu beef ravioli fritti … with red capsicum salsa, chili oil, and parmesan shavings; to Tasmanian trout … served on a bed of pearl barley and summer pea risotto with a drizzle of burnt butter sauce. No room for dessert, I’m afraid!

      Now to get a goodnight’s rest.      Read more

    • Around the World
      2
      Day 119

      Scouts in the rainforest

      January 6, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

      Cradle Mountain —> Mole Creek

      Wir wachen an unserem wunderschönen wilden Camp Spot auf und entdecken ein kleines süßes Schnabeltier. Super interessante eierlegende Säugetiere (und auch giftig, wie wir gelernt haben), die es wirklich nur hier in Australien gibt. Es schwimmt vor uns im Wasser auf und ab und sieht beim Schwimmen eher tollpatschig als anmutig aus.
      Der Himmel ist grau und soll es auch den ganzen Tag bleiben, bestes Wetter für eine Regenwaldwanderung, denn durch das dichte Grün würden eh keine Sonnenstrahlen gelangen. Schon die Anreise zum Startpunkt der Wanderung ist eine Herausforderung für sich, denn wir bleiben auf einem matschigen Pfad mitten im Wald fernab von Handyempfang direkt erstmal stecken mit Tasha. Wolf schafft es souverän uns rückwärts wieder heraus zu manövrieren, und als wir den langen Sandweg mit unserem Camper endlich geschafft haben, kann es ja nur besser werden. So ist es zunächst auch…
      Der Regenwald ist zauberhaft mit seinen fast 2.000 Jahre alten King Billy Pines. Jeder Stein und jeder Baum ist knallgrün und mit dickem Moos überzogen. Der Track hingegen fühlt sich an, als wurde er vor vielen Jahren das letzte Mal belaufen. Überall hängen Spinnennetze und keiner von uns beiden will vorne laufen und den Weg “freizuräumen”. Wir treffen auf viele umgefallene Bäume und Äste, es wird immer schwerer sich durch den Weg zu kämpfen bzw. diesen überhaupt zu finden. Schließlich gelangen wir zu einem beeindruckenden Wasserfall, die 150 m hohen Winterbrook Falls.
      Der Rückweg über einen anderen Pfad gestaltet sich leider ziemlich frustrierend. Die Büsche sind hier so zugewachsen, dass wir uns regelrecht durchkämpfen müssen. Zwischen den Büschen warten zusätzlich Schlammlöcher auf uns und nach einer gefühlten Ewigkeit kommen wir mit pitschnassen Sachen und Schuhen wieder am Ausgangspunkt an. Puuuh… toller Wald, toller Wasserfall, aber hier sollte sich dringend mal wieder ein Ranger um den Pfad kümmern. Die heiße Dusche am Campingplatz von Mole Creek haben wir bitter nötig.      Read more

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    • Adventuring Down Under
      Day 52

      Launceston: Cataract Gorge

      February 1 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 75 °F

      After lunch at a place recommended by one of the staffers at the QVMAG, we headed off to the Cataract Gorge Reserve.

      The gorge — which is 65-million-years-old — can best be described as “urban wilderness.” An oasis in the midst of the city. One can walk to it from the CBD … a zig zag trail that I understand is fairly steep. We drove there instead … steep roads, too.

      The dolerite features of the Cataract Gorge — some 200-million-years-old — date back to the Jurassic Period … to a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Signage in the reserve explained that Tasmanian Aboriginals tell of ancestors who were transformed into stone monoliths. They, in fact, consider the boulders along the river to be sentinels who care for the area.

      I was hoping to see something like what was portrayed in the paintings I’d seen at the art gallery. Nope, nothing like it. The scenery was peaceful and beautiful, but I must admit that the swimming pool on the lawn was an eyesore … at least it was for me. I didn’t much care for the chairlift that stretches across the basin either. Just seemed a bit too commercial to me. But others seem to enjoy both of these features, so who am I to quibble.

      Having spent most of the day slow-wandering at the QVMAG, our feet refused to consider a long hike into the gorge. Instead, we followed a short trail to the Alexandra Suspension Bridge to cross the gorge and do the basin walk that encircles the water.

      Our visit took to the Gorge took an hour in all. Then, back to the hotel to rest up. Tomorrow we’re on the road again.      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Meander Valley

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